High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sahaptian (also Sahaptianic, Sahaptin, Shahaptian) is a sub-grouping of two languages of the Plateau Penutian family spoken by Native American peoples in the Columbia Plateau region of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the northwestern United States. Nez Perce has two main varieties (Upper and Lower). Sahaptin has considerably greater internal diversity with several different varieties. Note that the terms Sahaptian (the family) and Sahaptin (the language) have often been confused and used interchangeably in the literature.