David Thompson: Dilynwr y Ser

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-He travelled alone, -far from the eyes of the world...	0:00:04	0:00:07
-..and brought little-known -parts of the world into view.	0:00:08	0:00:12
-He found a place in -the land of eternal snow...	0:00:12	0:00:17
-..out of reach of civilisation.	0:00:17	0:00:20
-The land of the Mandans, -the fabled Welsh Indians...	0:00:21	0:00:25
-..and of many more tribes.	0:00:25	0:00:27
-He would learn more about their land -than the Indians knew themselves.	0:00:28	0:00:32
-Far from his homeland, he was -an adventurer in a strange land.	0:00:45	0:00:51
-Welshman David Thompson...	0:00:53	0:00:55
-..was the greatest geographer -and cartographer ever to have lived.	0:00:55	0:00:59
-He mapped over -four million square miles...	0:00:59	0:01:03
-..of the wild expanses -of North America.	0:01:03	0:01:07
-As an old man, in 1854, he penned -a document titled 'The Travels'.	0:01:11	0:01:16
-There he recorded his adventures...	0:01:17	0:01:19
-..along the rivers that -flow down from the Rockies.	0:01:20	0:01:24
-The work also reveals -the insurmountable obstacles...	0:01:25	0:01:29
-..that he faced inside himself.	0:01:29	0:01:31
-He lived among the indigenous tribes -of North America...	0:01:37	0:01:40
-..for nearly thirty years, growing -to respect their way of life.	0:01:41	0:01:44
-Yet, Thompson would be -a key figure...	0:01:45	0:01:48
-..in the destruction -of that way of life.	0:01:48	0:01:52
-"The Earth is divine and alive.	0:02:05	0:02:07
-"The Indians cannot -define its nature.	0:02:09	0:02:12
-"The forests, the ridges -and the rugged hills...	0:02:12	0:02:16
-"..and the lakes and rivers, -all make incarnate Manitou.	0:02:16	0:02:20
-"Manitou is the god of the Indians.	0:02:20	0:02:22
-"The rivers, in particular, -live with the fish that breed."	0:02:23	0:02:27
-David Thompson's roots were far away -on the other side of the world...	0:02:30	0:02:34
-..in Wales, another mountainous land -of rivers winding down to the sea.	0:02:35	0:02:40
-And a land of legend and poetry...	0:02:46	0:02:48
-..to which the sea and rivers -and lakes were central.	0:02:48	0:02:52
-New forces and values were rushing -through Wales in the 18th century.	0:02:54	0:02:58
-The country was caught -between two crosswinds...	0:02:58	0:03:01
-..the Methodist Revival -and the Industrial Revolution.	0:03:02	0:03:06
-London was also changing -and expanding...	0:03:11	0:03:14
-..and attracting increasing numbers -from Wales in search of work.	0:03:15	0:03:18
-Among them were -David Thompson's parents.	0:03:18	0:03:22
-They settled in Westminster, one of -London's less healthy districts...	0:03:24	0:03:28
-..on the banks of -the polluted river Thames.	0:03:29	0:03:33
-David Thompson was born in -the parish of St John's...	0:03:34	0:03:37
-..on April 30th 1770.	0:03:38	0:03:40
-The parish register -was signed with an "X"...	0:03:40	0:03:44
-..by the father, Dafydd ap Tomos, -and the mother, Anne Rice.	0:03:44	0:03:47
-He was born and bred in London.	0:03:48	0:03:49
-But David Thompson was a Welshman...	0:03:50	0:03:52
-..who kept his Welsh lilt -to his dying day.	0:03:52	0:03:55
-But London was a city of poverty -and of affluence, side by side.	0:03:58	0:04:02
-Beaverskin hats were fashionable -among the wealthy...	0:04:03	0:04:07
-..and the fur trade in Hudson Bay -prospered as a result.	0:04:08	0:04:12
-The price of one hat was a year's -wages to David Thompson's parents.	0:04:12	0:04:16
-The family income disappeared with -the unexpected death of the father.	0:04:19	0:04:23
-The mother and two sons may well -have ended up in Gin Lane...	0:04:24	0:04:28
-..were it not for -the intervention of fate...	0:04:28	0:04:32
-..that would lead David Thompson -throughout his life.	0:04:32	0:04:36
-His mother found a place for him -at the Grey Coat Hospital School...	0:04:39	0:04:43
-..in the protective shadow -of Westminster Abbey.	0:04:44	0:04:47
-Rather than beg on the streets...	0:04:47	0:04:49
-..the young boy would be educated -for a career in the Royal Navy.	0:04:50	0:04:54
-He learned to write, -and was taught mathematics...	0:04:55	0:04:59
-..and thoroughly educated -in seafaring knowledge.	0:04:59	0:05:03
-Thompson was a lonely boy...	0:05:09	0:05:11
-..living on the fringes -of privileged English society.	0:05:11	0:05:15
-But he found solace in the -expansive Westminster Abbey...	0:05:15	0:05:19
-..at the heart of the great Empire -that had claimed his homeland.	0:05:19	0:05:23
-Here, he could retreat -into his own imagination...	0:05:26	0:05:29
-..and relive his mother's stories -of legendary Welsh heroes...	0:05:29	0:05:33
-..such as Arthur -and his sword Excalibur...	0:05:33	0:05:36
-..and the enchanted Isle of Avalon.	0:05:37	0:05:39
-But the old world -was rapidly disappearing.	0:05:39	0:05:43
