York's Adventures with Lewis and Clark by Rhoda Blumberg (pages 34-62)
My question about whether York could read was answered on page 36 when it stated that neither York nor his wife could read or write. It was sad that York had no way of communicating to his wife while he was gone other than to send her a decorated Indian buffalo robe.
I forgot to mention in my last blog about my amazement of Sacagawea giving birth to a baby boy and taking him with her on the expedition. Also, I wonder why her husband, Charbonneau, did not bring his other wife along.
Pages 41-48 revolved mainly around the need for food and horses to carry their supplies up the mountains. This makes the third book I've read this week that emphasized the importance of horses for man's survival. I've seen horses in plenty of movies, but never really thought about just how important their roles have been to our civilization.
On page 47, it was very interesting to find out that the Shoshoni warriors who succeeded in battle blackened their faces with charcoal. When they laid eyes on York, this once again made him the "superstar" of the expedition party. I really stopped and thought about the irony when I read the following statement: A color that usually meant "powerless slave" meant "powerful warrior" for the Shoshonis. What a wonderful feeling that York must have experienced! I'm so glad that York went along on this expedition with Lewis and Clark and was able to receive that recognition. It was also a role reversal for York as stated in the book that his black skin helped make their white skins welcome to the Indians.
Also, on page 47, I was happy to read about Sacagawea's reunion with her brother, Chief Cameahwait. She was very helpful in the translations, but I never realized before that they had to go through the three time consuming translations. Before reading this book, I hadjust assumed they translated Indian languages to English. Instead, it was Shoshoni into Hidatsa, Hidatsa into French, and finally French into English. Then, the process was reversed for the reply. All of this was on top of being tired and hungry.
Another interesting point to me was on page 51 when the men ate candles, drank bear grease, and butchered their horses to stave off starvation. I guess I'm like my students at school with an interest in the gross details.
So far, in this book, the expedition members have battled inclement weather, mountains, starvations, and rapids on their way to the Pacific Ocean. Next up, we read about the journey back home.
2 comments:
Pages 34-62
I was glad to see that even though York couldn’t read and write that he was able to send the gift to his wife. This showed that he cared and missed her. I was surprised to see that he was allowed to send her this gift because he was still a slave.
I believe that in the first section that we read that it said that Sacagawea was the one that they really wanted but allowed Charbonneau because he was her husband. It did say that Charbonneau did have several other young wives. I wonder if this wife returned to be with the others or if she was set free.
I didn’t realize how many tribes of Indians there were/are until reading how many different tribes the expedition had to go through to get what they needed. Even though the white men see them as inferior, this expedition would not have been possible without them. I agree that this expedition showed a role reversal for York. Without him, I wonder what would have happened when the white men met Shoshonis Indians.
I was surprised to see that Chief Cameahwait didn’t show any emotion at Sacagawea’s return. After all, she hadn’t seen her brother in five years. I wonder if it could have been because he was a chief and they aren’t to show any emotion. I would have thought that he would have been happy to see her and her infant. I was surprised to see that Lewis didn’t think that Sacagawea should accompany his group to seek out the Shoshonis Indians.
The gruesome things that the group ate to keep from starving were shocking. I can’t believe that they ate dogs. Not only did they eat it once but there were more times that they asked Indians for dogs because they were tired of the dried berries. Now, that was truly a gross detail.
So far, I have learned a great deal about York and the Lewis and Clark expedition. I was surprised to see that they were bored when they finally reached their destination. It will be interesting to see there return home. It did say that they didn’t heed the Indian’s warning about winter. Well, let finishing reading and find out what happens next.
I was not surprised that York could not read, remember he was a slave and slaves were not permitted to read. I was surprised that Clark allowed York to send his wife a gift. I believe his wife would really appreciate. The gift would show not only his love, but that he was still alive.
I knew that Sacagawea was a part of this expedition, but not her husband or baby. I cannot imagine her taking a baby on this dangerous trip. She probably did not have any choice but to take him. I knew that Lewis and Clark needed her to help make friends with the Indians, her people, not all the other groups of Indians. She met her brother, the chief, after all this time. I wonder why he did not show any emotions. Maybe, he did not recognize her. She had been gone a long time. Perhaps, he did not trust her because she was with these "white men".
Again, the Indians were fascinated with York's appearance. They called him "powerful warrior" connecting his blackness with them with they paint their faces black after a victory. In a way,York was a big, strong, and tall warrior because he withstood the many hardships of this expedition, as well as the hardships of slavery.
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