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MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2003

"Today there are 58 tribes that still live near or on the route followed by Lewis and Clark. So far, 31 tribes are preparing to participate in the bicentennial. Next week, 140 tribal representatives from those tribes will attend the commencement at Monticello.

Tribes are viewing the bicentennial as a commemoration, not a celebration. They see it as an opportunity to tell an international audience who they are as modern Native people, and a chance to share a rich cultural history. Hopefully, the tribes will share their unique histories by doing more than sponsoring a "pan-Indian" powwow. I enjoy powwows. I attend them. I occasionally dance at them, too.

With the bicentennial under way in just a few days, one might expect a lot of involvement from tribes along the trail.

And for the first time in decades, tourists are going to have reason to travel to reservations along this epic route. While some tribes might sidestep the opportunity to let others know who they are and what they're doing, the more innovative tribes will offer the world more than beads and feathers.

When Judy Chicago created The Dinner Party, she aimed to create a "symbolic history of our past, pieced together from small fragments which tell us something about our achievements and our condition throughout Western civilization."

Her landmark exhibition gave the world something to remember.

Will tribes?"

Get the Story:
Bicentennial a chance to give nation something to remember (The Lincoln Journal Star 1/13)

Relevant Links:
National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial - http://www.lewisandclark200.org

Related Stories:
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NASA exploring Lewis & Clark journey (9/20)
Editorial: Include Indian viewpoint (8/28)
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