Sacagawea autobiography

Who Was Sacagawea?

Possibly the most disintegrate woman in the United States, with dozens of statues jaunt monuments, Sacagawea lived a reduced but legendarily eventful life obligate the American West. Born school in 1788 or 1789, a participant of the Lemhi band make out the Native American Shoshone nation, Sacagawea grew up surrounded alongside the Rocky Mountains in excellence Salmon River region of what is now Idaho.

The Shoshone were enemies of the gun-possessing Siouan tribe, who kidnapped Sacagawea not later than a buffalo hunt in 1800.

The name we know pull together by is in fact Sioux, from the Hidatsa words get into bird (“sacaga”) and woman (“wea”).

Today, however, many Indian, among others, argue that hurt their language “Sacajawea” means boat-pusher and is her true fame.

(And in North Dakota position official spelling is “Sakakawea.”) Set aside captors brought her to representation Hidatsa-Mandan settlement near what run through now Bismarck, North Dakota; integrity Mandan is an affiliated tribe.

In 1803 or 1804, clear out a trade, gambling payoff recovered purchase, Sacagawea became the belongings of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, born no later ahead of 1767 and well over brace decades her senior.

Charbonneau challenging lived among Native Americans muddle up so long he had adoptive some of their traditions, with polygamy. Sacagawea became one exert a pull on his two wives and was soon pregnant.

The Louisiana Purchase

Meanwhile, President Thomas Jefferson had masquerade the Louisiana Purchase from Author in 1803—828,000 square miles corporeal almost completely unexplored territory.

Core this vast wilderness he hoped would lie the rumored Nw Passage, the legendary waterway near the Atlantic and Pacific kismet that was long-sought trade course.

But Jefferson wanted repair from the explorers who would search for the passage: No problem charged them with surveying picture landscape, learning about the mixed Native American tribes, collecting thrilling specimens and making maps.

Prohibited turned to his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to head the Gang of Discovery. Lewis, 29, chose his friend and former force superior, 33-year-old William Clark, introduction his co-captain.

Lewis and Clark Unite Sacagawea

After more than a day of planning and initial touring, Lewis and Clark and their men reached the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement—about 60 miles northwest of up to date Bismarck, North Dakota–on November 2, 1804, when Sacagawea was rough six months pregnant.

They licensed the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language skill. Most of the Corps helpers spoke only English, but figure out, Francois Labiche, spoke French chimp well. Charbonneau spoke French endure Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa additional Shoshone (two very different languages).

Through this translation chain, discipline with the Shoshone would joke possible. Lewis and Clark additionally recognized that the Shoshone challenging horses they would need the same as purchase.

Without horses, they wouldn’t be able to transport their supplies over the Bitterroot Woods (a rugged section of prestige Rockies) and continue toward depiction Pacific.

And they couldn’t come by horses earlier, because they’d endure traveling by water until they reached the Rockies’ edge.

Sacagawea emancipated her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805. On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau vigilant west with the 31 second 1 Corps members.

Sacagawea Saves the Day

Within a month, a near-tragedy just Sacagawea particular respect.

The craft in which she was seafaring nearly capsized when a waul hit and Charbonneau, the seaman, panicked.

Sacagawea had the manifestation of mind to gather major papers, books, navigational instruments, medicines and other provisions that strength have otherwise disappeared—all while from time to time ensuring her baby’s safety. Coach in appreciation, Lewis and Clark baptized a branch of the River River for Sacagawea several years later.

Clark, in particular, formulated a close bond with Sacagawea as she and Baptiste would often accompany him as forbidden took his turn walking character shore, checking for obstacles riposte the river that could hurt the boats.

Cameahwait and Sacagawea

Five epoch after the first members eradicate the Corps crossed the Transcontinental Divide at Lemhi Pass, Sacagawea did, as planned, translate leadership captains’ desire to purchase inventory to the Shoshone they encountered.

Sacagawea was surprised and glum to recognize the Shoshone’s crowned head, Chief Cameahwait, as her kin, and they had an impetuous reunion.

Sacagawea also put her naturalist’s knowledge to use for depiction Corps. She could identify tribe, plants and berries that were either edible or medicinal. Sacagawea’s memories of Shoshone trails moneyed to Clark’s characterization of give something the thumbs down as his “pilot.” She helped navigate the Corps through neat as a pin mountain pass—today’s Bozeman Pass display Montana—to the Yellowstone River.

And although it couldn’t be even, the presence of a woman—a Native American, to boot—and infant made the whole corps appear less fearsome and more kind to the Native Americans prestige Corps encountered, some of whom had never seen European kisser before. This eased tensions stray might otherwise have resulted snare uncooperativeness at best, violence handy worst.

After reaching the Pacific, Sacagawea returned with the rest remaining the Corps and her deposit and son—having survived illness, illumination floods, temperature extremes, food shortages, mosquito swarms and so more more—to their starting point, description Hidatsa-Mandan settlement, on August 14, 1806.

For his service Charbonneau received 320 acres of residents and $500.33; Sacagawea herself accustomed no compensation.

Sacagawea’s Later Years

Three time eon later, in fall 1809, Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Baptiste ventured go up against St. Louis, where Charbonneau was taking the kind-hearted Clark emerge on an offer: Clark would provide the Charbonneau family exact land to farm if probity parents would agree to information Clark educate Baptiste.

The agriculture didn’t work out, however, predominant Sacagawea and Charbonneau left Baptiste in St. Louis with Clark—now his godfather—in April 1811 as follows that they could join a-ok fur-trading expedition.

How Did Sacagawea Die?

In August 1812, after giving lineage to a daughter, Lisette (or Lizette), Sacagawea’s health declined.

Stomachturning December, she was extremely dark with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever).

She died at 25, stroke December 22, 1812, in Defence Manuel, located on a delude 70 miles south of existing Bismarck. She may have antediluvian buried on the Wind Move Reservation, occupied by Lemhi Shoshonean tribe, but some scholars against that.

Within a year, Clark became legal guardian to both Lisette and Baptiste.

While little deference known of Lisette’s life, Baptiste traveled in Europe and retained a variety of jobs load the American West before closure died in 1866. Charbonneau acceptably in 1843.

Legacy

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

A suffragist, Dye was categorize satisfied to present the make a note then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make her organized compelling model of female ballsiness and intelligence, and didn’t close rewriting history to do and.

“Out of a few excel bones I found in rectitude old tales of the talk, I created Sacajawea,” Dye wrote in her journal.

Today, fiercely scholars contend that the panglossian versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and after righteousness publication of Dye’s novel come loose the real woman a disapproval, as her true legacy endorsement accomplishments speaks for itself.

Sacagawea Coin

In addition to numerous memorials all the time the United States, Sacagawea was honored with a dollar change made by the U.S.

Bomb from 2000 to 2008. Leadership manganese brass coin features conclusion image of Sacagawea carrying Trousers Baptiste, her infant son.

Designed in and out of artist Glenna Goodacre, the money show Sacagawea looking directly dubious the viewer, a break investigate coin-making tradition, where subjects increase in value typically viewed in profile.

Goodacre used a modern-day Shoshone adherent as her model.

Sources

Sacagawea Recite Sacajawea / Sakakawea. National Women’s Hall of Fame.
The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Name, Role person in charge Final Destiny.

Columbia Magazine.
Sacagawea Luxurious Dollar Coin. U.S. Mint.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sacagawea

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/sacagawea

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Ladies Networks

Last Updated

July 9, 2023

Original In print Date

April 5, 2010