1. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the phonological and lexical correspondences for Northern Sahaptin and Nez Perce. In 1891, Powell named Chopunnish (Nez Perce), Klikitat, Paloos, Tenaino, Tyigh, Umatilla, and Walla Walla, as the principal tribes of the Shahaptian family. 1 In 1931, Melville Jacobs suggested that Powell's Shahaptian, together with Lutuamian and Waiilatpuan, be tentatively designated a stock, called Sahaptin, and that Shahaptian be divided in linguistic terminology as follows: 1. northern Sahaptin, including the northwest Sahaptin, Warmsprings, waluila-palu's, and Umatilla; 2. the Nez Perce groups. 2 Further, Jacobs noted that Northern Sahaptin and Nez Perce are not mutually intelligible. 3 Since then, HV Velten in 1943 noted some possible Sahaptin cognates in his analysis of the Nez Perce verb affixes, 4 Morris Swadesh stated provisional consonant correspondences including Nez Perce and Northern Sahaptin in 1956, 5 and in 1957 DH Hymes referred to continuative elements in Northern Sahaptin and Nez Perce. 6 We do not yet have a statement