America: Discovery, Trade and Kindness
Louisiana Purchase
Vente de la Louisiane
Expansion of the United States 1803–1804
Since the time of Thomas Jefferson America’s expansion and economic development have been driven by trade. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Jefferson deployed Captain Meriwether Lewis and Ensign (Lieutenant) William Clark
to get an accurate sense of the new land and its resources. The president also hoped to find a "direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for the purposes of commerce with Asia".[16] In addition, Jefferson placed special importance on declaring U.S. sovereignty over the Native Americans along the Missouri River.[2][17][18].
My Comment: As observable from a map of America’s newly gained territory which Lewis and Clark were sent to claim before any European power would do so, access to the Pacific and “water communication to Asia” was not attainable by navigating the Missouri to its headwaters:
As evident from a cursory look at the Louisiana Purchase and tracing the Missouri River to its headwaters did not provide water access to commerce with Asia. It was necessary for the Voyage of Discovery to be informed and guided the Nez Percé People to reach the Pacific.
Watkuweis
The National Park Service: The Nez Perce people welcomed members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition into their homes and fed them on their westward and eastward journeys.
In September 1805, and then again in June 1806, Nez Perce people hosted Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, York, Sacagawea, and the rest of their party at Weippe Prairie.
Camas flowers bloom in Weippe Prairie.
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Many Nez Perce people were staying here at the time—Clark called it “a butifull Countrey” with “maney Indian lodges.” (Clark couldn’t spell).
The Nez Perce people saw these starving and bad-smelling Soyapo (White people) who had just crossed Lolo Trail during the wrong time of year. They gave them dried salmon, camas bulbs, camas bread, and berries.
They chose to help these newcomers in part because an elderly Nez Perce' woman, Watkuweis,
told her friends and family that they should be kind to them. Watkuweis had been captured many years before during a raid by Blackfeet or Atsina warriors. She then lived with White people for several years before finding her way home. Watkuweis convinced her Nez Perce family to be kind to these White visitors, since the White people she had met before had been kind to her.
Communication
No one in the visiting party spoke Nez Perce, but two French-speaking men—George Drouillard and Pierre Cruzatte—knew the sign language that was common among Indigenous communities and non-Native traders across North America.
The visitors wanted to travel by boat, but they had left theirs on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. Two Nez Perce men, Walamottinin (Twisted Hair) and Tetoharsky, led the visitors to the Clearwater River.
They helped these visitors find and cut down trees that were big enough to make canoes and taught them how to use fire to hollow out the center.
Walamottinin and Tetoharsky then guided the visitors down the rivers they knew well—from the Clearwater, to the Snake River, and then onto the Columbia River. They guided their new friends all the way to the great falls of the Columbia.
Continued
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