Closed Captions Audio Described

Panel discussion from a 2006 Lewis and Clark Bicentennial signature event in Fort Benton, Montana. Multiple speakers—including Hal Stearns (emcee), Chief Earl Old Person of the Blackfeet Nation, Lieutenant Governor John Bollinger, Senator Conrad Burns, and representatives from tribal advisory circles—reflect on the expedition's legacy, Montana's indigenous peoples, and the need for balanced historical narratives that honor Native American perspectives alongside Euro-American exploration.

Transcript

0:31 All right, I think we're ready to begin.
0:37 Everybody could take their seats.
0:42 My name is Hal Stearns and I'm going to be um emceeing today. And it will be interesting to see how this pulls off because we have a lot of political people up here. And so in a way, I feel like I might be trying to herd cats. The other thing is I have a long military background. And so if I have to, you know, I know how to do time outs, cut them off, do all that kind of stuff. But this is a magical moment in time and
1:06 that's really the reason why we're all here today because we care very deeply about what is America, the diversity, the wonderment of our people, the great events that have taken place
1:21 today. I had the opportunity to be the chair for the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Commission for Montana. And out of the audience, there was a little girl, seven years old Vanessa Cameron. And my comment was that for everything that we were doing there at that meeting was really meant for her when you stop and think what is the value of the worth of history. Why do we sit down with our Children,
1:45 our grandchildren and say now when I was your age, when I was a kid, let me tell you the story, the grandma told me, we know that it's for those little people because we know that the magic of who we are, the pride we take in this wondrous, unbelievable country. Sometimes we take for granted,
2:06 but just imagine we're trying the greatest experiment in the history of the world to see if nearly 300 million people can live together, can live together. That's ultimately the magic of what this is all about. The whole commemoration. I just hope that this will be the beginning of many more commemorative efforts
2:30 to recognize each and every one of us. Just imagine we came up with that word history. His story, how many other stories, her stories, Indian stories, stories of people that live close to the polls, the peoples that immigrated from Asia, from Africa. Just imagine
2:53 that's really what our story ultimately is all about with that. We'll have the presentation of the colors by the black feet on our guard
5:22 Hillary o'hara, Fort Benton, Montana.
5:39 Oh Sick. Can you
5:46 to answer? I
5:51 what? So
5:57 at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars
6:13 for
6:15 oh, on port
6:20 watched was so at least dreaming
6:27 and
6:30 that
6:33 mom's birthday.
6:37 Yeah.
6:39 Go through
6:43 that. I was still,
6:50 oh,
6:53 was that store spangled?
7:00 I to
7:06 for the
7:16 and the,
7:32 oh, Hillary
7:36 happens. Wow,
7:42 man. Oh, man.
7:45 Oh.
7:49 And
7:52 I've got goose bumps on that one. That young lady is fifth generation of this community.
8:08 We're very lucky to have with us today. If you'd all take your seats for a moment. Boo, that we have with us. One of the most honored of all Montanans,
8:21 earl, old person of the Blackfeet nation, tribal chairman, chief and spiritual leader, Montanan
8:34 under his guidance and leadership with his peoples, a community college, an industrial park, a community center, tourist facilities, so many ways that he has represented our Indian peoples. So well, one of the great men of this state, it gives me a pleasure to introduce Chief Earl Old person
8:59 who will give us a tribal prayer and welcome.
9:14 I'm so small. He lost me. I was looking that way
9:22 according to your program, it says a prayer welcome before I pray. I just want to save on a historic they, this is for all people, especially for we as the natives of this country, they are very distinguished
9:48 participants and representatives to those people that have
9:55 done a long, hard work,
9:59 putting things together so that these things will begin taking its place as we go back into history.
10:11 I was driving around
10:15 before I went to the reception.
10:18 I parked on the other side by the river.
10:23 I could picture
10:26 my people, our ancestors
10:31 that were here
10:34 as the stories were told how they done things within this area.
10:46 Our people talk about
10:50 some of the harsh times, some of the hardship,
10:55 but they also talked about the good times. And I believe this is what they refer to. This was the good times.
11:05 They lived a life
11:09 that was slow,
11:13 real,
11:17 it was not dangerous.
11:23 They knew how to prepare themselves to go out after things for the survival of their people. And I want to welcome you as such to our homeland here.
