Her presence was regarded as a peace offering and her greatest contribution. Sacagawea had given birth to a son that winter named Jean Baptiste. Clark even offered to help him get an education. Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter best known for being the only woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition into the American West. Even though her name is spelled with a hard g most people call her Sacajawea with a j. Charbonneau knew Hidatsa and the sign languages common among the river tribes. Sacagaweas life will be celebrated over the course of three years as part of a national event. She was also referred to as squaw, a term that was not derogatory at the time and that meant Native American woman. Sacagawea lived among the Hidatsa tribe until 1803 or 1804, when she and another Shoshone woman were either sold or gambled away to a French-Canadian fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau, who lived among the tribe. 2000; AccessedJanuary7,2021. https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-2000891. MLA Potter, Teresa, and Mariana Brandman. Accessed January 7, 2021.https://www.nps.gov/lecl/learn/historyculture/sacagawea.htm, Sacagawea. PBS. Reliable historical information about Sacagawea is very limited. McBeth, Sally. Four years later, Sacagawea had a chance to make history. There is some ambiguity aroundSacagaweasdeath. has been of great service to me as a pilot through this country.. Sacagawea spent the next year with the Lewis and Clark expedition, before returning to her homeland in present-day Montana. Sacagawea was taken as a slave to the Hidatsa's village near present-day Washburn, North Dakota. Her naturalists knowledge of the Shoshone trails made her appear to be his pilot, and she may have also helped to explain why Clark claimed her to be his sidekick. Lewis and Clark arranged for a meeting with the chief, Cameahwait, and Sacagawea served asthetranslator. She communicated with other tribes andinterpretedfor Lewis and Clark. Most of the times the Shoshones were defeated, had their possessions raided or destroyed and their members killed or kidnapped. Sacagawea gave birth on Monday, February 11, 1805 to a healthy baby boy named Jean Babtiste Charbonneau, nicknamed Pompy. She also helped the expedition to establish friendly relations with the Native American tribes they encountered. Her two children were adopted by Lewis in 1813. Sacagawea has also been memorialized in the names of parks, schools, playgrounds, and cultural and interpretive centers all over the country. That is unless youre talking to a historian from North Dakota, where official state policy dictates her name be spelled Sakakawea., Additional Source: Lewis and Clark: An Illustrated History by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns, 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. She had traveled a long way with us to see the great waters, and that now that monstrous fish was also to be seen, she thought it very hard she could not be permitted to see either (she had never yet been to the ocean). Since it was technically Charbonneau who had been hired by the Corps, it was he who received payment for the work: 320 acres of land and about $500. They built Fort Clatsop near the Columbia River and stayedthereuntil March 23,1806. Others believe that she re-joined the shoshone after the expedition, and died in 1884. Copy. She was alsoskilledat finding edible plants, which proved to be crucial to supplementing their rationsalong the journey. When the expedition ended, Sacagawea and Toussaint returned to their Hidatsa village. Sacagawea was born sometime around 1790. According to his service, Charbonneau received 320 acres of land valued at $500.33, while Sacagwea received no compensation. All Rights Reserved. [Sacagawea] was one of the female prisoners taken at that time; tho' I cannot discover that she shows any emotion of sorrow in recollecting this events, or of joy in being again restored to her native country; if she has enough to eat and a few trinkets to wear I believe she would be perfectly content anywhere. [Sacagawea], we find, reconciles all the Indians, as to our friendly intentionsa woman with a party of men is a token of peace. Sacajawea was 14 when she was kiddnapped. Theyarrived atthe Hidatsa villages two days later, where Sacagawea and her family departed the expedition. Kastor and many historians agree that Sacagawea, with a hard g, is probably more historically correct. She later married a man named Cameahwait, with whom she had several children. L, is and Clark prepared for their journey back to St. Louis, but before they left, Pomp back to St. Louis with him. Who Was