Groups commemorate explorer's journey

CLARK FORK — It was 200 years ago this summer that renowned explorer David Thompson arrived in eastern Bonner County, where he and his 16-person crew gathered at a local encampment of Flathead, Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai and Kalispel Indians.

 To celebrate the landmark event, more than 200 teachers, students and historians have come together on the same land to temporarily recreate the camp.

Part of the David Thompson Bicentennial conference, the four-day Kalispel Encampment began on Wednesday and ends today.

The event, which is sponsored by the Kalispel Tribe and the U.S. David Thompson Bicentennial Committee, features workshops and symposiums on topics such as beading, meat drying, fish-hook making, traditional plant use and Kalispel tribal history.

Francis Cullooya, a Kalispel tribe elder who helped organize the event, said it is important for attendees to receive first-hand experience in Native American culture and tradition.

“I want them to have a better understanding of who we are, rather than just reading about us in books or newspapers,” Cullooya said.

Social studies teacher Kerry Seyfert traveled all the way from Stevensville, Mont. to attend the conference. She said she has always been enamored by native American culture and wanted to learn more.

After attending courses in language, history and basket weaving, Seyfert said she is ready to pass her newfound knowledge on to her students.

“I’ve enjoyed all of it,” she said. “I’m going to take all of it back to my students and I’m so excited about it.”

Artist Wendy Ostlie of the Shoshone Tribe, who led a Friday class on basket weaving, said the techniques she uses were passed down to her through generations of tribal elders. Without sharing these traditional skills with others, she said native American cultural practices will eventually fade away.

“A lot of people say, ‘You have a talent. Don’t keep it to yourself. Teach it to others so it will carry on.’ We need these things to carry on,” she said. “Francis (Cullooya) said, ‘You’re here for a reason,’ and I think that’s true for everybody.”

The conference also features classes and historic reenactments from the Friends of Spokane House, who set up an authentic fur trading encampment on the site.

Pete Sheeran of Cheney, Wash., who portrayed a Spokane House mechanic at the encampment, said there are countless lessons to be learned from early American history, from both the Native American and settler perspectives.

“It’s about having respect for your environment, the food you eat, the animals you hunt and an attention to life in general,” he said.