11:42 It brings a lot of memories just as I listened to my dad and the people that I used to interpret for back in the fifties, sixties, seventies, the last group I interpreted for was in the eighties. Then we run out of those elders that didn't speak or understand the
12:06 English language.
12:10 These are the people
12:14 in spite of how hurt they may be.
12:18 They're going to extend their hand out to you.
12:23 They're going to have a smile
12:26 and if they had something to offer, they were offer it. But yet deep in s they might be hurting.
12:36 But let me say those good times outweighed the hard times.
12:42 I'm especially glad to see some of my fellow natives here with us
12:48 from the other nations.
12:52 They too know what I'm talking about. They too know and heard the stories from their people.
13:06 We're all together
13:10 and we need to be together from here on.
13:15 In order to make that way for our upcoming generation,
13:21 we need to tell them about these things that our people, how they lived and what they stood for and what they had hoped for. They had to be strong, they had to be determined. And I believe this is the reason we're here today. Otherwise we would have been defeated long ago.
13:44 But their strength, the power and this bird that I have
13:52 is everything to us. Yet. Many times. We're trying, they're trying to deprive us from this.
14:02 It's for our young people's future. We use it to plus one another
14:09 and we use it for our way of traditional dress.
14:15 And so today to all of you,
14:21 let there be no separations anymore.
14:25 When our young men and women are over there fighting in the foreign countries. Ir
14:33 they're not told you're this color. Go fight over here.
14:38 They are there for one reason to protect this land because they know this is our homeland. We want to protect it for our people so that we can continue enjoying what we are enjoying today. But yet they are struggling. They're the greatest heroes. They are paying a great sacrifice,
15:05 but we pray and hope that they will all come back and that prayer rejoin with us
15:13 and have a happy moment with them.
15:18 I just wanted to say these words while I have this chant,
15:25 we still have our people
15:28 that we're struggling with.
15:31 We still have our hopes
15:35 and our belief is that tomorrow will bring us something to us might be hard today, but we still have our hopes. We have faith. And above all, we have pride
15:52 was that let us pray.
15:57 Are you in ao
16:02 and
16:12 era? And my up school, I am.
16:17 No,
16:22 it's so guilty. It's so guilty. Been known it,
16:30 I come to
16:40 and
16:48 it's Kake
16:57 T
17:07 our creator,
17:10 our God. We ask that you will be within the midst of us this day.
17:18 We have a very historic event that's taking place. We are looking back to those times
17:26 that our people had its beginning.
17:30 We're still living the life of our ancestor.
17:35 We hope that we will continue
17:39 to lead our young people that they may know and that they may continue bringing people to where they will continue knowing that
17:53 we were here and we're here and we will be here. We ask that these leaders that we have, they are taking the lead for people, give them that spiritual knowledge, understanding and that wisdom to lead the people. I asked my
18:17 brothers that come from the other nations as they have journeyed here,
18:24 that he will give them strength as they go back home, that they will give a good report to their people. I pray that you will bring all Indian people together that again, we will stand strong,
18:45 determined for the future of our native people of this great country, we live and within our own respective areas. Bless everyone here that is here, bless the Children to those who are sick or unable to be around to those elders that we are still with us, give them strength
19:10 to continue. We give you thanks for this blessing.
19:17 Amen.
19:29 Thank you Chief Earl old person. For those very eloquent words. I have a 2.5 year old grandson. If we are saying grace at dinner time, he is now at that point, we're at the end of it. He says, amen with great enthusiasm and I know he would have said a great amen with that one. That was wonderful.
19:52 It's a pleasure for me to introduce now, Lieutenant Governor John Bollinger,
19:59 who along with Brian Schweitzer was elected on November 2nd 2004. They took office on January 3rd, 2005 for Governor Schweitzer, the 23rd governor of this great state,
20:17 John Bollinger, a very worthy member of that team. A third generation Montanan. I'm delighted we put the Marines side by side, they'll have something to chat about. He served in that wonderful organization 33 years as a small businessman in Billings.
20:40 And when you think of giving to communities, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, the Board of Directors of ST Vincent de Paul Society, president and Board of the Yellowstone Art Museum, President of the Billings Symphony first elected in 1992 serving three terms in the Montana legislature in the house.
