2005 Humanities Lewis and Clark Programs

Four Programs in May and June to Focus on Lewis & Clark and the
Meeting of Diverse Communities

These programs sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities are presented in partnership with the Friends of Arrow Rock, the Arrow Rock State Historic Site and the Marshall Public Library. Note two programs are held in Arrow Rock and two in Marshall .

Thursday, May 26, 9:00 a.m. Arrow Rock State Historic Site Visitor Center

Edward Red Eagle, Jr.: “The Osage Indians and Lewis and Clark”

The following topics will be considered: “Points of Departure,” historical events that occurred from the time of the Osages encountering Lewis and Clark in 1804 through the past two hundred years to today. The second topic is my family's ancestor, Nathaniel Pryor, 1 st Sergeant on the “Corps of Discovery” and his family background.  The common thread of my remarks is an emphasis on the value of respect that was evident on both sides at the time of the first encounters.  I believe that the trait of respect was a primary element that opened the way to success for the Discovery Corps.

Eddy Red Eagle – Director, Wa Zha Zhi Cultural Center
Pawhuska , Oklahoma 74056

Thursday, June 2, 7:00 p.m. Marshall Public Library, 214 N. Lafayette, Marshall    

Scott Fritz: “Thomas Jefferson's Republican Vision for America : The Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Exploration”

Thomas Jefferson envisioned an America composed of virtuous, yeoman farmers.  For him, small property owners were the guarantors of a republican form of government.  In order to insure that the United States would be an agricultural society, Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803.  Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to discover the region's economic potential and how the area could fulfill his dream for America .

Scott Fritz, Ph.D. in American History
Adjunct Professor at Western New Mexico University . 

Thursday, June 9, 6:30 p.m. potluck and program

Arrow Rock State Park Shelter House near Lewis & Clark Overlook

Potluck dinner begins at 6:30, program immediately following .
June 9 th is the day the expedition passed “the arrow rock.”

Howard Marshall: Fiddle & Dance Music of the Lewis & Clark Era

This is a presentation of traditional instrumental music of the exploration and early European settlement period of the American West. I do not dress in period costume, nor is this a "re-enactment."  I talk about the history of the fiddle/violin.

By 1804 the violin was on its way to becoming the most familiar bowed instrument in North American communities grounded in traditions from Britain and Europe . Violins came West in mover wagons and in immigrant trunks (and later were bought from mail order catalogs). Fiddle music crosses all social and economic boundaries, and fiddling and dancing continue to be staples of everyday life.

Two members of the Corps of Discovery, Peter Cruzatte and George Gibson, played violin. Labors of the journey were relieved at the end of the day by fiddle music and dancing for entertainment and to boost morale, and also for what we call fiddle diplomacy in sensitive meetings with Indian tribal groups.

Howard Marshall, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Art History and Archaeology
University of Missouri-Columbia.

Thursday, June 16, 7:00 p.m. Marshall Public Library, 214 N. Lafayette, Marshall  

Matthew Jones: “Otoe and Missouri Meet Big Knives”

This program examines the first and second meetings that Lewis and Clark held with the Otoe-Missouria nation. Through the Otoe-Missouria nation's oral history this program examines the perceptions they had of these new wan^sige ska (white people). It also looks at the historical repercussions that the Otoe-Missouria experienced after this first contact and what the tribe thinks about this historical meeting today.

Matthew Jones has developed many programs as a lecturer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln , including “Native American Religious Belief System,” “How to Teach about the Native American,” and “Legal Aspects on Native-American Intellectual Property Rights.” Mr. Jones was awarded the Indian Faculty Person of the Year by the Big XII Native American Student Conference in 2002.

Matthew Jones
University Foundations Program,
University of Nebraska

A sign language interpreter will sign all four meetings. Signing will be provided to make these programs available to the deaf community and will also emphasize that the expedition often had to depend on sign language for communication.