-The 18th century was a century -of great revolutions...	0:05:43	0:05:47
-..in the areas of geography, -astronomy and science...	0:05:47	0:05:50
-..with political revolutions -in America and France.	0:05:50	0:05:54
-Thompson was part -of the great movement...	0:05:54	0:05:57
-..to discover the world -and to change the world.	0:05:58	0:06:01
-Having lost its American colonies -in the War of Independence...	0:06:03	0:06:08
-..there was less work to be found -in England's Navy.	0:06:08	0:06:11
-The boy was bought by the Hudson's -Bay Company for five pounds.	0:06:12	0:06:16
-Thompson worked as a company clerk -in the wilds of northern Canada...	0:06:16	0:06:21
-..aged only fourteen at the time.	0:06:21	0:06:23
-"Now, we charted our course -across the western ocean.	0:06:30	0:06:34
-"As we approached the American isles -we encountered several icebergs.	0:06:35	0:06:39
-"The Hudson channel -was so locked in ice...	0:06:39	0:06:43
-"..it took almost a month -to pass through."	0:06:43	0:06:47
-The ship anchored on -the western shore of Hudson Bay.	0:06:50	0:06:54
-When it set sail after a fortnight, -it left the boy behind.	0:06:54	0:06:58
-"While the ship was still moored, -the distance between myself...	0:07:02	0:07:06
-"..and my parent and acquaintances -seemed of little consequence.	0:07:06	0:07:10
-"But as I watched the ship -sail away and out of sight...	0:07:11	0:07:14
-"..the distance became immeasurable.	0:07:15	0:07:17
-"I bade a long and sad farewell -to a sacred and noble land...	0:07:18	0:07:23
-"..exiled forever."	0:07:23	0:07:25
-Thompson had come to work -in Churchill Factory...	0:07:31	0:07:34
-..and his superior there -was Samuel Hearn.	0:07:34	0:07:38
-Hearn was then busy -recording his own memoirs...	0:07:38	0:07:42
-..and the task of setting them -to paper fell to Thompson.	0:07:42	0:07:46
-The Churchill Factory -records for 1784-85...	0:07:49	0:07:53
-..have survived in the -Hudson's Bay Company archives.	0:07:53	0:07:56
-At the end of the records, the -copy is annotated, "Boy writing".	0:07:57	0:08:01
-That boy was undoubtedly Thompson.	0:08:02	0:08:04
-The many Indian tribes -that lived in the interior...	0:08:10	0:08:14
-..brought fur for the traders -in exchange for metal implements.	0:08:14	0:08:18
-Thompson came to the conclusion -that he had much to learn.	0:08:22	0:08:26
-He was astounded by the Indians' -knowledge of the land around them.	0:08:26	0:08:30
-"The Indians constantly -took note of everything.	0:08:35	0:08:38
-"How a tiny stone -had been slightly moved.	0:08:39	0:08:42
-"How a twig was bent or snapped.	0:08:42	0:08:44
-"How a mark was left on the ground.	0:08:45	0:08:46
-"To them, it was -a clearly legible language.	0:08:47	0:08:50
-"I was eager to learn this language.	0:08:50	0:08:53
-"I took careful note -of everything they showed me."	0:08:53	0:08:57
-The first nations believed in living -as one and in balance with nature...	0:09:00	0:09:04
-..and nobody was given -land ownership.	0:09:05	0:09:09
-The Creator made the land...	0:09:10	0:09:12
-..and the Creator -would return us to the land.	0:09:12	0:09:16
-Our spirits would move on.	0:09:17	0:09:19
-Thompson had read -of the first nations...	0:09:22	0:09:26
-..and knew they lived -in a separate world.	0:09:26	0:09:29
-He also knew that world -would rapidly disappear...	0:09:29	0:09:33
-..as traders occupied the interior -from their coastal settlements.	0:09:34	0:09:38
-This world was about -to become paradise lost.	0:09:38	0:09:42
-Perhaps he could learn -of that way of life...	0:09:42	0:09:45
-..before it disappeared forever.	0:09:46	0:09:47
-Looking back on his life -with the wisdom of age...	0:09:55	0:09:59
-..David Thompson clearly -remembered his first encounter...	0:09:59	0:10:04
-..with the fast flowing rivers -of the west.	0:10:04	0:10:07
-He knew his hopes of becoming -a ship's captain were now futile...	0:10:08	0:10:12
-..but he was determined -to master the canoe.	0:10:13	0:10:16
-The Indians made these vessels -using the bark of birch trees...	0:10:17	0:10:21
-..which grew on -the shores of Hudson Bay.	0:10:22	0:10:25
-Thompson realised he would have -to master more than one craft...	0:10:26	0:10:30
-..if he was to become a fur trader.	0:10:30	0:10:32
-How do use a canoe, -and how to treat wood.	0:10:33	0:10:36
-He also realised he would have -to learn the Indian languages...	0:10:36	0:10:40
-..in order to bargain with them.	0:10:41	0:10:42
-He learned of contact made with -the Blackfoot and Piegan tribes...	0:10:50	0:10:55
-..which traditionally hunted -along the Saskatchewan river...	0:10:55	0:10:59
-..a thousand miles west where but -a few white men had ever ventured.	0:10:59	0:11:04
-FRENCH VOYAGEUR SONG	0:11:13	0:11:16
-Thompson would travel -deep into the interior...	0:11:17	0:11:20