21:03 It is a real pleasure for me to introduce Lieutenant Governor John Bollinger.
21:10 Thank you, sir. Thank you very, I can help you. Thank you.
21:17 Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fort Benton. Welcome to Montana. Uh We're delighted to see you here. Uh We're, we're very, very pleased that, that you've given up your time to share in this historic event a time in which we uh we recall uh the discovery,
21:40 the core of recovery and the discovery of Montana. Uh Welcome to this Lewis and Clark Bicentennial signature event on behalf of Governor Brian Schweitzer, I'm here today to welcome you, Brian couldn't be with you because
22:00 his oldest son, Benjamin is graduating from Whitefish High School and, uh, he's there, uh preparing for his son's graduation. So he sent me to offer greetings of welcome and offer you your thanks for participating in this event. Today marks the grand opening of the bicentennial
22:25 celebration of the core of recovery, westbound journey through Montana. On behalf of the people of Montana, I would like to welcome our guests and to welcome our visitors. We hope that you enjoy the state as much as we do. This is truly an amazing state.
22:47 Uh, some 650 miles from east to west and about half that distance from north to south Montana is the fourth largest state in our union with a probably more wildlife, more deer, more elk, more antelope, more bear, more wildlife than people.
23:11 We, uh, we straddled the, the continental divide. Uh Montana's peaks. Uh Well, not as high in altitude as Colorado are equally majestic and equally scenic. The uh the mountains of Montana give way to some of the great headwaters of North America
23:34 for within our state's borders. We find the headwaters of the Missouri river and we find the headwaters of the mighty Yellowstone, which is the longest free flowing river in the continental limits of the United States.
23:53 Each year, over 40 million acre feet of water flows from Montana's great waterways into our neighboring states. And uh this is enough water to flood the entire state of Vermont with about 6.5 ft of water. So this is the source,
24:16 the wild lands of Montana, uh the places that remain untouched and unspoiled as they were 200 years ago. Uh Also deserve special mention. The last great wild lands of our nation are here in Montana Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness area, the Missouri National Monument.
24:41 These are just a few of the protected sanctuaries that will provide not only recreational opportunities but solace and a sense of peace for this and for future generations. We urge you well, here visit some of these wonderful, wonderful places.
25:03 I'm, I'm compelled to speak about Montana's first residence at a time that we celebrate the arrival of the first Europeans some 200 years ago. It is also time to celebrate the arrival of North America's first people some 25,000 years ago. Our shared history
25:28 of these past 200 years. As too often happens when cultures and nations first contact each other. These original contacts are often times met with episodes of violence and loss.
25:48 Our shared past also includes acts of great kindness and compassion and moments when individuals chose to share their humanity, not conflict. These are the moments that I choose to speak of today. Montana is the home of 11 tribes located in seven reservations throughout our state.
26:13 These tribes are the black feet,
26:16 Asinine, the Groan, the Sioux Crow, Northern Cheyenne, Cree, Salish Koo and Pender.
26:28 So once again, on behalf of all the people of this great of great state of Montana, we welcome you
26:49 within a quarter of a mile of this very place some 199 years and 364 days ago. Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark engaged in a debate and deliberation over which Great River, the Moraes or the Missouri were the true headwaters
27:13 for nine days. They deliberated that decision
27:18 while their men rested, the majority of the men believe that the Mariah was the true headwaters. However, Captain Lewis correctly believed that the more southern fork of the Missouri was the headwaters and he led the men followed.
27:41 In the end, the expedition continued westward towards that torturous portage at Great Falls, the Great Falls of the Missouri which lays only some 25 miles upstream
27:58 in their journal. Captain Lewis noted that this very spot. Fort Benton, the future side of Fort Benton would be a judicious position for the purpose of trade. And indeed, he was right by the 18 eighties, over 70% of all the goods and durables uh
28:22 for the western territories was delivered to Fort Benton,
28:28 a a steamboat trip up the Missouri to this point and a stay at the Grand Union Hotel was many a man's final interplay with civilization as he headed to the gold country to make his fortune. Perhaps. What makes the core of discovery so special is that it represents all that is truly great about America.
