hroughout Lewis and Clark's journals we find a number of instances when disputes arose over the issue of property and ownership.

The idea of ownership itself is something that is not universal but, in fact, a social and cultural phenomenon that is not shared by all groups.

It becomes evident when reading the journal excerpts (you will find in the "In Their Words" section) and hearing stories from descendents of people who hosted Lewis and Clark that there were strong differences in attitudes toward property between the Indians and the members of the Corps of Discovery.

At the same time, it is interesting to note the similarities in some of their actions, thus demonstrating the inherent drive in all humans to survive.

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Bobbie Conner, Director of the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, comments on land as a gift, and cultural values.

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Pat Courtney Gold, Wasco artist and educator, talks about women as traders.

As you will see from reading journal excerpts, Lewis and Clark do not hesitate to pass judgment on the Indian methods of trade, bargaining and occasional theft. This may seem ironic or even hypocritical when considered in context. Were the members of the Expedition "trespassing"? Who "owned" this land and the resources it had to offer? Hadn't the Creator provided these foods to the people of the land?

Conclusions were made and recorded in the journal entries about the character of people with whom the authors spent only brief periods of time and with whom they could not speak. Are these conclusions appropriate? Do their limited observations reflect the cultural values of the people whose homelands Lewis and Clark passed through? If there is one thief among a nation, should that nation be recorded in history as thieves?

Traders are most effective when they understand the values of the group with which they are making exchanges. Lewis and Clark knew nothing about the values of the various groups along the Columbia River. These groups had different resources depending on where they lived and they had an intricate trade system established long before Europeans arrived in their land. Sahaptin-speakers knew the protocol for trading with the various groups of Chinookan-speakers, and vice versa. Lewis and Clark had no basis for understanding these rules. They had to learn as they went along. No doubt they made many mistakes.

Humans everywhere sort perceptions by "same" or "different." Like Lewis and Clark, the locals along the Columbia judged these newcomers and their methods of trade and bargaining. They had occasion to witness Corps members taking Indian property without permission and some of this oral history has survived. However, unlike the stories of Lewis and Clark, these judgments have not become part of American history. The Indian side of this story is not part of American history because the indigenous groups along the Columbia had no system of writing. Their oral traditions have stayed largely within the confines of their own communities.

The observations of Lewis and Clark, as some of the first whites to interact with these people, had notable repercussions throughout history. How do their prejudices continue on today? Where do terms like "Indian giver" come from? Their writings remind us to be cautious in drawing snap conclusions without some understanding of the full context and to always be aware of the cultural lens through which we view the world.