-..with a band of voyageurs, -half French and half Indian.	0:11:20	0:11:24
-The voyageurs knew the rivers -flowing down from the Rockies...	0:11:24	0:11:28
-..like the back of their hand.	0:11:29	0:11:31
-FRENCH VOYAGEUR SONG	0:11:31	0:11:34
-Thompson was just -seventeen at the time.	0:11:37	0:11:40
-He was about to venture deeper -into this strange land...	0:11:41	0:11:44
-..than Samuel Hearn -had done in a lifetime.	0:11:45	0:11:48
-The band planned to travel -up the Saskatchewan river...	0:11:49	0:11:53
-..which means "the river -that flows swiftly" in Cree.	0:11:53	0:11:57
-Their aim was to reach the great -plains where buffalo roamed.	0:11:57	0:12:01
-For centuries, the Indians had been -dependent upon these beasts...	0:12:02	0:12:05
-..for food, clothing, -and even for their teepees.	0:12:06	0:12:10
-"They crossed in their thousands...	0:12:11	0:12:13
-"..and pressed against -our row of boats.	0:12:13	0:12:17
-"We had to push them away -with our paddles...	0:12:17	0:12:20
-"..otherwise they -would have capsized us.	0:12:20	0:12:24
-"Finally, the Rocky Mountains -came into view...	0:12:25	0:12:28
-"..glistening white on the horizon.	0:12:29	0:12:31
-"As we neared them, -they grew ever higher...	0:12:31	0:12:35
-"..and their snow capped peaks -seemed above the clouds.	0:12:35	0:12:39
-"This was a frontier beyond which -even the eagle could not fly."	0:12:40	0:12:44
-They had reached -Blackfoot country...	0:12:53	0:12:56
-..a tribe renowned -for their fierce fighting.	0:12:57	0:13:01
-Here, Thompson stayed in -the tent of a tribal elder...	0:13:13	0:13:17
-..a spiritual leader -known as Saukamapee.	0:13:17	0:13:21
-Saukamapee took Thompson -as his pupil...	0:13:21	0:13:24
-..and spoke of a time -before the arrival of white men.	0:13:25	0:13:28
-He described the intricate relation -between the Indians and the earth...	0:13:28	0:13:32
-..and the genealogy -of every living animal.	0:13:33	0:13:36
-The beavers were an ancient tribe.	0:13:42	0:13:46
-Strong and wise people.	0:13:47	0:13:50
-No man would ever dare -to take them on in battle...	0:13:52	0:13:57
-"Almost every night for four months -I sat at the old man's feet...	0:13:57	0:14:02
-"..listening to stories -of which I never tired."	0:14:02	0:14:06
-Thompson recorded native poetry -in his record books...	0:14:11	0:14:15
-..and did so throughout his life.	0:14:15	0:14:17
-Thompson belonged -through his own lineage...	0:14:22	0:14:26
-..to an ancient nation that -had its own history and culture.	0:14:26	0:14:30
-Perhaps he looked to the Indians -for spiritual direction...	0:14:31	0:14:35
-..and to rediscover himself.	0:14:35	0:14:38
-He learned much through -listening to Saukamapee.	0:14:40	0:14:44
-"The Indians had always been -intrigued by the stars and planets.	0:14:47	0:14:51
-"Who might live in -those bright settlements?	0:14:52	0:14:56
-"The Indians believed they were -where spirits lived...	0:14:56	0:15:00
-"..the spirits of people -who had lived good lives."	0:15:00	0:15:04
-Thompson came to believe, -like the Indians...	0:15:13	0:15:16
-..that the earth -was a gift from the Creator.	0:15:17	0:15:20
-He also came to believe -in the law of providence...	0:15:20	0:15:24
-..which would soon intervene -in his life once more.	0:15:25	0:15:29
-Finally, the time came for Thompson -to depart this place...	0:15:33	0:15:37
-..which was not marked on any map.	0:15:37	0:15:39
-He travelled back -a thousand miles to the east...	0:15:39	0:15:43
-..and to the monotony -of life in the fur factories.	0:15:43	0:15:47
-Two days before Christmas in 1788, -carrying timber to the station...	0:15:51	0:15:55
-..Thompson slipped on the ice -and broke his leg.	0:15:55	0:15:59
-For weeks, Thompson hovered -between life and death.	0:16:05	0:16:09
-He slowly regained his strength, -and was on his feet again by spring.	0:16:13	0:16:17
-He determined to give up -his duty as a clerk.	0:16:17	0:16:21
-Once again, fate smiled upon him.	0:16:28	0:16:30
-Philip Turnor was the only -astronomer for two thousand miles.	0:16:30	0:16:35
-He took on Thompson -as his assistant.	0:16:36	0:16:39
-The boy was too intelligent -to waste as a clerk.	0:16:40	0:16:43
-Thompson learned the craft of -the surveyor and the astronomer...	0:16:45	0:16:49
-..two vital skills -for his work in the future.	0:16:49	0:16:53
-He learned how to work out -geographical location...	0:16:53	0:16:57
-..by looking at the stars.	0:16:57	0:16:59
-He learned to use a compass -and measuring implements.	0:16:59	0:17:03
-Philip Turnor showed him -how to avoid being blinded...	0:17:03	0:17:07
-..by darkening the lens -when looking into the sun.	0:17:07	0:17:10
-"The equipment I used -to survey the stars...	0:17:11	0:17:14
-"..were a brass measuring device -with a radius of ten inches...	0:17:15	0:17:18