28:53 The great migration westward in search of a better future. The moment of destiny like when a young Indian woman whom some call Sacajawea, others call Saka uh was reunited with her, her brother uh Kamala away uh or the story of York,
29:16 uh the black slave of Captain Clark who was treated as an equal and who was later freed.
29:26 The trip was one in pursuit of knowledge. It was in pursuit of science for over 122 new animal species were discovered on this journey and 180 plant species were first documented by this expedition.
29:48 This was a trip of discovery.
29:51 This was a trip of great exploring exploration. It was one of great service to our country and to our, our president, President Jefferson. The story of the core of recovery is the story of America's 1st 200 years filled with hardship, hard work, perseverance, courage,
30:15 and that long standing American belief that the future will be better than the past.
30:23 I want to thank you for inviting me to be with you today. I want to thank you for the interest that you have in the, in the rediscovery of this great lands. We welcome you to Montana. Thanks so very much.
30:46 Thank you very much, Lieutenant Governor.
30:50 It's a pleasure for me to introduce an acquaintance of many years,
30:56 Senator Conrad Burns, only the second Republican senator in Montana's history in his third term, you pick up the newspapers and you've seen the headlines a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee serving on the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee, but in many ways, being a very real leader in the 21st century
31:22 and that is being involved with the roll out of the broadband of the modern internet, the security of the internet, the bringing together of peoples in the 21st century so that we are going to be more in tune and more in touch
31:39 on every occasion that I have ever been with him. And I'll take a little bit of that thunder right now because I know he is proud every time we've ever chatted, we always have to visit about time in the service. A real marine Senator Burns.
31:59 Ok.
32:06 This is all I have to speak about John. I got there. There you go. They say that the worst death in the world is to be talked to death. That the speech is supposed to have a strong opening, a strong closing and keep them both close together. And I shall do that.
32:29 I am um I stand in awe today because of a little bit of a student of history and reading a couple of books about not only the core of exploration, excuse me, but also how it shaped the West and how it shaped this country. Thomas Jefferson was right.
32:52 When the Louisiana purchase happened, it was the second greatest event in our history only compared to that of the Declaration of Independence.
33:03 And he spoke of that often.
33:07 Now, when the, when the uh coral discovery left to go down the Ohio up to Mississippi and up to Missouri, you all call it Missouri. That's all right.
33:21 I understand that language too.
33:25 There was a huge amount of money appropriated from the National Treasury. As you know, we had just spent $40 million in the purchase
33:36 of which um we had to borrow from Barclays Bank of in of, of London and give it to Bonaparte so that he could fight England.
33:52 Little twist in history there,
33:56 but we were in debt, but they appropriated $20,500 a large sum of money for the core of discovery to find the water route to the Pacific.
34:09 Like any army organization, they were over budget right away.
34:16 But that didn't make any difference. Read the Book of Wilderness so immense written by John Kuchler and the history of the Louisiana purchase, which led to this great expedition
34:31 when I come to Montana. And after studying a little history, I think the treaty was that we got all lands, the drain to the Missouri.
34:44 Now, how come the Milk River can start in the United States? Go way up into Canada and come back in the United States. And we're not up in Canada.
34:55 The Canadians didn't want to cede that because the only thing they had, they could just straight, a straight line for a border. So the 49th become that
35:06 we enjoy this day because if we don't study history and if we don't know where we've been, we don't know where we're going. So it becomes very important, not only for the first generation here, but the second generation and those that would come after it
35:25 as we preserve it to enjoy it, but more than anything else is to understand it and what it means to this country and the people who occupy these lands,
35:41 the chief was right.
35:44 He's got it right. When called upon to defend this country, we answered the call. Everyone here and families here who are who and this is the week of Memorial Day whenever we take note and remember those who were willing to die for the freedoms that we enjoy and that wonderful voice of Hillary while ago
36:10 and in the last lines that mean more to us than all. Lots.
36:17 The last two lines of the national anthem, we cannot live in the land of the free unless we are the home of the brave,
36:29 great people spawn here, serve here and protect our freedoms. Knowing about the history of the United States and the, and the other empires that lived here before us. It is the, it is the history of man's migration. A man's journey
36:55 in our lifetime and lifetimes to follow. Thank you for coming to Montana in this moment. I wouldn't miss it because a lot of history that, that becomes reality here. It becomes, you can see it and touch it, you can feel it. So I'm uh, I'm just honored to be here. Now, I'm going to sneak out of here a little bit because they got us on a kind of a tight line today,
37:19 but I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world. And I am told that I'm supposed to make this next introduction. Is that correct? See, I was a corporal, sir. I wasn't a commissioned officer like you.
