Presentation by WSU History Department Considers American Indian Perspective of Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea

PULLMAN, Wash. – Faculty members in the Department of History at Washington State University have finalized plans for the next presentations of the series “Sacagawea/Sacajawea and the Lewis and Clark Expedition: American Indian Perspectives.”

Presentations are set for 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma, 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at the Seattle Public Library and 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane.

All events will feature performances by Dakota historian and performer Jeanne Eder as Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark expedition. Eder, a Dakota Sioux, received a doctorate in American history and public history in 2000 from WSU. Eder was one of the first American Indian members of the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Council and a member of the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Committee.

Additional tribal perspectives will be provided by commentators at each event. Bill Iyall, vice chairman of the Cowlitz Tribe and chairman of the Tribal Council, will serve as commentator of the Washington State Historical Society presentation. “My image of Sacagawea is that of an American Indian woman of strong will and great strength of character, just like my memory of my grandmother,” Iyall said. “I hope the presentation yields greater understanding of women’s roles in Indian life.”

Commentator for the Seattle Public Library event is Charlene Krise, director of the Museum, Library and Resource Center of the Squaxin Tribe.

Michael Holloman, director of the Center for Plateau Cultural Studies, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, will serve as commentator for the Spokane event. Holloman’s observations will focus on Sacajawea and York, William Clark’s African-American servant. “I would like to reflect on the probable reasons for two secondary historical characters’ continued relevance and intrigue,” Holloman said.

The history department at WSU began the series “Sacagawea/Sacajawea and the Lewis and Clark Expedition: American Indian Perspectives” in 2003 to mark the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expeditions. The series is intended to ensure residents of the Northwest have access to American Indian perspectives of the historic events associated with the Lewis and Clark expeditions.

The Washington State History Museum is located at 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, (888) 238-4373. The Seattle Central Library is located at 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, (206) 386-4636.  The event will be held in the Microsoft Auditorium, Level 1. The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is located at 2316 W. 1^st Ave., Spokane, (509) 363-5330.