SACAGAWEA BIOGRAPHY

Whowas Sacagawea?

Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter best known for being the only woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition (Corps of Discovery) into the American West (1804 1806) when she was either 16 or 17 years old. The expedition traveled from the northern plains through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean and back Her skills as a translator were invaluable, as was her intimate knowledge of some difficult terrain. Perhaps most significant was her calming presence on both the expedition team and the Native Americans they encountered, who might have otherwise been hostile to the strangers Remarkably, Sacagawea did it all while caring for the son she bore just twomonthsbeforedeparting.

PossiblythemostmemorializedwomanintheUnitedStates, withdozensofstatuesandmonuments,Sacagawealiveda shortbutlegendarilyeventfullifeintheAmericanWest

EarlyLife

Born in 1788 or 1789, daughter of a Shoshone chief, grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the Salmon River region of what is now Idaho.

ptured by an enemy tribe and a French Canadian trapper who er his wife around age 12.

In 1803 or 1804, through a trade, Sacagawea became the property of French Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, Charbonneau had lived among Native Americans for so long he had adopted some of their traditions, including polygamy Sacagawea became one of his two wives and was soon pregnant.

Was invited to join the Lewis and Clark expedition as a Shoshone interpreter in November 1804.

After leaving the expedition, she died at Fort Manuel in what is now Kenel, South Dakota.

LewisandClark

ThomasJeffersonpurchasedLouisianawhichdoubledthesize of it in order to find the Northwest Passage, the legendary waterwayconnectingtheAtlanticandPacificoceansthatwas longsought trade route He turned to his secretary, MeriwetherLewis,toheadtheCorpsofDiscovery Lewis,29, chose his friend and former military superior, 33yearold WilliamClark,ashiscocaptain

After more than a year of planning and initial travel, Lewis and Clark and their men reached the Hidatsa Mandan settlement about 60 miles northwest of present day Bismarck, North Dakota on November 2, 1804, when Sacagawea was about six months pregnant They recognized the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language skills Charbonneau spoke French and Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa and Shoshone (two very different languages)

Through this translation chain, communications with the Shoshone would be possible Lewis and Clark also recognized that the Shoshone had horses they would need to purchase Without horses, they wouldn’t be able to transport their

supplies over the Bitterroot Mountains (a rugged section of the Rockies) and continue toward the Pacific And they couldn’t procure horses earlier, because they’d be traveling by water until they reached the Rockies’ edge

Sacagawea delivered her son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805 On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau headed west with the 31 other Corps members

Despite traveling with a newborn child during the trek, Sacagawea proved to be helpful in many ways She was skilled at finding edible plants She also served as a symbol of peace of peace a group traveling with a woman and a child were

treated with less suspicion than a group of men alone Sacagawea also made a miraculous discovery of her own during the trip west When the corps encountered a group of Shoshone Indians, she soon realized that its leader was actually her brother Cameahwait Despite this joyous family reunion, Sacagawea remained with the explorers for the trip west

Sacagawea Saves the Day!

Within a month, a neartragedy earned Sacagawea particularrespect.Theboatin which she was sailing nearly capsizedwhenasquallhitand Charbonneau, the navigator, panicked.

Sacagawea had the presence of mind to gather crucial papers, books, navigational instruments, medicines and other provisions that might have otherwise disappeared— all while simultaneously ensuring her baby’s safety. In appreciation, Lewis and Clark namedabranchoftheMissouri River for Sacagawea several days later.

FortClatsop

After reaching the Pacific coast in November 1805, Sacagawea was allowed to cast her vote along with the other members of the expedition for where they would build a fort to stay for the winter They built Fort Clatsop near present day Astoria, Oregon, and they remained there until March of the following year. Sacagawea, her husband,

and her son remained with the expedition on the return trip east until they reached the Mandan villages

LaterYears &Death

Once Sacagawea left the expedition, the details of her life become more elusive In 1809, it is believed that she and her husband or just her husband, according to some accounts traveled with their son to St. Louis to see Clark. Pomp was left in Clark's care. Three years later, in August 1812, after giving birth to a daughter, Lisette (or Lizette), Sacagawea’s health declined By December, she was extremely ill with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever)

Legacy

Sacagawea’s fictionalized image as a “genuine Indian princess” was promulgated most widely in the early 20th century by a popular 1902 novel by Eva Emery Dye that took liberties in recounting the travails of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

A suffragist, Dye was not satisfied to present the facts then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make her a compelling model of female bravery and intelligence, and didn’t mind rewriting history to do so.

“Out of a few dry bones I found in the old tales of the trip, I created Sacajawea,” Dye wrote in her journal Today, some scholars contend that the romanticized versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and after the publication of Dye’s novel do the real woman a disservice, as her true legacy of accomplishments speaks for itself

Sacagawea Coin

In addition to numerous memorials throughout the United States, Sacagawea was honored with a dollar coin made by the U.S. Mint from 2000 to 2008. The manganese brass coin features an image of Sacagawea carrying Jean Baptiste, her infant son

Designed by artist Glenna Goodacre, the coins show Sacagawea looking directly at the viewer, a break with coin making tradition, where subjects are typically viewed in profile Goodacre used a modern day Shoshone student as her model The Sacagawea coin (aka the "golden dollar") was made to replace the Susan B Anthony dollar

Other facts

Sacagawea was a highly skilled food gatherer. She used sharp sticks to dig up wild licorice, prairie turnips (tubers the explorers called “white apples”) and wild artichokes that mice had buried for the winter.

The expedition had a difficult time traveling over the Rocky Mountains, so bad that they might have had to survive by eating beef fat tallow candles. Sacagawea helped the group regain strength when they got to the other side of the mountains by cooking camas roots. camas roots

Sacagawea's blue beaded belt was used to barter for a beautiful fur robe made of sea otter skins that Lewis and Clark wanted for a gift for then president Thomas Jefferson

wild licorice

prairie turnips

According to William Clark’s journal that was later retrieved, we know that Sacagawea was nicknamed Janey by the Captain. He was also become fond of her son Jean Baptiste, nicknaming him "Pomp" or "Pompey" and even offered to help him get an education

The picture on the year 2000 dollar coin was not actually Sacagawea because no one knows what she looked like, and no picture exists. The face on the coin was that of a modern Shoshone Bannock woman called Randy'L He dow Teton.

Sacagawea was never actually paid for her part in the expedition. Because she was a woman, it was her husband who was paid with money and land for his and his wife's help and assistance on the trip.