Two hundred years ago, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were about six weeks from finishing their now famous expedition. Two hundred years later, the nation is about to end its 2-year commemoration of the historic journey, and it will end where it began – on the banks of the Mississippi River at St. Louis.
The National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial is sponsoring a five-day event that will take place, for the most part, downtown and on the riverfront. It is called Lewis and Clark: Currents of Change. It is the final National Signature Event.
The National Council is headquartered at your Missouri History Museum in Forest Park. Dr. Robert Archibald is president of the council, as well as president of the Missouri Historical Society. He said, “I was a relative newcomer to the Council. I became the president in 2002, and that was because it was in desperate need of leadership. I was among a number of people around the table. And I was willing to step up.”
Stepping up meant overseeing events under the Council banner that stretched from St. Louis all the way to Washington State – the length of the Lewis and Clark Trail.
The commemoration and the events will culminate on the St. Louis Riverfront with five days of fun beginning Wednesday, September 20 through September 24. While there will be lots of fun things to do, there also will be plenty of opportunities to learn a great deal about Lewis and Clark and Native Americans.
“We understood from the outset that inclusion of native perspective and native people was vital to the success of the bicentennial commemoration.”
It doesn’t go unnoticed that leaders and planners of the bicentennial are careful to never call it a celebration.
“Obviously, for native people, this wasn’t a celebration,” said Archibald.
“Nor is it really a cause for celebration for African Americans, for whom York was a representative on the expedition. He, of course, was a slave whose freedom after the expedition was long delayed.”
In Archibald’s mind, not only has the bicentennial been a commemoration of the Lewis and Clark journey, but it also serves to remind us of the value of cooperation among people of differing interests, backgrounds and purposes. This is clearly demonstrated during the expedition in the extraordinary cooperation between the Lewis and Clark party and the myriad of tribes met along the way. In one scenario, the Nez Perce contemplated killing the members of the expedition. “They saw them as freeloaders,” observes Archibald. “But instead they decided to help them.”
Two centuries later, it is the help from the Indians that ensured that the commemoration would ultimately mean something to all Americans.
Archibald says the entire project has sparked a healthy debate among peoples who really hadn’t spoken to each other in decades. Scholars and ordinary citizens are now seeking answers to questions that touch the lives of all Americans. He outlined some of them.
“What happened to all that land that Lewis and Clark traversed that belonged to the Indians? What happened to the people who lived there? What course corrections should we make? What sort of legacies do we want to leave for our children? And how can we relate to people who are different from us in different ways? And how can we think about land in different ways so we can behave in ways that will sustain the land in a global environment for generations that follow?”
You can get involved in seeking some of the answers to those questions by setting aside some time to take part in or simply view some of the activities that will be held under the Arch.
Here are some highlights:
September 20 and 21 will feature stories from Native Americans called The Stories We Tell: A Symposium.
“It’s a chance for us to hear native stories that have been passed down generation to generation.”
African historians certainly are familiar with this form of history. It is not unlike the tales of the African griots.
Friday will feature a series of tours that explore the Lewis and Clark legacy in this area. Simultaneously, along the riverfront will be more stories in the “Tent of Many Voices,” plus exhibitors and educators. These will be in place throughout the weekend.
Saturday, September 23 marks the actual 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark’s return to the St. Louis Riverfront. Day-long activities include a formal public ceremony, a re-enactment of Lewis and Clark’s arrival, followed by an evening of entertainment featuring Martha Redbone of African-American and Native American descent, who will perform her “soul” music along with a Native American blues band called “Indigenous.” It’s a family event.
For more information, visit www.currentsofchange.org or call (314) 454-5753.