Closed Captions Audio Described

Regional director Ernie Quintana reflects on the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial expedition and its significance for Native American communities. He discusses how the traveling Tent of Many Voices project centered Indigenous perspectives on the 200-year-old journey, emphasizing partnership with federal agencies and the need to continue telling Native American stories for future generations.

Transcript

0:03 That information.
0:06 OK.
0:13 Thanks for all your help. Thank you, Angela. Thank you.
0:23 And you have seniority so you can pull rank on Warren. I guess
0:33 I didn't get to know these next two people that well until they told us in Pendleton, Oregon where we live on the curve of the Columbia River that they couldn't erect this tent if there were more than 12 mile an hour winds. And for those of you who've been on the Columbia River, I thought what, Shana and Denver would you please come up?
1:02 We, we've gotta get the blanket, Denver and Shana get
1:11 this is Legacy tours.
1:17 Thank you.
1:27 And now I'm gonna call Wayne and Dwayne up. Are, are they still, are they not? You're still here? Oh, good. You're not, you're not somewhere doing an errand, which is where you usually are outside the tent. Please come up and accept our thanks for everything. You've done, chairs, water tables, everything propane.
1:52 Thank you very much.
1:59 And these two, I think they're working right now. So they're going to have to stop for a second. Megan and Nas
2:15 here she comes. Woohoo.
2:34 Everybody who ever said anything important in this tent they got on film.
2:50 Now, I'm gonna call these folks up and some of them had longer tenure on the trail. Some have had shorter tenure on the trail. But they've all been on the trail. They have learned how to pronounce more tribal names. More rivers mispronounced, more tribal names than rivers.
3:09 Yeah. And, and I think they'll know these names the rest of their lives, starting with Wanda Anderson
3:23 and Aaron Aaron. I think you've been with us the entire trail, haven't you? You are ok. Yeah,
3:36 it's because you keep saying he had more hair. Gerard
3:41 second. Thank you so much. You're welcome,
3:49 Laura Clifford.
4:02 These folks pick people up at the airport at midnight, some drive them home, they make tobacco offers offerings. They've done everything. Carissa Decarlo.
4:16 Can you buy me,
4:22 Elsie, Elsie? Our elders love you.
4:33 This woman can fish.
4:37 It's safe.
4:40 Mary Ellen.
4:44 Mary Ellen Ergle.
4:53 And I can say Woola Pum. Did you hear that Cecilia
5:02 Amy Genke
5:17 Aaron Gross.
5:20 We got the other Aaron and the other Aaron, but that's ok. Come on up.
5:30 Mhm. I didn't use last thing,
5:38 Rebecca Havens
5:43 so you can. So my
5:48 Nancy Hoppe.
5:56 Thank you. You should have
6:09 Chaz Chuck Charlie, Charles Lassiter.
6:17 Don't you bother me?
6:23 Braden Mitchell?
6:29 His hair was short when the trip started, right?
6:39 Trent Redfield.
6:48 Thanks. Thank you, Alan. Thank you, Bobby. Thank you.
6:54 And a couple of other folks that were uh helpmates in this process. On loan from other parts of the National Park Service. Diana Malickan
7:12 Oh,
7:16 and Gerard will ask you to accept on behalf of Darryl Martin a token of our appreciation,
7:33 Steve Morehouse.
7:39 Thank you.
7:50 And to my knowledge, without this next person, none of us would have got anywhere. Diane Jones.
8:02 She's probably fixing somebody's plane reservations right now. Here she is.
8:19 This is the woman who booked the travel for the National Bicentennial. Everybody
8:33 at our honors banquet. We had, uh we were remiss, uh We were missing one of these people and remiss in not recognizing one of these people. First. I'd like to invite the voice that's traveled the country for York, Hasan Davis to come up.
9:10 The good thing about hugging a guy in a bear claw necklace is, it hurts him more than it does me.
9:18 And last but not least Ernie Quintana, we'd like to thank you for your leadership.
9:24 Ok.
9:38 For those of you who are presenters in the tent of many voices over these many years, just talk to these people about jobs now. OK. Thank you.
10:02 Thank you, Roberta and Alan. And thank you all the folks from Cota. We, we can't begin to describe how much this means to us. Thank you.
10:15 Our next speaker is our regional director, Ernie Quintana. Thank you, sir.
10:25 Ok. It's important for me to first acknowledge and say thank you to the Osage people for the warm welcome that they've given to all of us.
10:43 I also want to say thank you to the drummers and the singer for honoring us here today as well
10:54 and to the Color uard and the many flag bearers. Thank you for reminding us of the many nations that are a part of this great country and of this story. Thank you
11:12 sitting here today in the Tent of many voices. It's, it's easy to come up here and, and just begin to discuss about the, the feelings and the emotions that are here today. I'm reflecting back right now, especially 200 years ago when the Corps of Discovery II came up this magnificent river
11:34 and thinking then what they saw and what they encountered, I'm sure what was what they heard then was the water rushing by the wildlife and the birds. Uh and just the sounds of nature. You think that in 200 years that we would uh be in a better place? But right now when you sit here in this tent of many voices,
11:59 what we hear is the traffic and the trains and the trucks and, and everything but nature. But, but I guess maybe, maybe that's still means that we have a ways to go as a country and as a people on how to make our environment and our world a better place. Um It's still
12:21 for those that traveled 200 years ago on up the river Lewis, Captain Lewis and Captain Clark, a core of 42 men and an American Indian woman, 8000 miles a journey that forever changed the lives of the American Indian people
