Tent of Many Voices: 01180301FJH

oh e ladies and gentlemen will you please clear the performance area good morning ladies and gentlemen the United States Army Military District of Washington is proud to present the Old Guard five and drum corp the first mention of an American army music IAL organization is contained in a reference to the Celebration held after Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys captured Fort taond deroga in May of 1775 the organization that performed at this celebration was a f and drum corp the third United States infantry the Old Guard the Army's official escort to the president of the United States organized the Old Guard F and drum corp in 1960 for its official ceremonial functions and to revive our country musical Heritage the Corp performs for visiting dignitaries and heads of state at the White House and throughout the nation's capital in addition the core travels extensively averaging nearly 2,000 performances annually while serving as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Army Across the Nation and abroad to be sure musicians have played inal part in our country's military history during the Revolutionary War they were used as the voice of the commander issuing and relaying commands in the camp and on the battlefield Fon drums were the cow military instrument of the period however there was Ed of trumpets by mounted units and the gole game prominance later in the 19th century especially when grps of musicians gathered together the most proficient drummer was chosen to lead the unit against the title drum major the drum major of the core we light infantry camp and issu Silent command to the espon 2 an 18th Century weapon listen now as the core features the vers we d W he there we are four the same yeah the out uh good morning I'm Dan Jordan president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation the private nonprofit corporation that's owned and operated Montello since 1923 sure it's cold who cares and don't forget that it was a lot colder for day Zone in along the trail of The Voyage of Discovery whose memory we honor by being here today they proceeded on and so shall we it's my pleasure to welcome you uh to Montello uh where the journey began and to the official commencement of the national Lewis and Clark Bicentennial commemoration I welcome you on behalf of my wife blue on behalf of the trustees of the foundation on behalf of my uh colleagues since 1998 the foundation has been planning for the bicentennial our goal was to have an all American program an allamerican program with many voices many voices telling multiple stories each compelling and instructive we also wanted a program that would recognize the centrality of Thomas Jefferson in the Lewis and Clark Story this morning's event comes after a 4day Exposition featuring Scholars and authors uh performers uh Native American tribes and Nations and Craftsmen Lewis and Clark groups from Across the Nation representatives of State local and federal agencies and a distinguished of film makers we believe this is the largest Lewis and Clark Gathering since uh Lewis and Clark Park wined uh with the m Dan over a thousand of you registered for the exposition uh program uh which was 5 days of Around the Clock uh programming those of you who registered you thousand plus uh hail from 41 different states the District of Columbia Canada and Germany I'd like to ask all of the individuals who participated in the exposition program this week uh to stand those those a thousand plus of you who were here for that it's great to have all of you uh from across the land please be seated now I would like to ask the 75% of you plus others who are here today from a state that is west west of the Mississippi River so would all of those good folks stand and look at look at the hundreds of people here from across this great country with us today are representatives of scores of partner groups in the community and Coast to Coast partner groups uh with which the foundation has been honored to work these past 5 years and we'll have more to say about our partners later also in the audience and we are truly honored are some 200 uh Native Americans uh from across the land we especially salute their tribal elders and Chiefs they are representing uh 45 to 50 tribes and Nations and I would like to ask our Native American friends to please stand and be recognized so here's to you we at monachello I think uh that teachers are the most important people in America uh we think school kids are the future and we're especially pleased that we have close to 500 uh school kids and teachers in seats of Honor on the very front rows and we'd like to ask them please to stand it's great to have all of you with us thank you I'd be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the presence of some lindas to our exhibit Consultants to the exhibit the Native American Artisans who did the extraordinary objects that are now display permanently at monachello who contributed so significantly to our Landmark exhibit framing the West at monachello so I'd like to ask our lenders our donors the Native American Artisans to please stand and let's recognize your contributions too great thank you very much uh we're pleased to have our friends from C-SPAN with us they are already standing but they are filming and uh stay tuned consult your local listings uh because this will be repeated uh on a number of times and we hope that you'll be able to see it when you get back home finally I'd like to ask is there anyone here is there anyone here who has not yet stood up if so please stand up stretch a minute great to have everybody uh the first half of our program this morning is a salute to the Expedition and we are honored to have as our Master of Ceremonies for it a person long time associated with the Lewis and Clark Story now a resident of Walpole New Hampshire he is one of the nation's Premier experts on the core of discovery the author of seven books soon to be eight books he is an acclaimed lecturer and has served as writer and co-producer with Ken Burns who's also here the award-winning public broadcasting uh documentary 4our spectacular interpretation of Lewis and Clark he's also an individual who has personally experienced every foot along the trail ladies and gentlemen our Master of Ceremonies Dayton Duncan thank you Dan and I I think I speak for all the well the first group of you who stood up uh who've been attending the uh different seminars and programs over the last week to say uh that Dan Jordan and uh cat imhoff and the entire staff here at Montello have done just an extraordinary job