Within the short space of only five weeks, Captains Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery encountered three different Indian tribes then entirely unknown to the world. The tribes, Shoshoni, Flatheads, and Nez Perces, were Plateau Indians. Their languages were distinct and unlike the Plains or Pacific Coastal tribes. The Nez Perces comprised the lesser tribes, which included the Cayuse, Umatilla, Walula, Palouse and Klikitat.
Today we left the Columbia River and traveled inland to visit the Tamastslikt Cultural Center, a museum that celebrates the heritage and future of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Nation. We re-boarded the Sea Bird within sight of the two basalt towers seen here. Lewis and Clark camped near here on the night of October 19, 1805. They visited with the Indian village on the opposite shore and traded trinkets for food. The Columbia River has seen dramatic change since that date. The damned lakes have changed the shoreline. Rail lines and interstate highways parallel the water. The tribes that fished the rapids are few in number, as are the salmon. But the Captains, the twin rock sentinels above the river, survive to mark the campsite, to define the history. We proceeded on.