12:46 in a young and growing nation
12:50 who knew what was happening then as to what would be in store for us in the future. Today, I think it's important
13:03 for core uh discovery to the Lewis and KK bicentennial to have acknowledged not only uh the significant events of that expedition, but to also recognize the importance of the native people that were there
13:24 along the trail. Hundreds of years in existence living on the land, prospering on the land.
13:33 They in their way, looking at these new strangers providing the assistance that was needed for them to continue their journey from Saint Louis to the Pacific Ocean. And back,
13:49 that's a story that was told many times here in this Tent of many voices as it traveled across this country along that trail. The important different in distinction is the story that was told by the native people in their way and from their perspective. And that was the important significance from my point of view of Lewis and Clark.
14:15 For the first time. In a long time, we had a warm that was uh in partnership with all the federal agencies were from my perspective. The focus was on the Native American view and perhaps the story that was told there will help lead us into the next 200 years to a better future.
14:40 I also want to say thank you to the many men and women of the National Park Service, whom I rep proudly stand here representing and on your behalf. Thank you for doing all of the work um in support of Cora Discovery too. What I would ask is that all of you from the National Park Service,
15:02 if you would please stand and be recognized, we owe you uh uh uh that of thanks in a round of an applause. Thank you.
15:26 Many of the partners that uh participated in the Cora Discovery Two have already spoken, but I feel it's important for me to acknowledge them as well. The Bureau of Land Management, the Corps of Engineers, us, Fish and Wildlife Service, just to name a few, the United States uh uh National Guard, the both the National uh contingent and the local State Guards.
15:51 Terrific individuals who I understand helped with the setup and the security that was so important in keeping this tent to many voices in the exhibit. Moving. Thank you for all that you have done. I was also asked if I could speak to the meaning and significance of what Corps of Discovery II has brought to this country in some respects. I think we're still struggling
16:14 with the concept of inclusion.
16:17 We still like I've mentioned earlier, have a ways to go. And as Gerard, my good friend mentioned, this is not the end. This is just the beginning. We have come too far. To reach this point to just simply pack up the tent and say that our work is done. Hopefully all of the federal partners as Mr Gerard. Uh so eloquently described,
16:42 we need to reach out, we need to do all that we can to make sure that we work with the communities, the Native American people and to make sure that the story continues to be told, to make sure that we are there to listen and learn and understand and it's time for us to do that. And I pledge to you that from the National Park Service. And I'm sure for the other federal
17:06 agencies, we will continue to do our part that the American Indian story has continued to be told.
17:21 I also again, want to acknowledge uh superintendent Steve Adams for the fine work that you've done to bring Corps of Discovery to home and to you, Gerard Baker, the first superintendent for doing all that you did for your leadership in getting the cora discovery to started. Thank you very much for your work there.
17:45 There's been a lot of motion here and obviously, there's a lot of pride that fills this room, pride in ourselves and individuals pride that we have for all that you have contributed to this great moment with all that you have contributed over these many years uh along the trail. Thank you very much for um for helping us get to this point in time.
18:09 And thank you very much for all that we do here and in the future, we look forward to working with you. Thank you very much.
18:20 Mhm
18:24 Yeah. So you just
18:32 thank you, Ernie. Uh before we move into the last portion of this uh court to traveled by land, we also had a group of folks that were extremely important to this bicentennial, traveling both by water and by land.
18:54 And that's the Discovery Expedition of Saint Charles. And I'd like those fellows to wave, stand up, whatever. Let's give them a great big applause.
19:30 Welcome home, fellas. Whoa. They were also very instrumental in uh our educational program along the trail uh weekly uh broadcast to schools around the country uh talking about expedition history. And I've, I've watched this group
19:54 uh grow so much, especially uh I think their spiritual leader, Bud Clark
20:05 Bud has uh
20:08 I, I know you have learned so much on your journey
20:14 and I, I have have sometimes felt the growing pain that you have gone through in that process. But this, this man has learned and uh I be, I believe he would say it if I can say it for you. That um
20:36 that's a very precious experience, one that uh I'm sure Bud will cherish for the rest of his years. And so, Bud, again, we thank you and your team of good folks. Thank you.
21:00 We're going to close now with a uh circle dance and song.
21:10 Would you please stand.
24:15 There's rivers
24:55 first.
25:55 Yes.
25:58 Hey, ya. Hey, ya.
26:48 Yeah.
27:57 Blue J I've been away so long. I came back to fill my sack. Where,
28:05 tell me where he go.
28:10 Where have the big fish gone? Same.
28:21 I
28:27 like the wish
28:40 bye. My moment. Long time ago, I come home to wash my bones. Where do the rivers run strong? Tell me, where do the rivers run strong? Where do the waters run strong? Magpie? Where do the rivers run? Saying what?
29:01 And,
29:10 yeah,
29:14 I,
29:20 yeah,
29:34 from our viewpoint is.