Native_Culture

Native culture for years was believed to represent the savageness of the complex race that halted the U.S from further expansion. However, as the Corps ventured further away from the frontier, they met tribal culture head-on. The encounter with the Mandan Natives marked a turning point in dispelling the stigma of Native savageness and brought forth a compelling show of respect and knowledge.
The Corps would dive into the trading and relations with the Natives and broke through the barrier of Native culture. One year into the grueling trek to the Pacific, American culture had taken a back seat as the Native beliefs sprouted in the minds of the journeymen.

Sacagwea disussing the path to the Pacific with Lewis and Clark- HistoryDaily.com

"“. . . he would soon be completely metamorphosed...Lewis was more than a year and thousands of miles from home. He was by then dressed in buckskin and moccasins, eating food that Indians taught him to find and prepare. He was reading Indian maps that were unlike any map he had ever seen. Lewis became wild, in the sense of seeing himself not as an objective scientist and explorer removed from what he was observing but rather as an active participant who had entered into an Indian world.”
~Robert R. Archibald, president of Missouri Historical Society

The Native ways of life deeply surrounded the Corps so much that when Lewis was in Memphis years later, he wasn’t the same. He was reported to be lonely and somewhat depressed, mainly due to his isolation from the tribes that had welcomed him with open arms. These things led to his death in which many believe was an apparent suicide.

Sacagawea, Lewis, and Clark scouting the area ahead- HistoryDaily.com

The Native Americans were commonly thought of as savages compared to the white Europeans. Throughout this historic journey, this stigma was broken, revealing the complex and intellectual world that was and is the Native American’s way of life. Although Native life would change drastically during the Jackson Administration, the bonds built between the Natives and the Corps were wholesome and robust, prompting Lewis to adopt the Native way for the rest of his life.

Breaking the Barriers of Native Culture