of getting the commemoration of the Lewis and Clark and core of Discovery uh Expedition off to I think one of the greatest starts that we could ever have hoped for let's have a round of applause for them Dan didn't tell you there's a lot of people who are as infected with Lewis and Clark itis out here as I am although I don't I I don't think anyone's got it worse than I do uh he wanted to keep me in sight the whole time because I've threatened threatened to go down to the gravite of Mr Jefferson who as many of you know wanted three things written on his Tombstone that he was the author of the Declaration of Independence that he was the author of The Articles of religious freedom in the uh Virginia Constitution and that he founded the University of Virginia now all those are okay I guess but I think he forgot something that was equally important that had us founder consequences on uh the nation that he helped get started with the Declaration of Independence and that was both the Louisiana Purchase and sending and at roughly the same time sending Lewis and Clark and the core of Discovery from here to the Pacific coast with what he hoped would become an Empire of Liberty and so I've threatened occasionally at night to sneak down and etch into that Tombstone uh some additions to us and if there's any volunteers for it see me after the event and we'll see if we can work it out this is where it all started at Montello in the mind of Thomas Jefferson um I've compared it often to the first space uh to the race for space um the core of Discovery like the astronauts were military men uh the big keelboat going up the Missouri River was the Saturn booster rocket they even took along the 19th century equivalent of Tang a thing horrible concoction they called portable soup but all of those things this was mission control behind me monachello and instead of all the computers and everything else of NASA was the mind of Thomas Jefferson so it's very appropriate that we begin our commemoration and the start of it here at monachello we're going to have a great program for you different attributes to different people we have a lot of music throughout the day both from some mil military uh uh organizations and from some uh tribal groups as well I want to make make clear to everyone that uh in all all this uh the different music that we're having it's not celebrating military victories or anything like that this is an honor to uh our shared history that uh we hope uh will be remembered uh throughout the next three years during the commemoration our first group is the Lewis and Clark F and drum corp from St Charles Missouri and it's one of America's few all youth fif and drum cores members range in age from 10 years old to 18 the group was organized 11 years ago and they've spent the last year hosting dinners and staging silent auctions to raise enough money to travel here to Charlottesville for this historic event the musicians play replicas of the six and nine-hole wooden fives and rope tension drums used during the 18th and 19th centuries their uniforms are red wool coats and bare skin crusted round hats patterned after those of the US Army Field musicians from 1804 to 1810 the flag bearers are dressed identically but with opposite colors since they were considered part of the Infantry the CH signature tune is explore the purchase in honor of the Lewis and Clark expedition please welcome the Lewis and Clark fif and drum core from St Charles Missouri woo Co facing to the right face back rank one step to the right March back rank two steps forward March York us a Lea drums roll h a Tri behind me drums roll off Grandfather's Clock drums roll all hello la is hunting P drums roll 181 12 drums are n get just got left step aim was beaing St pipes pipes down Co facing to the left face Co recover roll La step bar we G he doodle counter marage drums roll I think there are a lot of proud parents from St Charles Missouri here tonight today I don't know if any of you played in a high school band but I did on in Indianola Iowa playing a tenor saxophone when it was this cold and your lips freeze and it's marvelous how well they could play those delicate instruments in cold weather like this let's have another round of applause for the kids from St Charles poetry often has the ability to capture our emotions when nothing else can our next speaker Karen Wood is a poet as well as an En enrolled member of the mon nation of Virginia Karen works as a researcher at the national museum of the American Indian part of the Smithsonian institution in Washington DC and is an activist for the rights of women American Indians and environmental issues she also has a gubernatorial appointment to the Virginia Council on Indians her award-winning poetry has been published in numerous magazines and journals please join me in welcoming Karen Wood who composed her poem Homeland for this occasion good morning it is my great honor as a member of the monin Indian tribal council to welcome all of you to our homeland today I would like to acknowledge my native relatives who traveled great distances to be with us today members of the monik and Indian Nation especially our elders and our youth who are our future and I would like to share with you this poem that I did write for this occasion Blue Mountains encircle a prayer to the breath of the Dead everywhere seeds are lying dormant in the ground this is a country remembered dogwoods and Red Buds dear at a Field's Edge the river roiled into its Embrace of red Earth we are powerless here in the face of our love for Legends of granite and shapes that gather at night we are powerless when Mountain Laurel spread Stars through forests when Cedars dance with the yellow leaves falling when Hawks are crying over us Shadows move west and then East a circle of 200 years on the banks of the Missouri a man with braided hair tells himself stories and looks at the stars he guards sacred places a 100 miles of Shoreline and he is alone when he faces the ones who would steal from those Graves they are not white men this time but relatives robbing the spirits he is the dust of their bones a pale Montana woman wrestles barbed wire and drought checking the skyline for rain her grandfather plowed this same ground so she goes into it freckled and burned by the beauty of pastures where calves graze lavender mountains rising to the West The Vanishing outlines of wolves at Twilight and in lape the nesper leader holds his hand out to the Future where for forgiveness lies within himself he remembers years of winter and the Chiefs who would not leave his prayer heals a generation a red flower's fingers