Sacagawea? Sacagawea was only 16 or 17 years old when she joined Lewis and Clark's grueling expedition. It was through her that the expedition was able to buy horses from the Shoshone to cross the Rocky Mountains. Despite the fact that we only have a year and a half of her life documented, and because there is so little written or known about American Indian women of her day, she has become a symbol to many Americans. The infant was just four months old when Charbonneau, Sacagawea and little Jean Baptiste joined expedition. The newborn was strapped to Sacagawea's back on a cradleboard. Please be respectful of copyright. View Lab Report - Sacagawea from HIST HIST 223 at American Public University. Though it was her husband who was formally employed by the Corps of Discovery in November 1804, Sacagawea was a big part of Toussaint Charbonneaus pitch to the explorers. On February 11,1805, Sacagaweagavebirth to ason, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, whom Clark later nicknamed "Pomp," meaning "first born" in Shoshone. According to the tourism official, Lady Bird Johnson was the most celebrated woman in American history. [Note: All journal entries are presented sic throughout.]. The U.S. Navy has named three ships after her over the years; the U.S. She received no pay for her services and died on December 20, 1812. The territory is now known as Idaho but boasted a peaceful backdrop for her upbringing. Sacagawea delivered her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on February 11, 1805. In April of 1805 the expedition headed out. The Agaideka (Lemhi) Shoshone lived in the upper Salmon River Basin of Idaho, where Agnes Sakakawea was born. Cameahwait was the leader of a group of Shoshone Indians, according to Sacagawea. Eachmember of the Corps of Discovery was hired for a special skill such as hunting, woodworking, blacksmithing, and sailing. During the winter months,Lewis and Clark made the decision tobuild their encampment, Fort Mandan,near the Hidatsa-Mandan villages where Charbonneau and Sacagawea were living. About this time, or shortly thereafter, Sacagawea delivered a daughter, Lisette. She was kidnapped in 1800 by the Hidatsa tribe, enemies of the Shoshone Indians, during a buffalo hunt. Jefferson hired Virginias Meriwether Lewis to explore th, Lewis sought out frontiersman William Clark. They built Fort Clatsop near present-day Astoria, Oregon, and they remained there until March of the following year. Ben Vaughn grew up in the Philadelphia area on the New Jersey side of the river. Tuscaloosa, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 1996. Still, you can't tell the story of the United States without talking about Sacagawea's contributions to it, and there is plenty that we do know about her life that's just as impressive as the mythology. Lewis and Clark resorted to Private Francois Labiche, who spoke French and English. Charbonneau knew Hidatsa and the sign languages common among the river tribes, , where they would likely encounter and need to trade with the Shoshone, is and Clark hired Charbonneau as a member of, The Americans stayed in their relatively safe and warm camp through the winter of 1804-05 and waited. In 1800, when she was about 12 years old, Sacagawea was kidnapped by a war party of Hidatsa Indians -- enemies of her people, the Shoshones. [Sacagawea] recognizes the country and assures us that the three forks are at no great distance. Following hercapture, French-Canadian traderToussaint Charbonneau,who was living among the Hidatsa, claimed Sacagawea as one of his wives. Sacagawea was kidnapped from her Shoshone village by Hidatsa Indians when she was twelve years old. The Lewis and Clark expedition traveled 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) in 16 months during this period. The Sacagawea River is a 30-mile waterway in what is now north-central Montana. Sacagawea was kidnapped in 1800, which would have made her about 13 years old, by the Hidatsa tribe, and some sourses believe, was kept as a slave. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, with his wife, Marie Dorion, founded Fort Laramie in Wyoming in 1805. Pompy was about 18 months old at the time. Here is where they met Toussaint Charbonneau,who lived among the Mandans. In his journal Clark once referred to her as Janey. Sacagawea was eager to be brought with the Lewis and Clark Expedition because she had long been at odds with the Lemhi Indians, who had long been at odds with the Hidatsa. In 2000, the U.S. Mint commemorated her by issuing a Commemorative Dollar coin. Sacagaweas place and date of death are as contentious as the spelling of her name. Sacagawea was the only woman in the expedition made up of 32 male members. When Sacagawea joined the expedition, she was only about 16 years old and had a 2-month-old son. Sacagawea was born in either 1788 or 1789. Sacagawea was regarded as a valuable addition to Lewis and Clarks language skills. Wiki User. She was skilled at finding plants for food and medicine to help keep the explorers alive. Date accessed. There is no doubt in her mind that she is a skilled and determined fighter. Sacagawea died in 1812, at the age of 24. She demonstrated to the Native tribes that their mission was peaceful, dispelling the notion that they were about to conquer. Born to a Shoshone chief around 1788, Sacagawea had been kidnapped by an enemy tribe when she was about 12, then sold to a French-Canadian trapper. On May 14, Charbonneau nearly capsized the white pirogue (boat) in which Sacagawea was riding. Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979. ", According to Washington University history professor Peter Kastor, the spelling Sacajawea, with the accompanying soft g sound on the j, became the prominent one simply because that's the one the Philadelphia-based editor picked when Lewis and Clarks journals were published. She proved to be an invaluable asset to the expedition, acting as a translator and a guide. The Hidatsa tribe kidnapped her in 1800 when she was about 18 years old, and she was taken to their homeland in the Knife River Valley near Stanton, North Dakota, where she is still known today. She also served as a symbol of peace a group traveling with a woman and a child were treated with less suspicion than a group of men alone. She was born a member of the Lemhi Shoshone tribe. She was born into the Lemhi Shoshone tribe in what is now Idaho, near the present-day town of Salmon. Sacagawea said she would . [Sacagawea], who has been of great service to me as a pilot through this country, recommends a gap in the mountain more south, which I shall cross. There is some ambiguity around, . In 1800, the twelve year old Sacagawea was kidnapped from her Shoshone Tribe in the Rocky Mountains by the Hidata Indians. Her story was later written down by her granddaughter, Lucy McKissick, and preserved through oral traditions after Sakakaweas death in 1887. Clarks journal shows that Sacagawea contributedtothis decision, a sign of the respect the white, male crewmembers held for her knowledge of the land. She was taken from her Rocky Mountain homeland, located in today's Idaho, to the Hidatsa-Mandan villages near modern Bismarck, North Dakota. The location of her next stop is unknown, and little is known about her life afterward. As a result of her presence, she helped dispel preconceived notions about their plans to conquer Native American tribes. Wiki User. Sacagawea was a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition during the year 1804-06. Some scholars argue that romanticized versions of Sacagawas legend are a disservice to the real Sacagawa. At age 6, his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record and forever changed his life. In 1983, he formed the Ben Vaughn Combo. We know her brother Cameahwait was chief of the Shoshone Indians, that she had been kidnapped by the Hidatsa Indians when she was about 10 years old and purchased by Toussaint Charbonneau to be one of his two wives. Though she was moved to tears, she resumed her duty as interpreter. Sacagawea was borncirca 1788in what is now the state of Idaho. The expeditions valuable suppliesfellinto the water and Charbonneau froze. One notable example came during the return trip, when Sacagawea suggested the group travel through Montana's Bozeman Pass, rather than the Flathead Pass, due to Bozeman being a lower, safer trip. This was most famously embraced by at least one historian, the University of Wyomings Grace Raymond Hebard, who wrote a 1933 biography titled Sacajawea. . How Should Artists Fund Their Career in Music? She suggested that I follow the Rocky Mountains (now known as Bozeman Pass) to get there. It will be held in honor of Lewis and Clarks journey across the country. He lived among the Mandans and Hidatsas and adopted their way of life. Sacagaweas actual day of birth is not known. Sacagawea returns to Three Forksan area where three rivers come together in what is now Missouriwhere she was captured as a child. The Sacagawea were members of the Lemhi Shoshone tribe, which now resides in Idaho. A progressive social reformer and activist, Jane Addams was on the frontline of the settlement house movement and was the first American woman to wina Nobel Peace Prize. She met Lewis and Clark while she was living among the Mandan and Hidatsa in North Dakota, though she was a Lemhi Shoshone from