Academic Journal Blog

            In reading the online resources in module one, I was interested specifically in The Native Americans, which is a brief story of the first encounters of Lewis and Clark with Native Americans.  I did not know that their expedition into the west was referred to as the Corps of Discovery,¹ and this Corps encountered many different “Indians”, as they were called, who were completely self-sufficient and varied in the way they sustained their tribes.  For example, the Mandans lived in earth lodges and farmed corn and the Teton Sioux slept in tepees and hunted buffalo.² Some areas of Indigenous peoples remained unaware of the invasion of the White man, but others had contact apparent by the hats and coats they had received from European sea captains.³

            Lewis and Clark had a ritual upon meeting a tribe for the first time.  This ceremony consisted of telling the tribal leaders that their land was no longer their own – it belonged to the United States.  Also, their “great father” was now Thomas Jefferson.⁴ Reading this gave me a small glimpse into these encounters.  How could Lewis and Clark, and others in this Cops of Discovery, observe the Mandan, Teton Sioux, and other tribes, living in their own unique systems, so callously proclaim, “This land is no longer yours, it is ours!”  And “Your Great Father is now Thomas Jefferson!”?

            The feeling of entitlement to take possession of land that the Europeans had not cultivated and lived off of, was a precursor to the violence that followed in order to take over.  The Cops of Discovery held parades, marching through and shooting their guns as if to proclaim their arrival, declaring, “Hey, this is now our land, and by the way, Thomas Jefferson is who guides you now,” It’s hard to wrap my head around knowing this.

         

                                                   Bibliography

PBS Online, “The Native Americans”

http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/native/index.html