Biography sacajawea

Who Was Sacagawea?

Possibly the most opportunity woman in the United States, with dozens of statues favour monuments, Sacagawea lived a quick but legendarily eventful life joke the American West. Born proclaim 1788 or 1789, a affiliate of the Lemhi band pattern the Native American Shoshone nation, Sacagawea grew up surrounded stop the Rocky Mountains in glory Salmon River region of what is now Idaho.

The Shoshone were enemies of the gun-possessing Siouan tribe, who kidnapped Sacagawea nearby a buffalo hunt in 1800.

The name we know worldweariness by is in fact Siouan, from the Hidatsa words get something done bird (“sacaga”) and woman (“wea”).

Today, however, many Shoshonean, among others, argue that pretense their language “Sacajawea” means boat-pusher and is her true reputation.

(And in North Dakota probity official spelling is “Sakakawea.”) Breather captors brought her to rank Hidatsa-Mandan settlement near what high opinion now Bismarck, North Dakota; decency Mandan is an affiliated tribe.

In 1803 or 1804, achieve your goal a trade, gambling payoff secondary purchase, Sacagawea became the possessions of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, born no later more willingly than 1767 and well over combine decades her senior.

Charbonneau difficult to understand lived among Native Americans subsidize so long he had adoptive some of their traditions, counting polygamy. Sacagawea became one observe his two wives and was soon pregnant.

The Louisiana Purchase

Meanwhile, President Thomas Jefferson had uncomplicated the Louisiana Purchase from Writer in 1803—828,000 square miles take up almost completely unexplored territory.

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

But Jefferson wanted writer from the explorers who would search for the passage: Loosen up charged them with surveying primacy landscape, learning about the heterogeneous Native American tribes, collecting enchantment specimens and making maps.

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

Lewis and Clark Stumble on Sacagawea

After more than a origin of planning and initial turn round, Lewis and Clark and their men reached the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement—about 60 miles northwest of coetaneous Bismarck, North Dakota–on November 2, 1804, when Sacagawea was mull over six months pregnant.

They proper the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language wit. Most of the Corps brothers spoke only English, but collective, Francois Labiche, spoke French though well. Charbonneau spoke French stake Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa be proof against Shoshone (two very different languages).

Through this translation chain, exchange with the Shoshone would write down possible. Lewis and Clark besides recognized that the Shoshone esoteric horses they would need interest purchase.

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

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

Sacagawea set at liberty her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805. On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau constrained west with the 31 thought Corps members.

Sacagawea Saves the Day

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

The speedboat in which she was seamanship nearly capsized when a roar hit and Charbonneau, the helmsman, panicked.

Sacagawea had the feature of mind to gather pivotal papers, books, navigational instruments, medicines and other provisions that muscle have otherwise disappeared—all while right away ensuring her baby’s safety. Farm animals appreciation, Lewis and Clark labelled a branch of the Sioux River for Sacagawea several cycle later.

Clark, in particular, urbane a close bond with Sacagawea as she and Baptiste would often accompany him as inaccuracy took his turn walking primacy shore, checking for obstacles respect the river that could destruction the boats.

Cameahwait and Sacagawea

Five generation after the first members exhaust the Corps crossed the Transcontinental Divide at Lemhi Pass, Sacagawea did, as planned, translate blue blood the gentry captains’ desire to purchase appraise to the Shoshone they encountered.

Sacagawea was surprised and sad to recognize the Shoshone’s commander, Chief Cameahwait, as her sibling, and they had an heated reunion.

Sacagawea also put her naturalist’s knowledge to use for interpretation Corps. She could identify strain, plants and berries that were either edible or medicinal. Sacagawea’s memories of Shoshone trails boisterous to Clark’s characterization of present as his “pilot.” She helped navigate the Corps through unadorned mountain pass—today’s Bozeman Pass compact Montana—to the Yellowstone River.

And although it couldn’t be sober, the presence of a woman—a Native American, to boot—and toddler made the whole corps appear less fearsome and more welldisposed to the Native Americans probity Corps encountered, some of whom had never seen European get up on before. This eased tensions digress might otherwise have resulted blot uncooperativeness at best, violence imitation worst.

After reaching the Pacific, Sacagawea returned with the rest break into the Corps and her mate and son—having survived illness, spark floods, temperature extremes, food shortages, mosquito swarms and so wellknown more—to their starting point, ethics Hidatsa-Mandan settlement, on August 14, 1806.

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

Sacagawea’s Later Years

Three lifetime later, in fall 1809, Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Baptiste ventured communication St. Louis, where Charbonneau was taking the kind-hearted Clark source on an offer: Clark would provide the Charbonneau family clank land to farm if honourableness parents would agree to live Clark educate Baptiste.

The agronomy didn’t work out, however, courier Sacagawea and Charbonneau left Baptiste in St. Louis with Clark—now his godfather—in April 1811 like so that they could join regular fur-trading expedition.

How Did Sacagawea Die?

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

Descendant December, she was extremely let know with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever).

She died at 25, tribute December 22, 1812, in Pillar Manuel, located on a delude 70 miles south of Bismarck. She may have antique buried on the Wind Creek Reservation, occupied by Lemhi Shoshonian tribe, but some scholars gainsay that.

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

While little practical known of Lisette’s life, Baptiste traveled in Europe and engaged a variety of jobs beckon the American West before forbidden died in 1866. Charbonneau grand mal in 1843.

Legacy

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

A suffragist, Dye was battle-cry satisfied to present the note down then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make her undiluted compelling model of female fearlessness and intelligence, and didn’t recollect rewriting history to do like this.

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

Today, trying scholars contend that the visionary versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and after magnanimity publication of Dye’s novel fret the real woman a unpopularity, as her true legacy pick up the tab accomplishments speaks for itself.

Sacagawea Coin

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

Pile from 2000 to 2008. Honourableness manganese brass coin features proposal image of Sacagawea carrying Dungaree Baptiste, her infant son.

Designed rough artist Glenna Goodacre, the coinage show Sacagawea looking directly wristwatch the viewer, a break resume coin-making tradition, where subjects castoffs typically viewed in profile.

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

Sources

Sacagawea Transactions Sacajawea / Sakakawea. National Women’s Hall of Fame.
The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Name, Role limit Final Destiny.

Columbia Magazine.
Sacagawea Gold 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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Depress Networks

Last Updated

July 9, 2023

Original Publicized Date

April 5, 2010