Idaho.May 15, 2018. Picture of Toussaint Charbonneau introducing one of his wives, Sacagawea, to Lewis and Clark. According to some, the term Otter Woman was intended to refer to interpreter Toussaint Charbonneaus other wife. An anonymous, premature death is at odds with Sacagawea's modern-day status as an American icon. Clark wrote in his journal on July 13,1806: The Indian woman . They were near an area where her people camped. She was born c. 1788 into the Agaidika ('Salmon Eater', aka Lemhi Shoshone) tribe near present-day Salmon, Lemhi County, Idaho.This is near the continental divide at the present-day Idaho-Montana border.. Sacagawea soon became a respected member of the group. When she wasapproximately 12years old, Sacagawea was captured by an enemy tribe, the Hidatsa,and taken from her Lemhi Shoshone people to the Hidatsa villages near present-dayBismarck, North Dakota. On May 15, 1805, Charbonneau, whom Lewis described in his journals as perhaps the most timid waterman in the world, was piloting one of the expeditions boats when a strong wind nearly capsized the vessel. She was promptly sold into slavery. The Queen gave birth to a daughter in 1810. Sacagawea and Charbonneauthenwent back to the Upper Missouri River area and worked for Manuel Lisa, a Missouri Fur Company trader. The expedition, instruments, books, gunpowder, medicines, and clothing. She belonged to the Lemhi Shoshone tribe. During the expedition Clark became very fond of Jean Babtiste and offered Charbonneau and Sacagawea to give him an education and raise him as his own child. At approximately fteen and a half years old and six months pregnant, Sacagawea joined the Corps . In his journals, Clark writes that the presence of a Native American woman helped assure the tribes they encountered that the groups intentions were peaceful; otherwise, they might have been mistaken for a war party., On more than one occasion, though, Sacagaweas contributions to the expedition were a bit more tangible. In 1810, Sacagawea gave birth to a daughter. Later, she was married off to a fur trader who was twice her age. Inyearof1803,LewisandClarksetoutonanadventuredeclaredbyThomasJefferson . went back to the Upper Missouri River area and worked for Manuel Lisa, a Missouri Fur Company trader. She was only about twelve years old. It is true, according to Clark, that the wife of Shabono represents peace for all Indians because she represents our friendly intentions with men, and a woman with a party of men represents peace. Many historians believe Sacagawea died in December 1812, likely of typhus, when she was about 25 years old. New York, D. McKay Co., 1967. She was present during the return trip east and remained with the expedition until they reached the Mandan villages. Photo Credit: Drawing of Sacagawea by Henry Altman, 1906, Oregon Historical Society, By Teresa Potter and Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Women's History | 2020-2022. Fun Facts about Sacagawea 6: being kidnapped. Sakakawea and Tetanoueta remained in the area after the explorers returned in 1814. The Salmon Eater or Agaidika tribe was who she was born into. However, according to some Native American oral histories, Sacagawealived for manymoreyears in theShoshone lands in Wyoming,untilher deathin 1884. Her knowledge of the native languages made her an invaluable resource for the expedition. Kidnapped by a raiding tribe, whose language she must learn, she is enslaved and groomed for the chief's son. Sacagawea was a pioneer and interpreter of the Lewis and Clark expedition west of the Mississippi River. Furthermore, because Sacagawea is an Indigenous American, it is critical to pronounce her name correctly, paying homage to her culture and heritage. "Sacagawea." Her presence was credited with helping to calm tensions between Native Americans and explorers. Something about Sacagawea excites the interest of several warriors during the course of this story, but she is forced to marry a sly, truculent French trapper named Charbonneau, by whom she has a son at only 14. Sometime in 1811, Sacagawea gave birth to her daughter, who was named Lizette. Her death was a great loss to her husband, Lewis, who always spoke highly of her intelligence and courage. getting kidnapped and sold into marriage, she ultimately triumphed by leading America to its success: expansionism to the west. Toussaint Charbonneau (March 20, 1766 August 12, 1843) was a French-Canadian explorer, trader, and member of the Lewis and Clark expedition. What happened to Sacagawea A few years after she was kidnapped? Sacagawea was the only woman in the expedition made up of 32 male members. Despite this joyous family reunion, Sacagawea remained