uncurling nothing was discovered everything was already loved we who embrace our father's Homeland and indenture ourselves to its Seasons its rhythms of larks spur and Coline cus and T amarak Cottonwood Cedar hand this love to you whose faces rise out of the ground looking West all the love there is that you may hear grasses sing and become many voices of those who came marking a trail in our tongues we welcome the people who follow us here thank you very much thank you Karen that's a wonderful poem to start this uh Bicentennial Dan mentioned how how cold it is uh it was 45 degrees below zero outside Fort Mandan in January of 1805 so this is kind of nothing compared to that crossing the bitteroot mountains in September of uh of 1805 William Clark wrote I have been cold and hungry and wet as I ever have in my whole life to account to uh to account for the occurrences of today would be a repetition of yesterday except for the snow which made it much worse so let's uh be thankful for the Sun at least let me point out to you that there is a Hospitality tent located in the rear it's back there you may want to warm up a little bit inside as well as buy some hot chocolate or coffee after you've had your third cup of coffee you may may want to know that restrooms are also located at the hospitality tent as well as to my left under the South Terrace and to my right behind the North Terrace in the summer of 2002 six middle schoolers two teachers and a filmmaker from Santa Barbara California rode their bicycles nearly 5,000 miles across the country retracing the core of discovery's historic Expedition they started their track right here at monachello and completed it at Fort classup on the coast of Oregon along the way just like Lewis and Clark they made their own discoveries about themselves and about this vast country as one of the bicyclists observed about Midway across the country gez we just happen to ride down the road and something good happens please welcome John and Jacob seagull baitner father and son who made this remarkable Journey I'm one of those teachers and uh when uh my students are kind of dozing off in class while we're studying Lewis and Clark and the core Discovery my favorite quote about the cold happened at Fort Mand I teach middle school and I'm not going to repeat it because I may get removed from the stage but it's the it's a description about when they had to go use the courtesy tent um the quickness with which they had to relieve themselves look that up sometimes uh you guys and uh I think you'll understand um just over a year ago in a small Auditorium 30 families sat silently as I played the opening scene from The Journey of the core of Discovery I smiled as Ken Burns played the same scene the other night to introduce his film to another Auditorium full of families my first words when the lights went up at my presentation were enough for the romance let's get on with reality I went on and on for over an hour describing the Endeavor we would call the Journey of the core of rediscovery finishing my meeting with the words it will surely be the greatest adventure of Our Lives you could have heard a feather drop six months ago today that core of rediscovery Hannah aged 14 Roxy 12 Lincoln 13 Cameron 13 Brett 20 going on 13 my wife and at least co-a Lynn our sons Jacob 14 and Isaac 12 and I pedal up this mountain same road you came up in the bus and we got to ride our bikes right across this lawn Thomas Jefferson's lawn we rode our bikes across Thomas Jefferson's lawn on unbelievable never in my wildest dreams I've gotten kicked off way lesser Lawns than this across this lawn to receive a satchel full of dozens of Peace medals Dan Jordan asked us to present them to kind strangers who we hoped were out there along the river to help us along our way just like Lewis and Clark in the original core of Discovery Dan said two months ago today day that core of rediscovery having pedal 5,000 Mi Road home to the Sea having long long since run out of metals one week ago today Hannah and Roxy were sitting on our couch fact checking an article being written about our journey by a man who had fallen in love with us in Montana what's with this Lewis and Clark this this Lewis and Clark that stuff Hannah said throwing the pages on table doesn't he know it's not just Lewis and Clark Hannah proceeded to mark up the story changing all those Lewis and clarks's to core of discoveries just days ago our son Isaac asked me to come and edit an autobiographical poem he had written for his middle school English class here it is if you have any changes raise your hand please it's called my life on a bike I must explain that both Jacob and his and his brother Isaac came home from the hospital behind my bike being pulled in a trailer a yellow bike trailer carrying a fragile newborn boy an innocent toddler on top of a shiny Red Bicycle a boy with a wide grin riding down the sidewalk focusing only on balancing on his new two- wheeler without falling a young lad in a simple World slowly learning the ways of the world growing into a teen full of hopes dreams and expectations he takes a trip that changes his life forever he comes back wiser and emotionally stronger ready for the twists and turns of the ride called life I couldn't touch it all I could do was apologize for getting his keyboard wet in these past two days here Jacob he doesn't want to say a thing today he's so scared this is way worse than ring your bike 5,000 miles Jacob representing his core and all his new friends out along the river time and time again would lean over to me or tug my arm hey Dad he'd whisper I know the smell of sweet grass burning Hey Dad I remember when we went through that Big Sandy Place Ken Burns is talking about Hey Dad I know how to pronounce how's it Jacob Cami Cami been there beautiful place I'm coming to that bed and breakfast next time you talked about Hey Dad I bet that man making the movie about York would like to meet the York Doll Roxy carried across the country hey Dad remember when we all got a chance to vote at the mouth of the Columbia hey Dad you mean people didn't always give credit to everyone who made the journey possible duh Mr Jefferson said the work we are now doing is I trust done for posterity in such a way that they need not repeat it we shall delineate with correctness the great arteries of this great country those who come after us will fill up the canvas We Begin Mr Jefferson pardon me but I must disagree I learned from the Umatilla along the Colombia that they have no word for art one doesn't just fill up a canvas the canvas the hide the gourd the sand become beads the