Hiring Local Experts

Hiring Local Experts. . Before setting out on the Expedition. Lewis and Clark studied the maps and journals of French and Spanish traders and explorers. They also interviewed fur traders who had spent time in Indian villages along the river. The trappers told Lewis and Clark about the tribes they could meet, where they might meet therm, and which were most likely to welcome a group of white strangers. , Lewis and Clark knew they would need to talk to the Indians, But neither Lewis nor Clark spoke any of the Indian languages or French, a language some Indians spoke. For help in communicating, Lewis and Clark relied on three members of the crew who were of both Indian and French descent, Pierre Cruzatte, Francois LaBiche and George Drouillard. , Cruzatte and Labiche were also familiar with the river and had experience trading with Indian tribes. Cruzatte, whose mother was a member of the Omaha tribe and whose father was French, spoke his mother's language and knew sign language as well.. LaBiche, also a son of an Omaha Indian woman and a French father, spoke several Indian languages and French. Drouillard who was half Shawnee, was valued because of his talent as a guide and tracker, and his skill in using sign language. , By hiring local experts like Cruzatte, LaBiche and Drouilard. Lewis and Clark made it more likely that the Expedition would succeed.