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Selected Online Resources for Exploring the History of Lewis and Clark and Native PeoplesBy Phill Allen and Christopher RiggsPhill Allen, a Nez Perce tribal historian, is studying for his Ph. D. in American Studies at Washington State University and is an Adjunct Professor at Northwest Indian College and North Idaho College. Christopher Riggs holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Colorado and is an Associate Professor of History at Lewis-Clark State College.
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In the course of its travels through the Great Plains and the Northwest in 1804 to 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered and interacted with dozens of Native American peoples. (For a brief summary and map of the expedition, see historian Henry W. Fritz’s account at Discovering Lewis and Clark: The Expedition, http://www.lewis-clark.org/content/content-channel.asp?ChannelID=54). American Indians were undeniably an integral part of the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. President Thomas Jefferson stipulated that one of the expedition’s key objectives was the gathering of information about the Indian societies in the West. The Shoshone woman, Sacajawea, served the Corps of Discovery as a translator, diplomat, and (at least to some extent) guide. Native Americans provided much-needed trade goods and invaluable information about geography, tribal cultures, inter-tribal diplomatic relationships, trade networks, and the like. Without the cooperation of Indian people, it is debatable whether the expedition would have been as successful as it was, and it is debatable whether it would have even survived. (An overview of the expedition’s interactions with Native Americans can be found in James P. Ronda’s Lewis and Clark Among the Indians [Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1984/1998].) Just as Indians constitute a part of the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition, it is also important to point out that the expedition was a part of the ongoing histories of Indian peoples. Native Americans had existed long before the American expedition came along. Allen Pinkham of the Nez Perce refers to his people as having lived in their homelands “since time immemorial” (http://www.focuswest.org/water/tribalrights.cfm). In addition, Native peoples have continued to exist despite the massive changes that have taken place in the two centuries since the expedition’s end. The U.S. government currently recognizes over 560 Indian tribes. This web site has been developed to provide students, teachers, and others an opportunity to use online resources to learn about some of the Indian peoples that Lewis and Clark encountered and to use the expedition as a jumping off point to study Native Americans, past and present. Particular emphasis is given to official tribal Web pages and related materials. To that end, section #1 below contains a number of links to official tribal Web pages and other sites that contain general information about the descendents of Native American nations that had at least some interaction with Lewis and Clark, broadly defined. Many include accounts and descriptions of tribal histories, cultures, economies, governments, and the like. Section #2 contains links to Web sites related to American Indian peoples in the Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Washington), while section #3 includes materials related to Indian treaties and other aspects of United States Indian policy. The fourth section consists of suggestions for the use of the online materials linked to by this web site. The final section offers links to various lesson plans and other classroom resources.
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1. Official Tribal Homepages and Other Web Sites Relating to Native Peoples Who Encountered Lewis and Clark The Web sites listed below do not include all of the Native peoples whose ancestors had contact with Lewis and Clark, but an effort has been made to insure that the list reflects the past and present cultural and geographic diversity of Native Americans. It should not be assumed that the views expressed on a particular web site reflect the views of every member of that tribe or nation. Different individuals and different families, even if from the same tribe, may have different perspectives. Sometimes, tribal perspectives match those of non-Indians (such as Lewis and Clark), but other times they are at odds. The Web sites listed here were selected to call attention to the persistence of tribal peoples and to highlight resources that students and teachers might wish to use in the classroom. American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection Blackfeet Nation (Montana) Cheyenne River Lakota Nation - Home of the Mnicoujou, Itazipco, Sihasapa, & Oohenumpa
Bands (South Dakota) Chinook Indian Tribe (Oregon) Clatsop and Nehalem Confederated Tribes (Oregon) Coeur d’Alene Tribe/Schitsu’umsh (Idaho) Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation
(Montana) Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (Washington) Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (Oregon) Confederated Tribes of Siletz (Oregon) Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation (Oregon) Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation - Cayuse, Umatilla
and Walla Walla (Oregon) Crow Tribe (Montana) Fort Peck Tribes - Home of the Fort Peck Sioux & Assiniboine (Montana) Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Homepage (Idaho) Nez Perce Tribe (Idaho) Oglala Sioux Tribe of Pine Ridge (South Dakota) Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma (Oklahoma) Rosebud Sioux Tribe – Home of the Sicangu Lakota Tetunwan Oyate