Earth become theu aren't just materials or colors but Spirits deserving respect despite 200 years of filling this great canvas we still still haven't learned that Mr Jefferson 6 months ago today six Young Explorers rode their bicycles off this lawn in hopes of repeating and rediscovering a great land the lessons they learned the new way they walk this Earth well you heard Isaac's Palm Mr Jefferson I would hope that all of us here today all all of us will leave your lawn with that same spirit this nation needs to travel the river again and again and again and again we need to travel on foot on wheels on Keels on pages on screens around fires may we leave here as the teachers and parents your original core would have us be fueling the dreams of our children with this great story this so important story wouldn't it be wonderful if 100 years from today on this very on nimu real people from many rivers gather here to read poems like Isaac's to make Corrections like Hannah's to share kinships like Jacobs to tell stories of an America who came of age by rediscovering its greatest Adventure in America whose course was delineated not by its quest for Medals of gold but by its desire to share Medals Peace an America who didn't just fill canvas but embrac the canvas with the love and respect it deserves thank you very much thank you very much thank you John Jacob I've traveled a Lou and Clark Trail from St Louis to Oregon four times in a battered old soab and a volswagen camper I convinced my sister she could loan me with uh certainty and a couple of other vehicles and I've canoed and uh Gone by horseback and hiked and several people have asked me about biking and I thought about it for maybe 30 seconds and said no somebody else can do it and I'm glad they did the core of Discovery included men from every part of the Young Nation Carpenters and blacksmiths and tailor soldiers and woodsmen from New Hampshire Pennsylvania Kentucky and Virginia men born in Germany and Frenchmen from Canada three members were the sons of French fathers and Indian mothers also on the journey was William Clark's African-American slave a man known by the name of York next on the program are two gentlemen who know the most about him Ron Craig and James Holberg Ron Craig is a filmmaker and author author who lives in Portland Oregon he has produced a 1-hour documentary about York and has recently finished a children's book about him as well both designed to shed light on York's rightful place in history Jim Holberg is the curator of special collections at the philson Historical Society in Louisville Kentucky the state's oldest privately supported Historical Society Jim specializes in the history of Lewis and Clark and writes and lectures extensively on the subject he is the editor of the book dear brother letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark please welcome Ron Craig and Jim Holberg it's not really cold out there is it turn up the heat uh first I'm going to get a little sort of a personal note on my whole experience out here uh when I was first Contact to to present a portion of who was York I was just totally really honored uh CU York's experience is an experience that we all have probably gone through at some point in our life and being here I had the opportunity to speak at a number of the elementary schools and the thing that I'd really like to impress upon the young children as far as knowing their History New York's story is about the human spirit and survival the adversities that we all go through in life I ran into a young African-American not physically running into him but in the hall in one of the schools and he'd asked me he says what did York look like and I said well we really don't have any images of York and he young child he says well didn't they take any a photograph and I gave him a little story about Matthew Brady real quick and he understood that there weren't any Polaroids or nikons in that time period so I said we really don't know and he was just had this sort of confused look on his face so I walked him over the the hall a few feet and I placed him in front of a mirror and I said that's what York looked like he was an African-American slave and this small child African-American child his eyes just lit up because it was so empowering for him to be able to have that tie to his history and not necessarily that he was denied that history it's just the fact that he was just uninformed formed at that point in his life so I want to believe believe that that was a very empowering experience for him so with that I'm going to share just a little thumbnail sketches for us what we have looked to find as far as what York was about he was born in Carolina count Carolina County Virginia he was born to John Clark who owned his father who was Al so called York and he was old York and then there was a younger York we've in the film industry have called New York so we wouldn't be confused about that he was a playmate of William Clark so he had a long relationship this is not something that all one day decid to go on this Expedition so you would look at the idea it was only two years age difference so when the mar the Lewis contacted Clark as far as going on the Expedition the first members of the expedition was York and once again the question is why would he ask his slave to go along this Expedition well to go back a little bit we can look at their youth as far as Clark and York they both had developed The Woodsman skills that were going to allow them to survive on an expedition of caliber so it was just not an accident that he said I'm going to take my servant along to set fires for me or put out my clothes in the evening because yor was a full working member of Expedition his role on the expedition was very valuable especially when it came to dealing with some of the Indian tribes because it was a very unique stature for an African-American of that size we have accounts that some of the native tribes actually thought that York was the leader and encouraged him to throw off the bonds of slavery and hang with us hang around with us for a while it's you know it's okay along the trail there were a number of encounters where York's presence along with Saga we's presence they were able to make inroads into certain areas that they had never ventured before so we have once again York's importance on the Expedition there are also a number of two geographical sites that are actually named for York once again we're talking about 1805 York is property no respect was far as within the slave master order now we look at that and ask ourselves why would William Clark name different