-"..and a strong telescope to -follow the satellites of Jupiter.	0:17:19	0:17:22
-"I regularly used this equipment -in clear weather...	0:17:23	0:17:26
-"..to follow the sun, the moon, -the planets and the stars."	0:17:26	0:17:30
-Thompson had found his Excalibur, -King Arthur's magical sword.	0:17:39	0:17:43
-He was ready to face -his great adventure...	0:17:44	0:17:47
-..to chart the first accurate map -of the wild country...	0:17:47	0:17:51
-..stretching from Hudson Bay -to the Pacific.	0:17:51	0:17:55
-By studying the expansive universe, -the world became infinite.	0:17:56	0:18:00
-The Indians now referred to him -as "the man who gazes at the stars".	0:18:01	0:18:07
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-Thompson's first task -as a surveyor...	0:18:27	0:18:30
-..was to enter the Athabasca region -in northern Saskatchewan.	0:18:31	0:18:34
-He was surveying for -the elusive north west passage...	0:18:35	0:18:38
-..as so many had done before him.	0:18:38	0:18:41
-For the English, the passage -would open up the riches of Asia.	0:18:46	0:18:49
-But for those who belonged to -older races such as the Celts...	0:18:50	0:18:53
-..this was the passage to ancient -kingdoms of myth and legend.	0:18:54	0:18:57
-But, that year, the rivers -were particularly treacherous.	0:19:04	0:19:07
-The snow caps had melted -faster than usual.	0:19:08	0:19:11
-"We rode above the falls.	0:19:16	0:19:18
-"All we could do was let -the canoe follow the torrent."	0:19:18	0:19:22
-In an instant, the canoe -was thrown by the torrent...	0:19:39	0:19:43
-..and swallowed -by the crashing water.	0:19:43	0:19:47
-Welsh legends depict the underworld -first as a pleasant place.	0:19:59	0:20:04
-Water has a cleansing power, -to absolve people of sins...	0:20:07	0:20:11
-..and it is a place of purity.	0:20:11	0:20:13
-But it's also a world of magic.	0:20:13	0:20:16
-There is an echo of very -ancient myth in all of this...	0:20:16	0:20:20
-..transmitted down to us in -folk tales, even in the Mabinogi.	0:20:21	0:20:25
-To the Celts, the sea and water -carried a great deal of symbolism.	0:20:31	0:20:35
-Once again, -Thompson had been rescued...	0:20:37	0:20:40
-..from events -that might have killed him.	0:20:41	0:20:44
-His experience at Manitou Falls -had a dramatic effect on him.	0:20:44	0:20:48
-There's something -essentially Celtic about it...	0:20:54	0:20:57
-..and has to do with the way the -Celts looked upon the whole world.	0:20:58	0:21:02
-The world was secret and sacred, -possessing of a magical element.	0:21:02	0:21:06
-The creatures were sacred, trees -and birds in particular were sacred.	0:21:07	0:21:11
-By day, Thompson was a fur trader...	0:21:17	0:21:19
-..dutiful to the contract signed at -Grey Coat School seven years earlier	0:21:20	0:21:24
-But, by night, he was a naturalist -and an astronomer...	0:21:25	0:21:29
-..and a maker of maps -in a new world full of magic.	0:21:29	0:21:33
-He was also beginning -to feel frustrated.	0:21:39	0:21:42
-The fur trade had only profit -as its goal...	0:21:43	0:21:46
-..but Thompson was -a prophet among profiteers.	0:21:46	0:21:49
-A man whose vision was as expansive -as the land he surveyed.	0:21:49	0:21:53
-In 1797, when his contract expired, -Thompson resigned...	0:21:57	0:22:01
-..and walked eighty miles -to join the North West Company.	0:22:01	0:22:06
-"The wind was ferocious, with -drifting snow and leaden skies.	0:22:09	0:22:13
-"I had no choice but to press on.	0:22:14	0:22:16
-HOWLING WIND AND WOLVES	0:22:19	0:22:21
-The North West Company -and the Hudson's Bay Company...	0:22:23	0:22:27
-..were in competition -for the fur trade.	0:22:27	0:22:30
-Thompson's old company -never forgave him.	0:22:31	0:22:34
-The North West Company -was founded in 1783...	0:22:38	0:22:42
-..to open up the continent's -northern interior for trade.	0:22:42	0:22:46
-A band of independent-minded -Scottish traders were the founders.	0:22:46	0:22:50
-The company was ideal -for a man like Thompson.	0:22:50	0:22:54
-Thompson was immediately sent to -survey the Canadian-American border.	0:22:55	0:22:59
-His task was to chart tributaries -of the Mississippi...	0:23:00	0:23:03
-..and establish a commercial link -with Indians south of the border.	0:23:04	0:23:08
-Thompson and his fellow travellers -reached Mandan territory.	0:23:12	0:23:16
-He noted similarities between -Mandan boats and the Welsh coracle.	0:23:17	0:23:21
-Legend told that the Mandans -were the descendants...	0:23:21	0:23:24
-..of Welsh pioneers -six hundred years previously.	0:23:25	0:23:28
-But David Thompson -made no mention of this...	0:23:29	0:23:32
-..or of other Welsh travellers -who had been there before him.	0:23:32	0:23:36
-"There were twenty-four maidens -dancing in white buckskin...	0:23:37	0:23:42
-"..with ornamented bands to display -their form as in a silk gown."	0:23:44	0:23:49