37:34 We were told one time a general, a four star general asked me. He said, what do you think? Senator? And I said, General, I was a corporal in the United States Marine Corps thinking wasn't in my vocabulary.
37:51 Do was
37:54 now please welcome the representative of Senator Max Baucus and does a great job in the field in the work for Montana. Kim Falco, Falcon. Kim Falcon, I say. Right.
38:15 Mm. I realize that I'm a very short substitute for Senator Max Baucus. But I hope you can bear with me when I was growing up as a child. I grew up in Northern Montana and remembered all the signs that pointed to the Lewis and Clark Trail and I knew that that was part of our history. I was a bit confused though,
38:37 when I went to Southern Montana and found other signs down there. I thought that maybe some prankster moved our signs. It wasn't until I went to grade school at Lewis and Clark elementary School that I understood that not only did they travel to the West Coast looking for the water route, but they had to go back home too.
38:59 And therefore that's why there are signs down by Pompey's Pillar. But I still believe that this is really the true route for Lewis and Clark. This is a letter from Senator Baucus, dear friends. 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark set out to discover an all water route to the Pacific. What they really discovered were 58 hospitable nations
39:24 that could have ended their journey at any time, but saved it instead with direction, food, horses and companionship. Despite the many challenges, Lewis and Clark continued their journey and pulled their boats up the rivers from dawn to dusk. Even in the best of conditions, this would seem like an impossible feat. That remarkable journey
39:48 that we commemorate today laid the foundation for the beginnings of this great state of Montana. When they launched their wooden boats up to Missouri and into the wilderness, Lewis and Clark were truly charting the future of America. What Lewis and Clark and their party finally found, although they didn't know it at the time was not just a route between the oceans,
40:10 but a daring journey that continues to offer lessons on how America can still pioneer its way in today's world. By the time they began their journey, our young nation was just beginning to find its way. Lewis and Clark helped by giving us an identity of a nation of brave pioneers, great narratives never grow obsolete.
40:34 And the core of Discovery is one of the best. Thanks to all of you who continued to tell Lewis and Clark's great history. Thank you for everyone involved with this celebration, the Montana Biennial Co Commission, my friends in Fort Benton and Great Falls and the many volunteers and friends and supporters of this marvelous celebration.
40:56 We are all better people and we are a better state and a better nation for your commitment and dedication to Lewis and Clark in the core of Discovery, sincerely, Senator Max Baucus, and I have to tell you that Max was very disappointed not to be here today and he really has missed out on a wonderful event.
41:17 The next speaker, actually, I I do get to see him at a lot of events. Uh He is uh from a farm just northwest of here. He actually played basketball in this gym said coming to Fort Benton was a tough, tough team to play because the Fort Benton supporters were always the strongest.
41:40 Please welcome Eric Iverson from Congressman RGs office.
41:54 Thanks Kim. I uh I am uh grew up in Liberty County and have some not so fond memories of playing junior high basketball in here and the fans, but worse than that was coming up here to play little league games because there was something about Fort Benton pitchers that I could just never hit that ball. Could have been the chatter coming from the infield too. That was always, uh, seemed to be famous in the Fort Benton, uh Little League teams before I, uh, make a few remarks, uh, on behalf of Denny, I,
42:17 I wanted, I'd, I'd be remiss in, in, in not thanking, um, somebody that we have here,
42:24 you got a little bit of a, of a taste of Senator burns', um, uh, affinity and knowledge of history. And, uh, when I do have the, uh, the occasion to get to get plunked down next to him on an, on an airplane as we seem to schlep back and forth between, uh, Montana and Washington DC. He generally has a, some sort of, uh, history book underneath his arm, whether it's American History. World History, something like that. And
42:48 I think it's his love of history that probably threw him into this project the way that he did. But I think we need to take a minute here and thank Senator Burns as Chairman of the Interior Appropriations subcomittee for all of the funding nationwide that he's done for the Lewis and Clark program for the interpretive centers. He's really, he's really had a passion for this and,
43:11 and much of what we're doing here today and what's happening across the country is, is because of Senator Burns. I just want to say thank you, Senator.