geographical locations for a slave well they were a bit more than just slave and master as I said earlier they had grown up together one of the other significant portions of the expedition was in 18 1805 November on the North Shore of the Columbia River there was a military poll which translates to a vote in the civilian dialogue and the inquiry was made are we going to have an encampment here on the NorthShore are we going to go over on the Southshore where we may find better game and the weather would have been better so in making that inquiry with the poll or the vote in 1805 York became the first African-American slave of record to vote another 60 years prior to emancipation along with that vote Saga whe was in quired as far as what her preference was so here we have an African-American an Indian woman female years before suffrage as I tell my students that's a different documentary story we'll have to deal with later on those are very significant points in history but as has as our history has been chronicled some of those things have been neglected or omitted as a documentary filmmaker it has been my honor to be able to bring these to the Forefront and they have this forum I look out once again as the children ask me what did the core of Discovery look like you are all the core of Discovery you are a portion of it the core of Discovery was a microcosm of every face that we see in this audience and in closing I'd like to read one portion from the children's book that I think really sums it all up York was an important contributor to American history his presence on the Lewis and Clark Expedition was important to its success his accomplishments personal triumphs and tragedies influenced the destiny of this land his life is a story of the human Spirit he experienced the Heights in depths of the world in which he lived from the excitement of the expedition to the Heartbreak of slavery he knew how it felt to be treated as property as an equal and as a superior human being by different groups of people York's strength and character serves as an inspiration to all people in today's world he deserves to be remembered as a hero and his place in history should not be forgotten thank you well as you've heard in Ron's remark the history of America's repl with examples of the important contributions that African-Americans have made from the famous to the Forgotten black Americans have been a part of our history and helped make us the great nation that we are it is particularly fitting that we honor that African-American York here today as we officially begin the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition a slave from birth his mission during and after the expedition was to be the faithful servant of William Clark but York of course was much more than that he had grown up on that Kentucky Frontier he had learned to hunt and to track he was an experienced traveler by both horse and boat even before the Expedition when William Clark accepted Merryweather Lewis's invitation to join him on the journey to the Pacific he undoubtedly gave little thought to York going along of course he would he had the same skills and abilities as many of the other men who were selected for the Expedition the shared dangers and hardships of the journey earned York a level of equality with his white companions that he had never experienced before to this must be added how he was perceived by many of the American Indians that the core of Discovery encountered to them York was indeed unique an awesome being because of his black skin the very thing that marked him as inferior and and a slave in White Society he was believed to have immense spiritual power he was christened Big Medicine by them York was seen as Superior even to his white companions what a revelation that must have been someone who had had ingrained in him since birth that he was inferior to the whites he was destined to serve now being extolled as Superior to them Lewis and Clark used this awe to successfully advance the Expedition when the core of Discovery reached the Pacific York became the first African-American to cross the United States from coast to coast but this taste of equality superiority and even Freedom the York experienced over the course of his journey through this new world this American West ended upon the core's return York was brought crashing back down to his old world a world of inferiority and subservience a world where he was ordered to perform his duty as a slave denied the freedom that he told Clark he believed he had earned York's post Expedition life became one of unhappiness mistreatment and frustration York's ultimate fate is not definitely known the happy ending of a return to the west and life among the Indians lacks the documentary evidence of the sad ending an unhappy freedom and death as a broken man trying to return to his former Master but whether he died happy among those who honored him for the color of his skin or died miserable among those who enslaved him because of it York made an important contribution to our nation's history as we begin the bicentennial of this American epic that is the Lewis and Clark expedition let us remember and honor York and learn from the tragedy as well as the Triumph of his life thank you thank you Jim and Ron there are many historians who had argue that at times Lewis and Clark's success or possible failure rested on the shoulders of a young American Indian woman zaga our next speaker Amy mosset has spent 15 years researching the oral and written histories of sagoya she is a co-chair of the circle of tribal advisers the group that is working so diligently to tell the story of Lewis and Clark and their expedition from the American Indian perspective Amy is also director of Tourism of the three affiliated tribes the Mandan Hada and arika of fort berold in North Dakota I've had the great pleasure at a number of Lewis and Clark events uh to meet Amy during the last few years and including one time I remember when the final design of the sagia golden dollar coin was presented to representatives of the three affiliated tribes at the Reconstruction of their people's Earth lodges near bismar as she talked that day a magnificent bald eagle began circling in the sky over the Missouri River as if it too wanted to listen to what she had to say please welcome Amy mosset thank you Dayton I am the a descendant of the Mandan and hiza the people who welcomed Lewis and Clark into our homelands in the fall of 1804 and taught them some important lessons before they began that Journey to the West the the West that was unknown to them I have lived my entire life on the