-Thompson was witness -at a Mandan feast...	0:23:55	0:23:59
-..beginning to the sound -of sad howling...	0:23:59	0:24:03
-..and culminating in -a celebration of sexuality.	0:24:03	0:24:06
-The sight shamed him, particularly -as his own men took part...	0:24:07	0:24:10
-..in what Thompson described -as a devilish ritual.	0:24:11	0:24:14
-Always an isolated figure, Thompson -fought with his own, rough men...	0:24:15	0:24:20
-..heavy drinkers who took sexual -advantage of the native women.	0:24:20	0:24:24
-He travelled north again -to the Athabasca region...	0:24:28	0:24:31
-..in search of new horizons.	0:24:32	0:24:34
-He was now aged twenty-nine.	0:24:34	0:24:36
-He arrived at Isle a la Croix, -deep in Indian territory.	0:24:37	0:24:41
-There he met his lifetime partner, -Charlotte Small...	0:24:42	0:24:46
-..whose mother was a Cree Indian, -and her father an Irish trader.	0:24:46	0:24:50
-The two were married -in a simple ceremony.	0:24:51	0:24:54
-Charlotte became known -as "woman of the paddle song".	0:24:58	0:25:01
-She was familiar -with the wild rivers...	0:25:02	0:25:05
-..flowing from the mountains -to the broad plains.	0:25:05	0:25:09
-Charlotte and Thompson would travel -thousands of miles together.	0:25:09	0:25:13
-With winter approaching, the two -travelled up the Saskatchewan...	0:25:23	0:25:27
-..to the foot of the range -that the Indians called...	0:25:27	0:25:31
-.."the shining mountains, -the backbone of the world".	0:25:31	0:25:35
-Thompson visited many stations -owned by the North West Company...	0:25:41	0:25:45
-..and settled in -Rocky Mountain House.	0:25:46	0:25:49
-But he was dismayed -by what he saw there.	0:25:49	0:25:52
-Personal belongings or material -wealth meant nothing to the Indians.	0:25:53	0:25:57
-But alcohol could be drunk -there and then...	0:25:57	0:26:01
-..and the traders could -put a premium on liquor.	0:26:01	0:26:05
-Drunkenness among the Indians -caused all kind of havoc.	0:26:05	0:26:09
-Some were killed in drunken brawls.	0:26:09	0:26:11
-One appalling story describes -a baby being torn in half...	0:26:11	0:26:15
-..as two drunken Indians -fought over it.	0:26:16	0:26:19
-"Whatever service -the Indians fulfil...	0:26:19	0:26:23
-"..they are rewarded with alcohol, -sometimes over several days.	0:26:23	0:26:27
-"The men and women are all drunk, -and are utterly disgraced."	0:26:27	0:26:31
-Thompson was also torn in two.	0:26:34	0:26:37
-His ambition was to become a partner -in the North West Company...	0:26:37	0:26:41
-..yet he yearned for -the world of Saukamapee.	0:26:42	0:26:45
-Perhaps he could resolve this -conflict in the Shining Mountains.	0:26:46	0:26:50
-Charlotte Small and David Thompson -returned to Saukamapee...	0:27:14	0:27:18
-..only to find the old man -had died the previous year.	0:27:19	0:27:22
-They established a new trading post -for the North West Company...	0:27:23	0:27:27
-..and at Rocky Mountain House -they settled into family life.	0:27:27	0:27:31
-Since a young man, -Thompson had dreamed...	0:27:36	0:27:40
-..of making a map of the unfamiliar -land he had now charted.	0:27:40	0:27:44
-That map would extend -all the way to the coast.	0:27:44	0:27:48
-Now, he set about the task -of realising his dream.	0:27:48	0:27:52
-Every night, he went out -to complete his picture...	0:27:54	0:27:57
-..of the shape and form -of this new continent.	0:27:58	0:28:01
-With clear nights, he would work -every night for months at a time...	0:28:02	0:28:06
-..until he lost the sight -in one eye.	0:28:07	0:28:10
-Thompson was sent by the -North West Company in Montreal...	0:28:12	0:28:15
-..to chart a course -through the mountains...	0:28:15	0:28:19
-..that would open a trade route -to the west.	0:28:19	0:28:22
-On May 10th, Thompson travelled -up the Saskatchewan...	0:28:23	0:28:26
-..which was at that time -being choked by the spring floods.	0:28:27	0:28:31
-"The greatest obstacle was our being -constantly soaked up to the waist...	0:28:32	0:28:36
-"..and having to travel unprotected -into the strong cold, biting winds.	0:28:37	0:28:42
-"We faced ice cold water that -came directly from the snowcaps...	0:28:43	0:28:47
-"..and our legs -became numb and useless."	0:28:47	0:28:51
-Thompson reached the plains...	0:28:55	0:28:57
-..that were once the sacred hunting -grounds of the first nations.	0:28:58	0:29:02
-Here, in a sheltered valley, -the last buffalo herds gathered...	0:29:02	0:29:06
-..and people who faced extinction -also gathered with them.	0:29:06	0:29:10
-Hunters had tracked their prey -through these mountains...	0:29:11	0:29:14
-..for ten thousand years.	0:29:15	0:29:17
-The Indians drew a map of these -ancient hunting paths for Thompson.	0:29:17	0:29:21
-Like travelling pilgrims...	0:29:39	0:29:41