(South Dakota) Sac and Fox Nation (Oklahoma) Shoshone and Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall (Idaho) Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (North and South Dakota) Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold - Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara
(North Dakota) Yakama Nation – Cultural Heritage Center (Washington) Yankton Sioux Tribe – Tribal Tourism Association (South Dakota) Discovering Lewis and Clark: Native Nations Lifelong Learning Online: The Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project |
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2. Official Tribal Web Sites and Other Web Sites Related to the Native Peoples of the Northwest Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, of course, did not exist at the time of Lewis and Clark. However, the expedition was a part of the larger process of territorial expansion by the United States, which ultimately resulted in the division of the West into various states. Native Americans then found themselves living within these new geographic boundaries, but states generally do not have authority over tribes unless the federal government sanctions it. The Web sites below include tribal homepages and other sites containing information about the unique and distinct Native peoples in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Idaho Coeur d’Alene Tribe/Schitsu’umsh Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute Tribes Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Homepage Nez Perce Tribe Shoshone and Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall Digital Atlas of Idaho (Search for particular peoples/topics) Idaho Natives Idaho Tribes at the Time of Lewis and Clark Nez Perce National Historic Park The Peoples of Idaho: Native Settlers Tribal Government Sources - Nations by State: Idaho Oregon Burns Paiute Tribe Chinook Indian Tribe Clatsop and Nehalem Confederated Tribes Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Confederated Tribes of Siletz Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation - Cayuse, Umatilla
and Walla Walla Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Klamath Tribes – Klamath, Modoc, Yahooskin Tribal Government Sources - Nations by State: Oregon Washington Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Cowlitz Indian Tribe Duwamish Tribe Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Kalispel Tribe of Indians Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Lummi Nation Makah Nation Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Nisqually Indian Tribe Nooksack Indian Tribe Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Quileute Sauk-Suiattle Skokomish Tribal Nation Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Spokane Tribe of Indians Squaxin Island Tribe Suquamish Tribe - Port Madison Indian Reservation Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Tulalip Tribes Yakama Nation – Cultural Heritage Center Tribal Government Sources - Nations by State: Washington |
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3. Web Sites Related to United States Indian Policy Thomas Jefferson's instructions to Meriwether Lewis in 1803 make clear that learning about and establishing relations with Western tribes stood out as an important goal of the Lewis and Clark expedition: http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mtj:@field(DOCID+@lit(je00048)). Hence, part of Lewis and Clark's mission involved the implementation of United States Indian policy. The web sites below provide some general information about the complicated political, diplomatic, and legal relationship between Native nations and the United States. Links are also provided to treaties and agreements between Northwestern tribes and the United States. General Information American Indian Policy Center Bureau of Indian Affairs Handbook of Federal Indian Law Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties Indian Tribes, Their Rights and Responsibilities (pdf) Institute for Tribal Government – Educational Resources National Congress of American Indians Native American Rights Fund Sovereignty: A Brief History in the Context of U.S. "Indian law" Treaties and Agreements Between Northwestern Indian Peoples and the United States, 1853-1883 Agreement with the Rouge River, 1853 Treaty with the Rogue River, 1853 Treaty with the Umpqua-Cow Creek Band, 1853 Treaty with the Rogue River, 1854 Treaty with the Chasta, Etc., 1854 Treaty with the Umpqua and Kalapuya, 1854 Treaty with the Nisqualli, Puyallup, Etc., 1854 Treaty with the Kalapuya, Etc., 1855 Treaty with the Dwamish, Suquamish, Etc., 1855 Treaty with the S'klallam, 1855 Treaty with the Makah, 1855 Treaty with the Wallawalla, Cayuse, Etc., 1855 Treaty with the Yakima, 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perces, 1855 Treaty with the Tribes of Middle Oregon, 1855 Treaty with the Quinaielt, Etc., 1855 Treaty with the Flatheads, Etc., 1855 Treaty with the Molala, 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perces, 1863 Treaty with the Shoshoni-Northwestern Bands, 1863 Treaty with the Klamath, Etc., 1864 Treaty with the Snake, 1865 Treaty with the Middle Oregon Tribes, 1865 Treaty with the Nez Perces, 1868 Agreement with the Columbia and Colville, 1883 |