Northern Plains in North Dakota and today as I stand here before all of you I'm not sure how you feel but I am so cold but I'm hon I'm so honored to be here to pay tribute to Saga WEA she has she's an incredible woman and she has become such an important part of my life Saga we not so much a guide but more an interpreter and a symbol of peace I think of her so often as this nation's first Ambassador first woman Ambassador for the Northwest core of Discovery this young woman this young American Indian woman has become the most celebrated woman in American history when you travel across this country you will find there are more landmarks Mar s statues mountains rivers streams Parks schools women's organizations businesses named for this woman than for any other woman in American history the dollar coin Bears this young woman's image an image of her holding her young child that she carried with her on that incredible journey traveling thousands of miles with a child who was 55 5 days old when she left what is now North Dakota and 19 months old when they returned her story with the Lewis and Clark expedition has emerged as one of the most intriguing and romantic and I like to think of her as this story's Leading Lady saga's role and her contributions to the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition have created a legend to some she is still a mysterious almost mythical figure a symbol of peace and friendship one of Courage compassion and determination but for the hiza and the shishoni people she is not just a romantic symbol or a mysterious Legend she is our ancestor she is our relative she lived Among Us she walked Among Us she loved laughed and learned Among Us her spirit remains with us and when we speak of her always we do so with respect and with reverence today we are honored and so pleased that as this Bicentennial commemoration commences here in Charlottesville at the home of Thomas Jefferson once again the contributions and the role of sagaia are being knowledged and recognized sagaa continues to take many of us on an on a journey on an incredible journey and when we travel across this country on the Lewis and Clark on the Lewis and Clark Trail when we're standing out there near Great Falls Montana near that Sulfur Spring where she nearly died or when we're walking along the ocean on those sandy beaches on the Oregon coast or standing out there in Washington watching the waves crashing against the shore and when we're walking at what's left of her hiza Village her hiza home near the banks of the Knife River in North Dakota in that hiza Village called a when we walk through those Earth Lodge Impressions on the ground or as we cross the bitter range of the Rocky Mountains we know that her spirit is still there sagaia has taken me to many places introduced me to so many people who are now some of my best friends she has brought me here today to the home of Thomas Jefferson and I'm honored to pay tribute to this young woman on behalf of her relatives her descendants among the shason the hiza the kamanche and the crow and on behalf of all of the descendants of the people that she met when she traveled across this country on that incredible journey between 1805 returning in 1806 on that incredible journey with Lewis and Clark and the Northwest core of Discovery later this year the state of North Dakota and the Mandan hiad nikara nation of North Dakota are going to gather in National Statuary Hall in Washington DC and once again we will honor and commemorate Saga WEA for her contributions to the Lewis and Clark expedition and as we start off on this journey once again for the next three years and Beyond we hope that you will continue to remember this woman the way we do with much respect and reverence and thank you Cat imhof and the circle of tribal advisers Dan Jordan everyone who has invited all of my tribal relatives all of our tribal Elders all of us to be here to be part of this commencement it's an honor for us to be here thank you thank you Amy Sago was obviously the most famous uh American Indian uh that uh we think of with the Lewis and Clark expedition but there were so many others and I think the bicentennial will help remind people of that great misconception that this was not an unpeopled Wilderness that they traveled but the home of more than 50 native peoples who at the most important moments of the Expedition survival generously offered them their help and they had names too that can be found in the journals people like Shah of the mandans who said if we eat you shall eat or Twisted hair or wat kois of the Nez purse black Buffalo and many many many others who had names uh and should be remembered as well I think the great one of the great things about the the commemoration that is beginning is that there's a the the federal government it's official uh reenactment not reenactment but retracing of the trail for education and memory that will follow the trail uh is led by my friend Gerard Baker who was a not only a National Park Service employee but uh a man Dan Hada who I would ask to rise and uh he is the mar he is the Merryweather Lewis and Lewis Clark and William Clark of 2003 you may have have noticed uh some of these shaggy dogs circulating among you today they're new finlands the same breed of dog that belonged to Captain Merryweather Lewis and accompanied him to the Pacific Ocean and back Lewis bought his dog named Seaman for $20 at the beginning of the journey and described him in the journals as very active strong and docel the Indians Lewis noted later when impressed by what he called the sagacity of his big nof a very smart dog Seaman's Adventures are chronicled numerous times in the journals encounters with an Angry Beaver catching an antalope barking at grizzly bears prowling nearby at night and scaring off a buffalo bowl that stampeded uh into the camp and nearly trampled some of the men of course like everyone else Seaman suffered on the journey his paws were punctured by prickly per Cactus and his eyes and ears were the frequent targets of swarms of mosquitoes leis even named a stream in Central Montana Sean Creek in his honor as some of you know down as they went down to Columbia the men of the Expedition wanted meat instead of the salmon that was teeming all around them in the river but there was little game to be found so the captains purchased dogs from the local tribes and by my count the men consumed at least 250 of them on their Journey big as he was Seaman however was apparently never considered a candidate for dinner the last specific mention of seaman in the journals is at the Great Falls of Montana on the