Missouri River race in Chinook canoe

Lewis and Clark re-enactors racing Chinook Indian canoe in Missouri River 340

By Brian NordliThe ceremony finished with the smudging of the canoe, where the charred sagebrush is spread underneath the canoe. The ritual rids the canoe of any bad aura and will provide luck for the long four-day race along the Missouri River. The Its Woot Rivermen are one of the teams competing in this year's Missouri River 340, a trek for canoeists and kayakers that takes paddlers 340 miles down the Missouri River to St. Charles.

After the blessing, the team got in their canoe and shouted “Yaa-ta hey,” a universal Indian greeting, to their friends and family members and everyone else watching from the boat ramp, waiting for the start of the race.

The Its Woot Rivermen racing team is part of the Discovery Exploration organization that from 2003 to 2006 reenacted the Lewis and Clark expedition across America. It is racing in the MR340 for the first time. They are not racing for to fulfill personal goals or enjoy an adventure, however, but are racing to represent the Chinook Indian tribe.Below:  "Dick Brumley, Sid Stoffels, Tom Young, John Meyer, Arlen Beck and Tom Ronk wait for the beginning of the MR340 race from the hull of their Lewis and Clark expedition replica canoe on the Missouri River off of Kew Point in Kansas City, Kan., on Tuesday. Theirs is the largest team competing in the race this year." (Michelle Peltier)