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Continuance Spring / Summer 2003Native American Voices Chief Cliff Snider Thomas Jefferson's personal travels in the West were limited, but his quest for knowledge about these new lands and its inhabitants was unquestionable. He knew that these distant lands were already occupied by people who were called Indians. That information came from trappers who had returned from the western regions. How many Indians populated these new regions or exactly where they were located was not known. Most of the Indians along the route were thought to be friendly but no one could be sure how a heavily armed group of men would be received in this new land. Remember, as the Corps proceeded further west, the Indians they encountered had never seen a white man. Whites had upside-down hairy faces and looked like bears, which caused turmoil and fear, leading to a wringing of hands among the Indians until they saw Sacagawea and Pomp. Then they knew that this Corps was not a war party because women and children would not have been included. The Indians then felt safer as they invited the Corps into their villages as friends. The Corps soon realized that although each new tribe shared some similarities with others, every tribe showed some distinct differences in appearances. Languages, customs, cultures, and living conditions didn't fit into one big monolithic group. The Corps were apprehensive and it was a gamble: Would the Indians be hostile? Or would they be friendly and receive them warmly into their villages? The history books in American libraries tell the story
of Lewis and Clark and their part in the events that led to the creation
of the 50 states of America. Paintings too tell story, but many, even
some of the early paintings, were not entirely accurate. We are now hearing
new versions of the story, versions emanating from Indian villages as
we commemorate the 200th anniversary Most tribes handed down oral legends from generation to generation, legends that they faithfully practiced and repeated over and over so that nothing would be omitted from the original telling. Now, with tribal permission, some of these oral histories serve as lost journals and some of these stories can be told as the Corps of Discovery II follows the Lewis and Clark trail across America. Please come with me for a moment in as I join Lewis and Clark in their journey through Indian Country. Here they meet the wonderful Shawnee, are eyed by the menacing Teton Sioux, and spend that long winter with the handsome Mandan. Thank the Great Spirit that they find Sacagawea's tribe, the friendly Shoshones, and are spared by Watkuwese of the Nez Perce, who says, "Do them no harm." They are warmly received by the Yakimas and dance with the Wallawalla before spotting an Umatilla Indian with a red coat and others with sailor's clothes and white man's beads. They feel sure that they are nearing the Pacific Ocean as they canoe down the Columbia River. Now we meet a different looking kind of Indian--the Chinooks--who are smaller in size, averaging 5'5" with broad muscular shoulders from paddling canoes, but their most distinguishing feature is their flattened heads. Only their slaves have ugly round heads. They also speak a strange guttural punition language, which even Sacagawea cannot translate. This language difference makes it difficult for the Corps to communicate with them except by sign language. Lewis and Clark note the Chinooks' many small villages, each usually found at the mouth of one of the many streams flowing into the Columbia River. They are rarely out of sight of a Chinook village as they proceed down the Columbia River, and they estimate that close to 16,000 natives are living along the river in these villages. We must remember that life in this region did not begin with the arrival of non-Indians. The Chinooks are known as the first people of the lower Columbia River, and carbon dating has proved that people have lived here for over 10,000 years. Just imagine: 8,000 BC. Many Chinooks still believe that the Creator placed them--along with the mountains, valleys, the life-giving rivers, and all the plants and animals--in this region at the beginning of time. The Chinooks are still here today, living as a sovereign tribe with more than 2,000 enrolled members. They continue to meet monthly with a tribal chairman and a council presiding as a tribal government. They have had a governing body for as long as I can remember, and I am 76 years old. Lewis and Clark wrote that the Chinooks possessed an advanced culture and civilization. They were rich in natural foodstuffs, such as the salmon which were so numerous that it was said they could walk across the Columbia River on their backs. Berries and wild fruits were plentiful, and various plants and animals abounded. All they had to do was visit the coast for shellfish. Nature was their provider. Their canoes were the finest in the world, with a design later copied by the American clipper ships. The Chinooks were crafty traders and almost always got the best end of a deal. They lived not in teepees but in cedar plank houses. The Chinook tribe, along with their brothers, the Clatsop, nurtured the Corps throughout the terrible, windy, rainy, stormy winter of 1805-6 at Fort Clatsop, in what is now Oregon, by providing food, clothing and ideas about shelter. Later they helped them get organized to return to President Jefferson. This is the same tribe who were, along with many other tribes across America, stripped of their official recognition in 1953. The U.S. government's objective was to assimilate Indians into the melting pot of North America. This action was not activated by legislative vote of Congress or by executive order of the president but by the Department of the Interior. The Chinooks have submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs hundreds of pages proving their continuous existence for thousands of years. Finally, in 2001, the tribe was called to Washington D.C., and received rightful recognition. Justice had been served. In 2002, however, the new administration reversed the decision and made us non-Indian Indians again. We are now in the process of appeals and have faith that American justice will prevail in the near future. I am continually asked, "How do the Chinooks feel about participating in the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial despite not being recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs? I can only answer that question for myself. It is my duty as ambassador of the tribe to use every avenue available to me to notify everyone in America of our agenda and to secure every endorsement that is humanly possible. The Bicentennial is a perfect vehicle for us to bring awareness of our tribe to everyone in America. In fact, the irony of many Native American's participation in the Lewis and Clark commemoration is this: The Monacan tribe at the beginning of the trail, and Shawnee along the trail, and the Chinooks at the end of the trail (among other well-known tribes) are all playing a major role in the Lewis and Clark events even though they are not federally recognized tribes. Don't get me wrong, our tribes still recognize the U.S. government, and we are all very loyal Americans but we are waiting for our government to embrace us as our ancestors embraced Lewis and Clark two centuries ago. We are fortunate that the whole world still recognizes us for what and who we are and how we fit into history. Now we want the Bureau of Indian Affairs to follow suit. Most Chinook tribal members are still optimistic that we will be recognized for a third time. If this occurs, there is promise that the signature event at the end of the western trail will be as big a success as the opening signature event at Monticello. We expect that 22 million tourists will be anxious to see the people from early American history in action, not invisible or in protest. Our heads will remain high as we continue to celebrate our survival as a proud sovereign nation: the people, who have lived here forever and who will live here into eternity. Hiyll Nahhsie for listening to my story. Never forget the seven Chinook directions: east, west, north, south, up, down, and the direction of your heart. Kloshe Kawkwa Chief Cliff Snider serves as honorary chief of the Chinook Tribe and is the ambassador to the Circle of Tribal Advisors. He worries about the Chinook customs and language being lost and hopes the bicentennial commemoration will bring attention to Indian history. He grew up near the mouth of the Columbia River but his mother died when he was 10 and he lived in many foster homes. By the time he was 16, he was living on his own. In high school he was an All Star football player and voted captain of the basketball team. He served in WWII at Hiroshima, helping to bury the dead. After the war he returned to Oregon State University, continued his football career and was drafted by the Baltimore Colts. But he longed for Oregon and the classroom. For 31 years, Chief Cliff was a teacher and coach. He said, "It has been the highlight of my life." |