return trip being plagued Again by mosquitoes my dog even howls with the torture he experiences Lewis said because Seaman isn't mentioned again we can't say with absolute certainty what happened to this active strong docile and very loyal member of the core of Discovery but many people myself included believe he was standing on the deck of the white perogue barking with joy his big tail wagging when the Expedition made its triumphant return to St Louis in 1806 I want to thank Deborah Thornton and the Colonial New Finland Society for joining us here this morning with this wonderful collection of Sean's descendants I've mentioned that the hospitality tent at the end of the west lawn there's a second warming tent on my right behind the North Terrace if you need to warm up a bit uh feel free to walk around be sure to find a Junior Girl Scout from Troop 3643 to get a Jefferson's West lapel pin just like this everyone not should not leave without one of those uh back in the hospitality tent there's uh number of other things including a satellite of the gift shop where here I'm the walking advertisement for these you can find if you're still cold a Jefferson's West fleece a tie that has parts of the Lewis and Clark journals on them and of course some warm food and and other things the Old Guard F and drum core of the US Army is the only unit of its kind in the armed services as you will see this 69 member Corps parades in uniform similar to those worn by continental army musicians back in the days of the American Revolution musicians are using 11 hole wooden fives handmade rope tension drums and solid brass bugles all replicas of the instruments played during the late 1700s the Old Guard performs at all White House arrival ceremonies and presidential inaugurals as well as hundreds of other state and Military C ceremonies yearly the old F and gum drum sorry the Old Guard F and drum core was created in 1960 and is assigned to the third us Infantry Fort Meer Virginia it's my pleasure to present the Old Guard fif and drum core for let's have another round of applause appla for the Old Guard F and drum core the United States Mint produced its first commemorative coin in 1892 and in 2004 the mint is scheduled to unveil a brand new commemorative coin a silver dollar featuring two notable explorers and packaged in the most appropriate way I'm going to introduce two women who will tell you the story of this unique partnership project Gloria Eskridge is the acting director of sales and marketing for the United States met Henrietta Holzman for the the director who is on your program unfortunately was ill today and cannot be here with her will be dark rain Tom who is a clan mother of the unit United Remnant Band Of The shaune Nation she has been involved with planning National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial events for nearly a decade she has made it her personal mission to raise public awareness of the contributions made by the tribes as they assisted Lewis and Clark in their historic Jour Journey 200 years ago dark rain lives in a log cabin near Bloomington Indiana with her husband author James Alexander Tom please join me in a warm welcome for Gloria Eskridge and dark rain Tom yes it is my pleasure and honor to represent the United States men during this historic commemoration after all the United States men went along with Louis and Clark on their expedition in the form of Peace medals bearing the images of President Jefferson and the handshake of Peace the medals were Meed by the then Bureau of the mint during evening and other off-duty hours so as not to interrupt the production of coins for our new nation's Commerce the medals were intended as gifts for Indian chiefs to cultivate good relations even today they remain valued reminders that the core of Discovery was as much about exploring peace as it was about exploring the new frontier in honor of the Lewis and Clark expedition the United States Mint will produce up to 500,000 commemorative silver dollars for issue in 2004 it gives me great pleasure to unveil this beautiful new design I ask National Park Service director Fran manella and Dr Robert archal president of the National Council of Lewis and Clark by Centennial to help me unveil the distinctive artwork that will be featured on this commemorative coin you'll be hearing more about that later the obverse that's numismatic jargon for the head side of a coin Bears the likeness of Maryweather Lewis on the left with a rifle in his right hand and his journal in his left William Clark is on the right gesturing expansively toward the Horizon the reverse of the Bears two feathers symbolizing the important contributions of the many Native American tribes they encountered along the way contributions critical to the success of the mission the 17 Stars symbolize the states in the Union at the time of the Expedition the small replica of the reverse of the peace medal reminds us of the Journey's purpose of Discovery through friendship a portion of the proceeds will go to the National Council of the lewison Clark Bicentennial and to the National Park Service to support the commemoration in addition the United States Min is very pleased to have entered a unique partnership with the circle of tribal advisors to produce parle rawh hide or brain tanned beaded leather pouches for 500,000 of the coin the Artistry is passed down from generation to generation and is as unique as the tribes themselves we are fortunate to have two of the artists here with us today let me invite manuk om hilderbrand of the shauny Nations United Remnant brand of Ohio and aeral Medicine of the Standing Rock Sue tribe of South Dakota to unveil these historic pouches so I ask them to join us would you like for me to go ahead and say thank you Father yeah if you want to well they're coming I just wanted to say a a great thank you especially to the US men who included the tribes in their design in their thought concept and also in being beneficiaries of the proceeds we appreciate their respect and recognition of The Sovereign Nations along the trails contributions of the richness of their cultures and the richness of our diversity as has been pointed out in several presentations the this week we don't do artwork everything that we do is for a specific purpose there is nothing that is made that to our way of thinking does not take part of a life and take with it Spirit we are obligated spiritually that everything we do must be our very best to make the best use of the little life and the spirit that we have taken in the raw materials I think as you see these items these pouches and the par