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Blackfoot perspective (Aug. 31, 2006) – Three people died during the course of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Many Siouxlanders know about one fatality - Sgt. Charles Floyd who died of natural causes in August 1804 near present-day Sioux City. Most are less familiar with the two young Blackfeet men who were killed in an encounter with Capt. Meriwether Lewis and his small party in July 1806, at Two Medicine River in present-day northern Montana.
To mark the conclusion of
the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial and the
formal beginning of its permanent mission,
the Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive
Center will present a Native perspective of
the Two Medicine encounter with programs at
1:30 p.m. Sept. 8 and 9. The events will
feature Curly Bear Wagner, a Blackfeet
Nation historian, cultural leader and
businessman. The Two Medicine encounter resulted in the tragic deaths of 13-year-old Calf Looking and another, unnamed Blackfeet teen-ager. Lewis’ party included George Drouillard, a civilian and skilled hunter, scout, and interpreter, and Privates Reubin and Joseph Field, brothers from Kentucky and two of the Corps of Discovery’s best hunters. The great-grandson of Blackfeet leader Red Crow and a Vietnam veteran, Wagner will discuss the deadly encounter and its impact on the Blackfeet and other Native people. Each program will include a question-and-answer segment and discussion. Both events will be free and open to the public. Wagner is a former cultural advisor to the Blackfeet Nation and the founder of Going-to-the-Sun Institute. The cross-cultural, non-profit organization works to enhance and share traditional Blackfeet knowledge and culture with Indian and non-Indian people through educational projects and outdoor programs. The organization believes that traditional Native values should be learned by young Native people and shared with all people with the goal of improving the world. The organization’s work includes the “First Nations Discover Lewis & Clark” DVD-CD-ROM documentary series, produced in cooperation with Native View Pictures with partial funding by the National Park Service and the Montana Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Commission. The first in the series is “Two Worlds at Two Medicine.” Future projects include, “Women: The Backbone of Our People,” and “Sacred Land, Sacred Spirit.” The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, a private, non-profit institution, was built and is sustained by Missouri River Historical Development, Inc. (MRHD). It opened in September 2002 with a focus on commemorating the explorers’ time in the present-day Sioux City area. Since then, it has welcomed almost 242,000 visitors who have come from every state and more than two dozen other countries. As the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial concludes on Sept. 23, the Center moves forward with the permanent mission of “Commemorating a history of encounters.” That history begins with encounters among Native people who lived here long before the expedition arrived. It continues with encounters between Natives and non-Natives. It looks forward to commemorating and interpreting encounters among people who have come to this area from every part of the globe. The “encounters” theme is inspiring a spectrum of post-Bicentennial opportunities to promote dialogue, harmony and understanding among all people in this region. “The conclusion of the Bicentennial on Sept. 23 invites us to move forward and consider questions raised by the three-year commemoration. We are particularly interested in Lewis & Clark’s legacy and the integrity of our ongoing relationship with Native people,” says Marcia Poole, director. “Our most important work is really just beginning.” The Sioux City Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center is located on the Missouri Riverfront, exit 149 off I-29. Admission, all programs, exhibits and activities are free. For more information, contact 224-5242 or www.siouxcitylcic.com
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