43:26 A as we all know the, the, the, the story of the core discovery is, it's, it's a great story. It's full of energy and emotion, adventure, diverse characters. Uh We know we know many of the hardships that they went through. Uh There's, there's some great journal entries when they were, when they found themselves in some territory that would that at that time was known only to the black feet and it was, it was a day that was not all that dissimilar to the last few days we've been having it was raining pretty hard.
43:50 And, and Lewis's journal entry for the night was his last entry was it continues to rain and we have no shelter and uncomfortable night's rest is the natural consequence. He continued on the next morning, it rained all night. And as I, and as I expected, we had a most disagreeable and restless night at dawn, we left our watery beds and proceeded downstream. But with only the greatest danger
44:12 because the wet clay was precisely like walking over frozen ground, which is thawed too, which is thawed to small depth and slips equally as bad. Well, while they're trekking across the bluffs over the Marias River, Lewis Slips falls about 90 ft. He's able to crawl back up and as he gets back up to the top, he hears Richard Windsor screaming and the quote that he wrote down was, oh God God, Captain, what shall I do?
44:37 Windsor slipped as well and, and Lewis looks over and he's hanging there. Lewis very calmly tells him to take out his knife, get himself a little foothold and pull yourself up. Which Windsor did. This is a story. I, I it, it's not, th th this is typical of what they were going through, but what Denny sort of wanted me to talk about today is that these stories aren't,
44:58 aren't unlike the stories that a lot of Montanans go through every day. Now, the lives of modern Montanans oftentimes echo these stories of adventure, adversity and triumph. One of Lewis and Clark's most important legacies to Montana is not, it's not something you can see or smell or touch. It's sort of that, it's that intangible and it's something that Denny is coined as the spirit of discovery.
45:24 And it's, it's nowhere better reflected than in the lives of a lot of young Montanans. There's an amazing 16 year old named Teresa who at age 13 lost her mother to cancer shortly thereafter, her dad was diagnosed with cancer. Teresa then cared for her two younger siblings and her father for two years before he passed away that showed incredible courage and fortitude, the sort of spirit of discovery that
45:50 Denny was talking about. And it's because of people like this. Denny created an award and, and I'll talk a little bit more about the end about this award. But he, he created an award that he calls the Spirit of Discovery Award. And since he's been elected to Congress, he's handed out 21 of the Spirit of Discovery Awards all over Montana for, for, for Montana students that display courage and commitment together with what he calls the spirit of Discovery and service scholarship,
46:14 surmounting obstacles. He's presented these awards in communities from Iala to Kalispell, Missoula to Judith Gap, Anaconda to Ab Zory all across the state.
46:26 They've been awarded to kids that have been battling cancer and cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, cystic cystic fibrosis, kids that have overcome drug and alcohol addictions that truly reflect the spirit and the can do attitude of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. He's, he's presented the awards to, to people with incredible courage like Teresa who found a way to reach within herself, to discover
46:50 something and learn something about herself. And, and that's what the remarkable explorers in the Lewis and Clark expedition did. And this is, this is their legacy, their legacy is that spirit. And, and, and Denny wanted me to ask all of you if there's a young person in your community that you feel as we're moving through this Lewis and Clark process. And as we're going through the festivities over the next few years, if there's a young person in your community that you feel
47:14 exemplifies the spirit of the, of the core of discovery to contact our office because it means a lot to him. He travels the state doing this and, and he believes that understanding and exploring this trick helps us feel connected to not only past generations but future generations as well.
47:36 So this is a great opportunity for everybody to be here. Thanks for putting this on. It's a, I know it's a, it's a tremendous undertaking and it's uh but it's exciting and it's time to go explore the big sky. So, thank you.
48:00 The National Park Service has been one of the major signatories of all of the commemorative events having to do with the expedition. And I'm really pleased that we would be able to have with us today representing the Park Service, which has just done a tremendous job in, in so many ways with us. I'm delighted to introduce all of you to Steve Adams. Thank you so much.
48:30 Good afternoon. It's wonderful to be back in Montana and I want to start out with a couple of questions. How old is this landscape?
