Native American Women Explorers – Sacagawea (Shoshone – c. 1788-1812)
Sacagawea helped to ensure the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Pacific Coast in 1805 while a teenage mother. Her courage and gentle disposition were noted by both Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. She is honored today by millions as an example of a woman with fortitude and resolution.
There are many legends surrounding Sacagawea. The fact is that she left us nothing in writing and though Lewis and Clark and other expedition members give accounts of some of the episodes on the journey, there is not enough to put together a complete picture of her life. Dozens of authors have told her story with their own imaginative interpretations. Even her name has been spelled different ways – Sacagawea (From the Hidatsa – meaning “bird woman”) Sacajawea (Shoshone for “she who carries a burden”) and Sakakawea (Arikara). Lewis and Clark spelled her name fifteen different ways in their journals.
Sacajawea was born around 1788 in Lemhi County near present-day Salmon, Idaho. She was the daughter of a Shoshone chief. When she was around thirteen, enemies of the Shoshone, the Hidatsa made war on them. The Hidatsa captured several women including Sacajawea. They sold her to a French-Canadian trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau who made her one of his wives. Charbonneau and Sacagawea lived among the Hidatsa in Mandan (near present-day Washburn, North Dakota).
When she was around 16 or 17 she met Lewis and Clark who came to North Dakota after President Thomas Jefferson had formed the Corps of Discovery. President Jefferson sent the men on a mission to explore the land west of the Mississippi purchased from the French and to make a trail to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis and Clark hired Charbonneau as an interpreter of the Gros Ventre language. They realized that Sacagawea would be valuable as an interpreter and so they hired her too. She had given birth to Jean Baptiste on February 11, 1805. When they started the expedition little baby Jean was only two months old. Sacagawea carried him with her on a cradleboard.
While it would be going too far to say the mission would have completely failed without her, certainly it can be said that Sacagawea made valuable contributions to its success. Without her help the men who had become sick from lack of essential minerals in their diets would have contracted disease. She dug roots and foraged for berries that contained vitamins which helped to prevent scurvy and perhaps even starvation. Sacagawea also taught them how to tan hides and make leather clothes and moccasins.
One time a boat capsized while they were in the Missouri River and Lewis and Clark’s valuable papers went overboard. Though the water was cold, Sacagawea dove in and rescued documents, medicine and other merchandise. One week later they discovered a beautiful river that Lewis and Clark named Sacagawea River in her honor. The men showed their respect and care for Sacagawea in other ways. Once, Charbonneau struck her and was reprimanded by Clark. William Clark had become so fond of baby Jean, nicknamed “Pomp”, that he later offered to finance his education.
Traveling with a woman who had a baby, Lewis and Clark avoided many possible dangerous encounters from suspicious tribes. Sacagawea represented peace to them. Later when they encountered a group of Shoshone, Sacagawea was surprised and happy to see that they were led by her brother, Cameahwait. He was the leader of the tribe. The Corps was able to purchase horses and supplies and to hire more guides to lead them. They reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805.
At some point along the way, Sacagawea gave birth to a daughter, Lizette.
After the mission, Sacagawea headed back to the Mandan village with Charbonneau in 1806. Details of her later life are unclear. It is said by some that Clark invited her to live in St. Louis where he could care for her and Jean. Lizette may have died at an early age, because Clark ceases to mention her in his journal. We do know that Sacagawea contracted a bad fever a few years later and died in the winter of 1812.
I found a great video on YouTube,” The Untold Story of Sacagawea”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq-vg_WwO5Y
It has a few ads, but I think you will enjoy it. I think that it gives a true representation of Sacagawea’s life. The illustrations and the extra details are moving and inspiring.
Sacagawea became a symbol for western women in their struggle for suffrage. She has been honored in many ways:
- Things named for her: Sacagawea River, Lake Sakakawea, the USS Sacagawea, Mount Sacagawea and Sacajawea Peak. A huge caldera on the planet Venus has also been given her name – Sacajawea Patera.
- Other honors include the US Mint golden one-dollar coin (2000) and Induction into the Regular Army as an Honorary Sergeant by President Bill Clinton.
On August 20, 1806, William Clark wrote to her Charbonneau that “your woman who accompanied you that long, dangerous and fatiguing rout [sic] deserved a greater reward.”
For her service on the expedition, Sacagawea received no pay. Sacagawea is an inspiration to women of all cultures.
