North Park students learn about role played by tribe in Lewis-Clark expedition

COLUMBUS - He is a descendant of the first American Indian tribe to have encountered Lewis and Clark on their early 19th century expedition.

Matthew "Sitting Bear" Jones is proud of his family history, but he wants to put the modern American Indian in the forefront.

"Hopefully, I won't reinforce the stereotypes, but help them see that Native Americans are people just like they are," Jones said while visiting students at North Park Elementary School on Tuesday.

Dressed in a cowboy hat and a western shirt, Jones spoke to students during a program sponsored by the Nebraska Humanities Council on the history of his tribe and in particular the role the Otoe-Missouria tribe played in the journey of Lewis and Clark.

Jones, a teacher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who is also a member of the Kiowa tribe, said the message he wants to stress is that American Indians of today aren't like those read about in history books or seen on the big screen.

"(They only know) what they read in books or watch in movies and that is that we were savages and rampaged," Jones said. "But they don't see the modern Native Americans."

Jones has traveled across the state for 18 years visiting schools and spreading that message. On Tuesday, he told about the history of his tribe, and in particular, how Lewis and Clark sought out the Otoe-Missouria during their journey.

The roots of the tribe dates to 1200 A.D. and they settled around the Lincoln area. One of Jones' distant grandfathers was one of the tribal leaders of the Otoe-Missouria that met with Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s.

Most American Indians who live on reservations are in the eastern, western and northern parts of the state. Because of that, Jones said many people in this area don't get exposed to the cultures. But he wants to not only continue to let people know how rich a history they have, but also wants to free them of that old image.

A picture of what an Otoe-Missiourian tribal member would have looked like in the 1830s was on display during Jones' presentation. He pointed to the dark-skinned person who was dressed with animal skins and feathers and wanted the students to note how that compared to him.

"We do not wear buckskins. We do not wear headdresses. We do not wear feathers in our hair," he said.