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4. Suggestions for Classroom Use of Tribal Homepages and Other Websites The following are ideas on how teachers may ask students to use the material on the websites listed in “Selected Tribal Websites.” Teachers should feel free to modify the materials below in whatever way they believe would best serve their students. Part I. Students should be able to answer these questions by using the tribal websites, although not all sites may provide the information needed to answer every question. Many of these questions are derived from the tribal websites, especially the Nez Perce site at http://www.nezperce.org/History/FrequentlyAskedQ.htm 1. “According to tribal historians,” writes historian Clifford Trafzer, “Native American history began with creation.” How do the Native people or peoples you read about describe their origins? 2. What foods did the Native people or peoples you read about eat around the time of their contact with Lewis and Clark? What do they eat today? 3. Around the time of contact with Lewis and Clark, what were the key economic activities of the Native people or peoples you read about? What are key economic activities of the Native people or peoples today? 4. Around the time of contact with Lewis and Clark, what sort of housing did the Native people or peoples you read about have? What sort of housing do the Native people or peoples have today? 5. Around the time of contact with Lewis and Clark, where did the Native people or peoples you read about live? Where do they live today? 6. Around the time of contact with Lewis and Clark, what sorts of clothing did the Native people or peoples you read about wear? What sorts of clothing do the Native people or peoples wear today? 7. Around the time of contact with Lewis and Clark, what sort of government(s) did the Native people or peoples you read about have? What sort of government(s) do they have today? 8. How did Lewis and Clark affect the Native people or peoples you read about? Part II. The following questions probably will require students to use both the tribal websites AND additional sources. 1. Using the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration’s “Photo Analysis Worksheet,” analyze one or more of the photographs from the website or websites that you read. The worksheet can be found at http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/analysis_worksheets/photo.html 2. Using an online or print source(s), find a definition for the term “culture.” How would you describe the culture(s) of the Native people or peoples around the time of contact with Lewis and Clark? How would you describe the culture(s) today? What has changed over time and what has remained the same? 3. Using an online or printed source(s), find out information about the structure of the United States government and/or the government of your state. Compare and contrast the tribal government or governments you read about with the government of the United States and/or your state. How are officials selected? What are the different branches of each government? What are some of the powers that each government has? 4. Several of the tribal websites discuss treaties and/or other agreements entered into between Indian nations and the United States. What were some of the provisions of the treaties? Why were the treaties made, and why were/are they important? 4a. Treaties provide evidence that Indian nations possess “sovereignty.” Using an online or print source(s), find a definition of sovereignty. Why are treaties evidence that Native nations possess “tribal sovereignty”? Where does tribal sovereignty come from? What is the extent of tribal sovereignty, and what are its limitations? Why is tribal sovereignty important? Part III. The following activities probably will require students to use both the tribal websites AND additional sources. 1a. Role-playing activity. Have students put themselves in the positions of American Indians who encountered Lewis and Clark. Based on the information on the tribal Web site(s) and other sources, role play a debate/discussion about how to respond to Lewis and Clark’s arrival and why. 1b. Role-playing activity. Have student put themselves in the position of American Indian people living in 2002 who was a member of a particular Indian group whose ancestors encountered Lewis and Clark two centuries earlier. Based on the information on the tribal website(s) and other, role play a debate/discussion on how or whether to acknowledge the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Plan a celebration? Plan a commemoration? (Be sure to discuss the difference between a celebration and commemoration.) Mourn? Do nothing? Something else? Be sure students offer a justification for their answer. 2. Oral and/or written report. Using the tribal websites and other sources, write or present a report on a particular issue related to Native American affairs. Topics could include treaties, tribal sovereignty, cultural change and continuity over time, economic changes over time, the impact of Lewis and Clark, and the like. 3. Mapping exercises. Using the tribal websites and other sources, draw a map showing the lands of some or all of the Indian nations that Lewis and Clark encountered between 1804 and 1806. Draw a map of where those Indian nations' reservations are today. |
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5. Selected Lesson Plans and Other Resources for Classroom Use Knife River: Early Village Life on the Plains Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc.: Education Lifelong Learning Online: The Lewis and Clark Rediscovery Project
(See especially “Knife River Villages,” “Nez Perce,” “Umatilla
River,” “Warm Springs,” “Coeur d’Alene,” and “Warm
Springs [Sup.].”) Missouri Historical Society: Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial
Exhibition: For Educators National Archives and Records Administration’s Digital Classroom: National Endowment for the Humanities: On This Day With Lewis and
Clark National Lewis and Clark Commemoration Native America, Discovered and Conquered Public Broadcasting System (PBS) |
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