-..they neared the place Saukamapee -called the backbone of the world.	0:29:41	0:29:46
-The source of the river - -the rubicon.	0:29:47	0:29:51
-"In this remarkable and forbidding -land, capped by perpetual snow...	0:29:59	0:30:05
-"..the prospect east from the -heights was vast and uninterrupted.	0:30:06	0:30:11
-"The naked eye could not discern -where the land ended.	0:30:12	0:30:16
-"To the west, I saw the swell -of hills and rocky outcrops.	0:30:17	0:30:22
-"Never did I see anything -that so resembled the rolling sea...	0:30:24	0:30:28
-"..in a fierce winter's gale."	0:30:28	0:30:31
-Throughout his life, Thompson -strove to understand new ideas.	0:30:36	0:30:40
-He was particularly -interested in geology...	0:30:40	0:30:44
-..as intellectuals began to question -a literal interpretation of Genesis.	0:30:44	0:30:48
-Evidence could prove the world was -far older than the creation myth.	0:30:49	0:30:54
-Thompson was attempting to write the -geological history of North America.	0:30:58	0:31:02
-This was before geology was -recognised among the sciences.	0:31:02	0:31:06
-The river that led to the rubicon -was the Howse...	0:31:07	0:31:11
-..one of the minor rivers -flowing from the Saskatchewan.	0:31:11	0:31:15
-Today, the river's source in the -mountains is known as Howse Pass.	0:31:15	0:31:19
-Thompson had reached the place -where two continents divided...	0:31:20	0:31:24
-..and where rivers sprang -to flow into three oceans.	0:31:24	0:31:28
-"We came across a spring that -flowed away from us to the west.	0:31:30	0:31:34
-"Its current must have joined up -with the Pacific Ocean.	0:31:35	0:31:39
-"May God in his wisdom show us -where its gushing water flows."	0:31:40	0:31:44
-This was rugged country, -a nightmare for a young family...	0:31:51	0:31:55
-..as though the valley had become -a seething mass of melted snow.	0:31:55	0:31:59
-"At three in the afternoon, -my small daughter went missing.	0:32:08	0:32:12
-"Failing to find her, -we concluded that she had drowned.	0:32:12	0:32:16
-"We searched for her in the river, -but to no avail.	0:32:17	0:32:22
-"After a short while, -Mr MacDonald found trace of her.	0:32:29	0:32:33
-"After our long search, at about -half past eight in the evening...	0:32:33	0:32:38
-"..we found her a mile away, -sheltering under a snow mound.	0:32:38	0:32:43
-"Thank the Lord."	0:32:45	0:32:47
-There was much to be thankful for, -having overcome deceptive gorges...	0:32:51	0:32:55
-..as a broad valley -opened up in front of them.	0:32:56	0:33:00
-Thompson recorded their position, -and concluded they had arrived...	0:33:02	0:33:06
-..at the confluence of -the Blaeberry and Columbia rivers.	0:33:06	0:33:10
-Never had the ground felt -so firm beneath his feet.	0:33:10	0:33:14
-From then on, every river and -every spot would be new to him.	0:33:14	0:33:18
-The next day, he travelled -up the Columbia river.	0:33:20	0:33:23
-Little did he know that he had -discovered the river's plateau.	0:33:24	0:33:28
-This was the river that Welshman -Merryweather Lewis had travelled...	0:33:28	0:33:32
-..as he sought to extend the -boundaries of the United States.	0:33:32	0:33:36
-On his arrival there, Thompson -established Kootanae House station.	0:33:36	0:33:40
-Thompson was unable -to find enough food.	0:33:43	0:33:46
-With fast approaching winter, -he feared famine ahead.	0:33:46	0:33:51
-It was essential that -they could catch fish...	0:33:53	0:33:56
-..but fish weren't always -in plentiful supply.	0:33:57	0:34:00
-Then, as if in reply to a prayer...	0:34:05	0:34:07
-..shoals of salmon -swam upstream from the sea.	0:34:07	0:34:11
-"The salmon tasted good, -but they had lost their fat.	0:34:19	0:34:23
-"The meat was firm and red.	0:34:24	0:34:26
-"The Indians heed well that which -they believe nourishes the salmon.	0:34:26	0:34:31
-"As with all other things, they -respect the Manitou for its gifts."	0:34:32	0:34:37
-Little wonder, in view of -his Welsh background...	0:34:43	0:34:46
-..that Thompson respected the -stories and beliefs of the Indians.	0:34:47	0:34:51
-It's pretty clear -that David Thompson...	0:34:54	0:34:58
-..felt an affinity with the Indians.	0:34:58	0:35:00
-They respected the earth -and its creatures.	0:35:00	0:35:03
-I like to think that he -looked upon the salmon...	0:35:04	0:35:08
-..as some kind of kindred spirit.	0:35:08	0:35:10
-The salmon, so to speak, -had the kind of energy...	0:35:11	0:35:14
-..that could overcome every obstacle -and traverse every boundary.	0:35:15	0:35:22
-Thompson would have also -learned something of that...	0:35:24	0:35:28
-..from the ancient Celtic tales.	0:35:28	0:35:30
-For example, we have the wonderful -story of 'Culhwch ac Olwen'.	0:35:30	0:35:34
-There, the Salmon of Llyn Llyw, -the oldest among all animals...	0:35:35	0:35:40
-..leads and carries two -Arthurian knights on his back.	0:35:41	0:35:47
