Clarkston, Washington: Tsceminicum Sculpture

July 23, 2021

Tsceminicum is the Nez Perce word for “meeting of the waters”. This sculpture by Nancy Dreher is at the meeting of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers. It shows the earth mother at the headwaters and features native wildlife presided over by coyote, the most important figure in Nez Perce legends.

The site also featured information about the Lewis and Clark expedition which stopped here October 10, 1805. They called it Canoe Camp. No one, including President Thomas Jefferson who conceived the expedition, knew what to expect of the Louisiana Purchase. Speculation included mastodons, Welsh Indians, and the lost tribe of Israel. What was most desired was an easy way to cross the continent to the Pacific Ocean–perhaps a gentle rise of mountains requiring only a short portage before traveling on to the Pacific by boat.

The formidable Rocky Mountains made Lewis and Clark’s trip much more difficult than hoped. Their expedition required over 500 days to cover the 4,000 miles which today can be covered in a four-day drive or a four-hour flight.