flesh Miniatures that are made you will agree that beauty and the diversity of the tribes is an absolute Delight we are so pleased especially that the proceeds or a portion of the proceeds will be going to the language preservation uh project they are developing a program which will enable the tribes along the trail to help preserve their language and to teach it on all levels this is a fantastic thing because the language is what identifies us it holds the key to our history to our culture to our traditions this is how we pass on who we are and help us to remain who we are and we thank all of you for all your contributions for making this happen and wa till you get a peek at these buy two don't just buy one buy one for you and one for your friends because these are beautiful items and we truly thank you all and especially the men thank youate thank you to everyone there are other tribes participating in the project and they are the confederated Salish Kuni t t tunik and the pon of Montana the confederated tribes of yuman and the Indian Reservation of Oregon and the confederated tribes of the grand Ron in Oregon certainly the artists in their pouches represent the rich cultural and his Geographic diversity of the First Nations Lewis and Clark encountered along their journey to better explain the significance of this project and you've already heard from dark rain Tom who once again is a noted author Council of tribal advisers co-chair for the Eastern region Ohio River tribes the water Panther Clan mother of the Shaunie Nation United Remnant BR band and I do want to thank them it is a beautiful project and we are very excited at the United States me to be able to help in this way so I thank everyone good work the story of Lewis and Clark is also a story of one of the great friendships in American History Two centuries later the story still continues to create friendships 20 years ago I was canoeing in the White Cliffs of the Missouri and totally by halfen Stant me met a professor from New Orleans who I was told was a specialist in World War II history but after only a few hours of paddling the Missouri with Steven Ambrose I realized that his secret passion was really Lewis and Clark he had even read aloud from the journals at the wedding of his beloved daughter St 15 years later with the publication of his best-selling book unded courage Steve's passion was a secret no longer and helped reignite National interest in the Lewis and Clark Story Steve very much had plans to be here uh today but as many of you know he died Too Young in October after a brief and heroic battle with cancer here to offer a tribute to Steven Ambrose is another good friend of his a Storyteller who has had a similar impact on Americans renewed interest in their nation's history for 20 years Ken Burns's documentary films for PBS have inspired Millions upon millions of viewers and have received Oscar nominations Emmy Awards and many other honors his multiart series on the Civil War baseball and Jazz became television landmarks and among the many other American stories he has brought to life on the screen our documentaries on Thomas Jefferson and of course Lewis and Clark as Steve Ambrose himself said in his own inimitable way more Americans get their history from Ken Burns than from any other source please welcome my friend and co- Captain Ken Burns thank you very much I am tremendously honored and grateful to be a part of this historic moment to be with all of you here this morning as we gathered to commemorate and celebrate the bicentennial of the epic journey of Lewis and Clark and the core of Discovery it is of course entirely appropriate that we do so here at Mr Jefferson's doorstep for it was his soaring preent genius that turned the attention of of his young country Westward changing us forever helping to create the Continental Nation many felt was our destiny leaving us this wonderful story of the two utterly different endlessly interesting explorers and their Brave crew that Now commands our attention this morning for many of us this is a day of great happiness and Thanksgiving we are grateful for this opportunity to remind ourselves again why we agree to cohere as a people to rededicate ourselves to the best aspects of the Lewis and Clark Story the best aspects therefore of ourselves we rejoice in the new possibilities of reconciliation with the many Native cultures that were forever changed by this at times Bittersweet Expedition and we are excited by the thought that this celebration might Galvanize a new respect for the land Lewis and Clark first claim for the United States a once pristine landscape now severely tested by the progress Lewis and Clark helped to usher in most of all we are thankful for the stories the wonderful Stories the stories of us and for the incandescent ideas those stories Foster and nurture in the breast of each of us here making us better stewards of the land insisting that we strive to repair the Damage Done to others as we inaugurate this new core of Discovery and the three and a half years of celebrations and commemorations we all look forward to let us take a moment to remember one who will not be making this journey with us this time my our good friend mentor and fellow traveler in the business of history and America Steven Ambrose this great and generous man has passed away leaving a gulf in the historical world that will not soon be filled we will no longer have the machine gun staccato of his rough voice bringing to life his unique Vision dramatic storytelling talent and passionate enthusiasm for this remarkable Republic Steve's greatest love was of course the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition I have had the Supreme privilege as many of you have also had of spending nights with him out along the trail as he regaled us with those wonderful wonderful stories read from those mesmerizing journals and inculcated all of those within earshot with a passion and enthusiasm for this story among the many many amazing accomplishments of the core of discovery that Steve liked to extol was that across the whole treacherous Journey the core managed to lose only one man how strange then it is to have to set off and finish this new Journey minus the man who seemed to get the story best whose magical devotion and love for Lewis and Clark thankfully at least survive in his Immortal book and in the memories and best intentions of those who knew him well and loved him for Stephanie for Hugh for Andy three of his children who join us here this morning we extend our deepest sympathies and best wishes it will be difficult on the trail for you and us