48:43 It's certainly older than any humans.
48:48 It exists. It existed long before humans came here.
48:57 Can anything that exists be discovered
49:04 or do we realize that something exists
49:10 during the last glacial period as people migrated across the Bering land bridge to this continent? Somewhere between 25 and 40,000 years ago, they realized what was here and they appreciated the beauty and the resources of what they saw.
49:39 The time of 1800 was an interesting period. It was an international uh struggle for control of North America, multinational Manifest Destiny, the Russians, the French, the Spanish, the English,
50:01 the Americans were all vying for control of the continent, especially this area that we now call Montana.
50:13 When the core of discovery started out, they came with a certain mindset of what civilization was and what a civilized person was and hauling all of that baggage with them. They came up the Missouri river.
50:35 They remarked on the empty landscape,
50:39 not realizing that they were being watched all the way.
50:45 Perhaps they should have been called the core of realization after they began to make some contact,
50:55 but we'll come back to them
50:58 as other people began to realize what Montana had to offer, whether it was gold or silver, a place to grow crops, raise horses and cattle, whether there was hunters, hikers, boaters,
51:20 you name it lots and lots of people realized what Montana has to offer and continues to offer.
51:34 If the core of discovery could come back today, would they realize
51:43 what they had missed on their first trip?
51:47 I certainly hope that they would.
51:51 One of the things that would occur again
51:56 is many, many people from the first nations, welcoming them, taking care of them, sharing their culture, reaching out across that cultural chasm to say welcome to our world and we want to get to know you better.
52:19 And so I guess the final question is,
52:25 is this another opportunity, this commemoration of an event that occurred 200 years ago, an opportunity for us to realize and appreciate the common ground that we share. All of us are here for some reason that's related to Montana.
52:48 And what Montana has to offer, whether it's the the big sky, whether it's the Majestic Mountains, the various resources, something catches us in the heart. That's why we're here. And so this is I believe an opportunity
53:08 to accept the challenge of moving beyond perhaps one's comfort zone
53:16 and accepting that invitation to share in other people's culture. And so I hope that this week when the as the Corps of Discovery Two and perhaps we should revisit that title is here in town of the 10 of many voices. There are going to be many wonderful presenters there
53:39 uh of, of various kinds, all having some very compelling stories to share with you and that we hope that you'll come and visit and come away with a realization of the treasures that you truly have in this state. Thank you.
54:05 And I want to introduce our next speaker. Now, Mister George Heavy Runner with the circle of tribal advisors.
54:21 Thank you and good evening everyone. Um on behalf of the circle of tribal advisor, uh I think a very uh important organization at the outset of this uh of this event that started several years ago, was to ask the question of whether there was going to be a celebration or an opportunity to not only for the non society to reflect on the last 200 years,
54:44 but for tribal tribes along the river that Lewis and Clark went up and back um to also take and, and, and um put their, their own perspectives together. And I believe this organization and people like Bobby Connor, Ellen Pinkham are sitting here, Chris Hall and Darrell Martin. We have Darryl Kip at the state level to provide that input and to
55:08 give feedback to the National Bicentennial Commission with the leadership of Dr Bob Archibald. To and so far, in my opinion, it, it has been a interaction that has been respectful, meaningful uh participatory and looking forward to, to the uh upcoming events in regards to tribal involvement and uh
55:32 not all the tribes are celebrating. And uh I think just as they came up the river, not every tribe was greeting them as well, you know, maybe they knew what uh what was coming. But uh the organization that uh I've been participating in the last few years has been very fruitful in terms of providing meaningful input to the National Bicentennial Commission,
55:55 in terms of funding for tribes to help host events and to help and coordinate things at, at the state level. So we look forward to the next year and a half as this things wind down to as we move further west and as we make our return trip, and I believe the final combination in ST Louis is going to happen in 2006 there. So the organization you may not have heard of it.
56:17 We seem to have a lot of acronyms in, in this, in this involvement here. But uh it has been a very good organization in terms of, of representing tribes uh at the national level and ensuring that our participation again is ha has a meaning and it comes with respect. The next person I'd like to introduce.
56:38 His name is Keith Peterson and he's gonna speak on the circle of state advisors, a bunch of circles out there and he's the coordinator from Idaho and he