Lewis and Clark among the Indians by James P Ronda - Essay Example

Prof A D Paul Page 1 Importance of Various Native American Tribes to the Corps of Discovery: A Study Based on Lewis and Clark Among the Indians, By James P. Ronda The expedition by Lewis and Clark between 1804-1806 was the first United States overland mission to the Pacific coast and back, headed by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark.The expedition is one of the foundational events which augured the westward expansion of the United States. While maintaining the authenticity of the historian, Ronda gauges the human element behind the stories that shaped the American dream some two hundred years ago.While former chroniclers of explorations cinemetically focussed on what they saw through a single lense, Ronda captures the quite mystique of the discovery of the unfolding virgin America with the eyes of the natives Indians.This voyage of mutual discovery, is serendipitous for the reader too, as he reads through Ronda's work. The American explorations have extended beyond the earth and now venture to delve into the interstellar space. But space adventure is insipid because it has more space for machines and the technicalities are Page 2 beyond the comprehension of ordinary men. Ronda thinks that the story of Lewis and Clarke is more palpable as it is still accessible. It is possible to follow the footprints of Lewis and Clarke and hence Ronda gives the directive, " to get off the boat, and get on the bank". It is usual for American explorers to use casually terms like "wilderness" and "unknown" to describe homelands of native people. In fact these regions were the real milieu of Native American homes with their adjoining gardens and hunting lands. The journey of Lewis and Clark and their entourage, bearing the massive inventory of the expedition could not have completed the mission without co-operation and support of the natives. It is highly doubtful whether they would have survived in the rugged and hostile terrain without heavily relaying on the expertise of the natives for whom it was their home. The wealth of vital topographic knowledge about rivers, streams, hills, and passages might have been invaluable logistic support on their itinerary. Sacagawea epitomized in many ways the wide interaction between the natives and Corpse of Discovery. She was not merely a handy guide; her presence reassured the Native Page 3 Americans that the expedition was not a hostile military infringement on their domain. Her standing as the sister of Cameahwait, a Shoshone chief, who provided crucial assistance, which did contribute to the success of the expedition. In addition to that Sacagawea was a crucial link facilitating communication with her own people, the Shoshones. The expedition of Lewis and Clark was a command exploration ordered by the then United States President, Thomas Jefferson. Why did he order it There are a plethora of motives that goad explorers to brave the tumultuous waves of perilous oceans, to confront the dusty heat waves of the desert and to scale the precipitous cliffs. But social historians have narrowed down the motives of the states man to the inordinate craving of man for gold and glory. Ronda's book does highlight these motives found in this mission. The purchase of Louisiana in 1803 was an event that wet the American appetite for expansion. The U. S. Congress appropriated 2500 U S Dollars for this. The parameters of the exploration were set as the study of the Indian tribes, Botany, Geology, Western Terrain and wildlife and to evolve a strategy to contain the British and French-Canadian poachers who were some what well established in the region. Page 4 Another motive of the venture was to carve out a viable route and survey the possibility of opening up a fully operational waterway to aid the American expansion further westward. Though this objective could not be achieved, the first contact of Lewis and Clark with the Native Americans had enduring results as shown by Ronda in his book. It is amazing to note that the military nature of the expedition some how did not register in the minds of the Native Americans. The only causality in the expedition was due to the rupture of a swollen appendix not due to enemy fire. In fact there was only one deadly skirmish between the Corps of Discovery and Native Americans. The episode occurred while Lewis was traveling around of the Marias River. In late July 1806 Lewis's contingent chanced upon a group of Piegan Blackfoot warriors. When the Pigeons tried to take guns and horses, in the entire travel and exploration Lewis's men for the only time retaliated, killing two natives. Ronda gives us the glimpses of the greater risks of the expedition that surprisingly came not from the Native Americans. The native people saw the expedition not as a threat but as an opportunity to trade. But unlike the guileless and credulous natives, the Spanish in the Mexican City were quick to Page 5 grasp the military implications of the expedition and they were quick to chalk out strategies to torpedo the venture. Indeed several abortive attempts to foil the expedition and capture Lewis and Clark were made by them. By late 1805, while Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains, the corps encountered a formidable enemy, the scarcity of food that continued throughout the rest of their trek to the Pacific Ocean and their stay at Fort Clatsop. The shift from mammalian cuisine to avian and finally to the canine showed the gravity of this situation. The party purchased regularly dogs for their repast. The lesson the explorers learn as they make their journey closer to the abode of ancient tribes is the retrogression that happens in life style. The further they explored more they adapted the Indian ways of life as their only lot if they must survive. The only death of the member of the entourage and their close encounter with perils of survival, as Ronda suggests, brings us reflection on death, our final destiny. The urge to explore is a trait found in humans only at certain stages of their development. Anthropologists speak about tribes who are so sedentary that they would take modern mans thirst for exploration to be an aberration. The American Indians looked upon the expedition with curiosity and not with suspicion. Their contribution to Page 6 expedition, but for the few who were members of the team, was mainly in the subliminal level. They so in the expedition an opportunity to trade, especially in guns and other gadgets that were not easily available to them. The explores, on the other hand had a conscious agenda and the Native American's fascination of guns was the trump card which Lewis so adroitly played. Guns were a pivotal tool in exploration and Jefferson instructed Lewis to take a "friendly and conciliatory manner" but to secure the commercial interests of the United States. Ammunition and the promise of supply of guns was the integral part of Lewis and Clark's diplomacy. Ronda has noted " They (Lewis and Clark) were not reluctant to promise firearms to potential customers and allies". The explorers showcased the firepower of American troops where ever they went. The air gun that did not violate the quietness of the terrain fascinated the natives. Did the display of the weapons send a message to the Native Americans, in the subliminal level at least, a message of Hobson's choice that gave them the inner certainty that the gods ordained the new dispensation Native American co-operation in the venture was mostly because of the ignorance of the implications of the exploration. In their naivet they saw only immediate advantage of the guns; they could only be innocent as doves not wise as serpents. Page 7 This blissful ignorance of the new forces that shape the history of man was their undoing and forced them to be contended with playing a marginal role in the affairs of their homeland, which the explorers so casually termed the "wilderness" and "unknown". The unfolding story as told by James Ronda in his book, Lewis and Clark Among the Indians, of the Native Americans becoming marginalized in their own land, is ruefully surprising. ========================== Read More