The first major Montana event commemorating the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition will be held May 28-30 at The University of Montana-Missoula.
Between 500 and 1,000 participants are expected for "A Confluence of Cultures: Native Americans and the Expedition of Lewis and Clark." The three-day symposium will offer a uniquely Indian perspective on the Corps of Discovery and its pivotal impact on American history.
"The Native American voice really has not been heard yet when it comes to Lewis and Clark," said symposium organizer David Purviance. "We hope to challenge both Indian and non-Indian scholars to investigate the difficult questions underlying the legacy of encounters between the explorers and Native people."
Organized by UM and the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, the symposium is open to all and designed to stimulate learning through lectures, cultural presentations, art exhibits, a craft fair and more.
About 120 performers, presenters and speakers are expected. Faculty members and students from 30 tribal colleges and 44 other institutions of higher learning have been invited to present their research, detailing how life has changed for tribes or tribal culture in the wake of the Corps of Discovery and the Euro-American tide that followed.
"There is a need as we begin the bicentennial for the country to hear the Native American perspective," Purviance said. "I'm sure people will hear many ideas they have never considered before. We want to include everyone in this event and have a true confluence of cultures, with Indians, history buffs and others."
A variety of sponsors have been sought to keep the symposium affordable for attendees, so the fee is only $25 before April 27 and $40 thereafter. Registration information is available online at www.umt.edu/cultures. Participants also can e-mail symposium assistant coordinator Linda Juneau at [email protected] or call her at (406) 243-6093 for a registration form or more information. The fee includes doughnuts, coffee and one traditional meal comparable to what Lewis and Clark might have shared with their Indian hosts.
Symposium sponsors are UM, the Montana Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Earth Observing System Education Project and the Montana Committee for the Humanities.
Purviance said organizers have been planning "A Confluence of Cultures" for more than two years. The symposium was the brainchild of two Indian men: UM law Professor Ray Cross, a Mandan-Hidatsa, and Darrell Kipp, a Blackfeet and founder of the Piegan Institute and Nizipuhwahsin Language School in Browning. Cross suggested a "trail tribes conference," and when he heard Kipp was planning a similar event they decided to combine their efforts at UM.
Among the many featured speakers are Johnny Arlee, a Salish elder and producer of a pageant on Salish traditions and his tribe's encounter with Lewis and Clark; Harry Fritz, chair of the UM history department and a nationally recognized expert on the Corps of Discovery; and Jim Holmberg, curator of special collections at the Filson Historical Society of Louisville, Ky., and author of "Dear Brother: Letters of William Clark to Jonathan Clark."
Purviance said the symposium also will include presentations by tribal college scholars; music, storytelling, dance and dramatic performances; an encampment; and humorous performances about the intrepid explorers.
Purviance said art also will play a prominent role in the conference. UM's Montana Museum of Art and Culture will host one photographic and two art exhibits. One art exhibit will focus on Lewis and Clark-related work produced around the time of the expedition's centennial, as well as contemporary American Indian work relating to the bicentennial commemoration. The photo exhibit, featuring Montana's Chippewa-Cree Indians, is titled "Their Eyes Tell Everything." Further information and a current conference schedule is available at www.umt.edu/cultures.
"We want this to be special, not just another conference about where Lewis and Clark camped," Purviance said. "This event is designed to both educate and entertain, and the Indian members of our planning committee have been insistent from the start that this must be more of an exciting experience than simply a conference."
Juneau said, "Native American nations are most willing to take part in this conference -- not as an opportunity to celebrate Lewis and Clark, but as an opportunity to come together to share knowledge of our customs prior to their visit and the resulting experiences since. From an indigenous perspective we have endured and survived, and those stories need to be told intertribally and internationally. With participants coming from as far as Milan, Italy, we expect the Confluence of Cultures to reshape, add dimension to and enrich all our lives."
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