"I read with great surprise that North Dakota resident Sakakawea, who traveled as a guide on the great Lewis and Clark expedition that laid the geographical history of the landscape of early America and helped to locate many of the American Indian tribes, their lands of origin and their cultural uniqueness, was being questioned as eligible to receive the prestigious Rough Rider Award by at least one historical critic.

Clay Jenkinson, director of the Dakota Institute of the Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation, in the Forum article said “I think the Rough Rider Award should go to living people who are contributing to our understanding of North Dakota.”

The irony of anyone suggesting that Sakakawea does not “qualify” for the award because she is not living today and because she is not an original North Dakotan is ridiculous for a number of reasons."

Get the Story:
Monique Vondall-Rieke: North Dakota Rough Rider Award Critic Questions Sakakawea Eligibility (Indian Country Today 12/9)

Also Today:
Sakakawea: What's in a name? (The Grand Forks Herald 12/9)