-He carries them up the river -to Gloucester.	0:35:48	0:35:52
-Like the beaver in the tales -told by Saukamapee...	0:35:53	0:35:56
-..the Salmon of Llyn Llyw was strong -and wise, and far older than man.	0:35:57	0:36:01
-Thompson arrived at -another rubicon in his life.	0:36:17	0:36:21
-As a full partner in -the North West Company...	0:36:21	0:36:25
-..he opened up new territory -to trade...	0:36:25	0:36:28
-..and provide a new passage -to the Pacific.	0:36:28	0:36:31
-Yet, as a naturalist and a friend -to the natives of this land...	0:36:31	0:36:35
-..he was concerned for the future -of the rugged land he had made home.	0:36:36	0:36:40
-With the passing years, his ties -to the first nations were weakening.	0:36:42	0:36:46
-Every dance Thompson was witness to -was now a war dance.	0:36:48	0:36:51
-Now, in addition -to his writing pen...	0:36:58	0:37:01
-..Thompson carried a gun to -protect himself from the Indians.	0:37:02	0:37:05
-In 1808, he sent Charlotte -and their children back...	0:37:06	0:37:09
-..to the safety of the -Saskatchewan trading stations.	0:37:10	0:37:14
-As the fur trade -prospered and developed...	0:37:18	0:37:21
-..the lot of the native Indians -deteriorated.	0:37:21	0:37:24
-The two things went hand in hand.	0:37:25	0:37:26
-Commercial prosperity -and moral disintegration...	0:37:26	0:37:30
-..profit and drunkenness.	0:37:30	0:37:32
-Thompson believed alcohol and guns -were the root of the problem...	0:37:32	0:37:36
-..and he refused to use these -destructive tools for bargaining.	0:37:36	0:37:40
-But Thompson could not -stop the tide by himself.	0:37:43	0:37:47
-As guns and liquor -crossed the mountains...	0:37:47	0:37:51
-..traders were -increasingly being killed.	0:37:51	0:37:55
-Travel became dangerous.	0:37:56	0:37:58
-Thompson now had to cross -the frontier far to the north...	0:37:58	0:38:02
-..and there he discovered -the Athabasca passage.	0:38:02	0:38:06
-The competition for fur had now -become an international issue.	0:38:09	0:38:13
-The Americans sent men to -establish a trading station...	0:38:14	0:38:17
-..at the mouth of -the Columbia river.	0:38:18	0:38:21
-The North West Company -instructed Thompson...	0:38:21	0:38:25
-..to travel there ahead of them.	0:38:25	0:38:27
-He pointed his canoe south and -set off on the journey in summer...	0:38:27	0:38:31
-..to travel nearly a thousand miles -to the Pacific.	0:38:31	0:38:35
-On July 15th 1811, he reached -the estuary of the Columbia river.	0:38:40	0:38:44
-It was the furthest extreme -of the enormous map...	0:38:45	0:38:49
-..that Thompson always kept -in his mind.	0:38:49	0:38:52
-But the Americans, -with their barrels of rum...	0:38:54	0:38:58
-..had got there before him.	0:38:58	0:39:00
-888	0:39:09	0:39:09
-888 - -888	0:39:09	0:39:11
-To the Americans, the only -good Indian was a dead Indian.	0:39:20	0:39:24
-In the east, the white men quashed -any resistance from the Indians.	0:39:28	0:39:32
-With government blessing, -wars to dispossess the Indians...	0:39:32	0:39:36
-..spread across the Mississippi -and to the west.	0:39:37	0:39:41
-Through the century, -one tribe after another...	0:39:42	0:39:45
-..would be hounded -from their ancient lands.	0:39:46	0:39:49
-Thompson journeyed on to the north.	0:39:54	0:39:56
-He wanted no part of the -annihilation that was to come.	0:39:57	0:40:01
-Yet, as he journeyed -he was surveying.	0:40:01	0:40:05
-He claimed the territory -of Columbia...	0:40:05	0:40:08
-..most of Washington, -Idaho and modern-day Montana...	0:40:08	0:40:11
-..for the English Crown.	0:40:12	0:40:13
-He worried for Charlotte -and their children.	0:40:14	0:40:18
-People of mixed race were -once considered a success...	0:40:18	0:40:21
-..in combining the best -of the old world and the new.	0:40:22	0:40:25
-But now, people of -mixed race were outcast.	0:40:25	0:40:29
-"Civilised men, particularly -those in the United States...	0:40:37	0:40:41
-"..carried a moral hostility -towards the North American Indians.	0:40:42	0:40:46
-"It is confidently predicted that -the redskins will soon be extinct...	0:40:51	0:40:55
-"..as their lands are -occupied by white men.	0:40:56	0:41:00
-"This is true of lands formerly -in possession of the redskins.	0:41:00	0:41:04
-"White men have jumped -at the opportunity...	0:41:04	0:41:08
-"..to take them -either by deceit or violence.	0:41:08	0:41:12
-"What does it benefit man -to gain the whole world...	0:41:14	0:41:18
-"..if he loses his own soul?"	0:41:19	0:41:21
-Thompson knew the time had come -for him to leave the west.	0:41:25	0:41:29
-His mind turned to the long -journey with his family...	0:41:32	0:41:36
-..to the safety of Montreal.	0:41:36	0:41:38
-"At last, I have finished surveying -this part of North America...	0:41:46	0:41:50
-"..from ocean to ocean.	0:41:52	0:41:53
