Sheheke, Mandan Indian Diplomat: The Story of White Coyote, Thomas Jefferson, and Lewis and Clark

by Tracy Potter

Potter eloquently tells the story of Sheheke, the Mandan Indian who traveled from North Dakota with Lewis and Clark to meet President Thomas Jefferson in Washington, D.C., in 1806. The story of Sheheke’s life has been too long untold. Sheheke was an ambassador for the Mandan Nation, a consistent friend of the United States, and an important part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In sharing his story, his legacy of kindness, friendship, and courage lives on.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2003

Reviews

[Brook Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this book was insightful and yielded a lot of interesting facts regarding this lesser-known chief of the Upper Missouri, it was not the easiest read. It's definitely the type of scholarly research book meant for individuals studying westward expansion in the early 19th century, Lewis & Clark, or tribes of the Upper Missouri in the 19th century. Fortunately, I fit into a category needing this information, and I'm plenty grateful to Potter for her in-depth look at both the Mandans and Sheheke.

[Becky Filipek · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been nice to have a little more in depth information about Sheheke, but I definitely learned about that little slice of Mandan and American history that he was part of in the first few decades of the 1800s. I marvel at the connections between St. Louis, MO, and North Dakota, and I am so proud to call both places home.