Lemhi Shoshone Expedition Member, Sacajawea:
A Symbol of Peace
.
.
Rose Ann Abrahamson is an educator/cultural historian and teaches at the tribal school. She is Lemhi Shoshone. She is the Great-great-great-niece of Sacajawea (the famous Lemhi Shoshone woman whe traveled with the Lewis & Clark Expedition), through Chief Cameahwait (brother of Sacajawea), and the great-great granddaughter of Chief Tendoy (son of Chief Cameahwait and the last Lemhi Shoshone Chief).
The tribe's located on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in northeastern Idaho.
A great deal has changed for the First Americans over centuries, but a great deal has remained the same. The Shoshone and Bannock tribes were granted 1.8 million acres in Eastern Idaho under the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868. Survey errors, treaties, and promises both kept and broken moved the boundaries of the tribal lands to as little as 418 thousand acres and back to their present area of almost 544 thousand acres.
There are parts of the reservation off limits to casual visits in an effort to protect the ecology of the Snake River Plain. In addition to being home to the tribes, the reservation holds several industries, which will benefit the traveler. Over generations the Shoshone Bannock tribes have developed a particular style and quality which is considered world class, some of their pieces are on display at the Smithsonian.
*Rose Ann is a recognized authority on the Lemhi Shoshone Cultural History and Language
*Governor appointed member of the Idaho Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Committee
*President, Sacajawea Interpretive & Cultural Institute
*Cultural Program Coordinator for tribal gatherings and events - Olympics 2002
*Educational, historical, and cultural speaker at regional and national events: (Few of the sites noted below)
Fall 2004 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 2004 - Mistress of Ceremonies for the National Academic Decathlon
January 2003 - December 2004 - Lectured at the Smithsonian, St. Louis, Missouri, Sioux City, Iowa, Buffalo Bill Museum, Montana State University, Eastern Washington State University
Outstanding Teachers of America 2002
Graduate of the University of Chicago (MA) & University of New Mexico (BA)
Golden Key National Honors Society
Outstanding Young Women in America 1989
Former Miss National Congress of American Indians
Miss Shoshone Bannock X
Ann is featured with Wisdom of the Elders Radio at www.wisdomoftheelders.org . in Series Three - Program 1- Historical Introduction and Artists Circle.
©2004 Wisdom of the Elders