-"Measuring the heavens -has accurately mapped...	0:41:54	0:41:57
-"..the positions of -mountains, lakes and rivers...	0:41:58	0:42:01
-"..and other wondrous places -in the north of this continent."	0:42:01	0:42:05
-Thompson bade farewell to this place -after thirty-two years...	0:42:06	0:42:10
-..since he first arrived in -this vast and remote land as a boy.	0:42:11	0:42:15
-When war broke out between -Canada and America in 1812...	0:42:18	0:42:22
-..Thompson returned to work -on a map of the North West...	0:42:22	0:42:26
-..at the request of his partners.	0:42:26	0:42:28
-He mapped over -four million square miles...	0:42:28	0:42:31
-..of this wild and unfamiliar land.	0:42:32	0:42:34
-He kept notes during -all of his travels...	0:42:35	0:42:38
-..on locations, places, -words and figures...	0:42:39	0:42:42
-..that would recreate a picture -of the landscape in his mind.	0:42:42	0:42:46
-In 1814, he brought all his notes -and measurements together...	0:42:46	0:42:50
-..to create a remarkably -beautiful map.	0:42:51	0:42:54
-Thompson could now retire as a full -partner in the North West Company.	0:42:57	0:43:01
-He lived for a while -as a country squire.	0:43:02	0:43:06
-Fate or providence sustained him -through difficult years...	0:43:08	0:43:12
-..but was unkind towards him -during his final years.	0:43:12	0:43:16
-The British government handed back -territories in Columbia to America.	0:43:16	0:43:20
-Some of his children fell ill -with intestinal parasites...	0:43:31	0:43:35
-..and two of them died.	0:43:35	0:43:37
-The two sides of David Thompson -became apparent.	0:43:45	0:43:49
-While concerned for his wife...	0:43:49	0:43:51
-..he prepared a coffin -for one of his children.	0:43:51	0:43:55
-He accurately noted the length -of three feet and nine inches.	0:43:55	0:43:59
-The humane, compassionate side -and the meticulous, scientific side.	0:43:59	0:44:03
-Towards the end of his life, -Thompson went bankrupt.	0:44:09	0:44:13
-The North West Company was -taken over by his old foes...	0:44:14	0:44:17
-..the Hudson's Bay Company.	0:44:18	0:44:19
-Now, with failing eyesight, -he sought work with his old company.	0:44:20	0:44:24
-He was rejected, but accepted -some surveying duties...	0:44:24	0:44:27
-..by some of the company's employees -building houses in Montreal.	0:44:28	0:44:32
-But there was no welcome -for Charlotte, the half-caste...	0:44:32	0:44:36
-..in the homes of these people.	0:44:36	0:44:38
-During his life, Thompson overcame -many geographical obstacles...	0:44:38	0:44:42
-..but failed to overcome the social -obstacle at the end of his life.	0:44:42	0:44:46
-There are sad stories of Thompson -knocking on the affluent doors...	0:44:48	0:44:52
-..asking for loans, only to have -doors rudely slammed in his face.	0:44:53	0:44:58
-He had to pawn his winter coat, -and even his cartographic tools.	0:45:07	0:45:11
-He opened up a continent, -but every door was closed to him.	0:45:12	0:45:16
-At the end of his life, he decided -to write his autobiography.	0:45:21	0:45:25
-He had a great story to tell, -the heroic adventure...	0:45:26	0:45:29
-..of this Welsh naturalist, -the mapmaker's epic.	0:45:30	0:45:33
-He titled his autobiography -'The Travels'.	0:45:35	0:45:39
-It started with his arrival -on the shore of Hudson Bay...	0:45:39	0:45:43
-..a boy fresh from Grey Court School -seventy years previously.	0:45:44	0:45:47
-He tried to sell his maps -and his autobiography...	0:45:48	0:45:51
-..but nobody was interested.	0:45:51	0:45:53
-Thompson died on February 10th 1857.	0:45:55	0:45:58
-Like the ancient salmon, -and the Salmon of Llyn Llyw...	0:46:01	0:46:05
-..he returned to -the source of the river.	0:46:06	0:46:10
-Three months later, -Charlotte followed her husband.	0:46:11	0:46:15
-They were both buried -by their children...	0:46:16	0:46:20
-..in Mount Royal cemetery, Montreal.	0:46:20	0:46:22
-In many ways, -Thompson was the first Canadian.	0:46:24	0:46:28
-He loved the land and its people...	0:46:28	0:46:31
-..and carried a great vision -for the future of Canada.	0:46:31	0:46:35
-For some years, -all mention of Thompson ceased.	0:46:37	0:46:41
-He disappeared completely, -until another pioneer, J B Tyrell...	0:46:41	0:46:47
-..discovered the maps and notebooks.	0:46:47	0:46:50
-Tyrell concluded that Thompson -was the greatest geographer ever...	0:46:51	0:46:55
-..in the history of the world.	0:46:56	0:46:58
-"The man who gazes at the stars."	0:47:00	0:47:04
-The Celtic Isle of Avalon, and the -Shining Mountains of the Indians...	0:47:18	0:47:22
-..are actually the same place.	0:47:22	0:47:25
-Neither one nor the other -can be found on any map.	0:47:26	0:47:30
-S4C subtitles MMIII	0:48:54	0:48:57
	0:48:57	0:48:59

David Thompson: Dilynwr y Ser

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