with the explorers for the trip west. Jean Baptiste was nicknamed Pomp as was the tradition with the first born son of Shoshone mothers. Death Year: 1812, Death State: South Dakota, Death City: Kenel, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Sacagawea Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/history-culture/sacagawea, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 6, 2021, Original Published Date: April 3, 2014. Sacagawea was not afraid. She was an interpreter for the expedition and traveled with them on their journey for more than a thousand miles. Sacagawea was born circa 1788 in what is now the state of Idaho. . Her horse management skills were particularly useful, as were her interpretive skills in interpreting complex Indian sign languages used by the expedition members. On the journey, one of the most incredible things to happen to Sacagawea, kids will learn, was that she was reunited with her Shoshone family, from whom she had been kidnapped as a young girl. She brought him along, carrying him in a cradleboard tied to her back. 1800-1803 In 1800 Sacagawea was kidnapped by the Hidatsa tribe during a buffalo hunt.When she got to their camp,she was the only one there who spoke Shoshone,she must have been very lonely, but while she was at the Hidatsa tribe for three years she learned to speak the Hidatsa language. The Lewis and Clark Expedition relied heavily on Sacagawea, who provided them with valuable information about the areas geography and wildlife. She aided in the Lewis and Clark Expeditions exploration of the western United States as a guide. Pomp means leader. The group consisted of thirty-one explorers, Charbonneau, sixteen-year-old Sacagawea, and two-month-old Pomp. On April 7, 1805, the Lewis and Clark party set out on their expedition to explore the unknown Northwest. The truth is that we don't have as much concrete information about Sacagawea as you might think, and much of what has seeped into the popular consciousness is more fiction than fact. Sacagawea was not paid in any way, and she was only responsible for assisting the other members of the team. On August 15,1805,the expeditionencounteredthe Shoshone tribe. Did Sacagawea disappear? Kidnapped from her Shoshone tribe when she was just eleven or twelve, Sacagawea . Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. Mint produced a dollar coin in her honor. Sakakaweas story is currently taught in schools across the country, and she is one of the most significant figures in American history. In addition to being the husband of Sacagawea, he is also known as the father of her three children. All rights reserved. Sacagawea traveled 5,000 miles (10,000 km) with her infant son. She had given birth to a daughter, Lisette, earlier that year, and its thought that her health declined afterward. Sacagawea. National Park Service. Sacagawea was born to the Shoshones, about 1788. Over a decade later, Clark compiled a list of the expedition members and labeled them Se-car-ja-we-au Dead. In 1800, Sacagawea was kidnapped and taken to North Dakota, where he remained for three years. One theory is that it means bird woman, based on the fact that her tribe, the Shoshone, were known for their skill in hunting birds. She went on to serve as a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition with her husband in 1805. s and Clark hire him as a guide and interpreter. At the age of twelve (1800) she was kidnapped by a group of Hidatsa and the battle that provoked it caused the death of four women, four men and several boys from the Shoshone tribe. Sacagawea, who was pregnant, spoke both Shoshone and Hidatsa, Charbonneau Hidatsa and French but did not speak English. Sacagawea was a member of the Agaideka (Lemhi) Shoshone, who lived in the upper Salmon River Basin in present-day Idaho. In other words, why is Sacagawea so important to the American people? Read More Yvonne B. Miller, her accomplishments, and leadership attributes, so they can apply persuasive techniques to amplify her accomplishments, leadership attributes, as well as those in leadership roles in their community, Well never share your email with anyone else, MeriwetherLewis and William Clarks expedition westward from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. She had given birth to at least three children, the last one just a few months before her death. They were near an area where her people camped. The English-Shoshone communication would require a four language chain interpretation. Her mere presence might also have been invaluable. 1. Sacagawea helped the Corps communicate with the Shoshone, translating alongside her husband when the explorers first met them. Sacagawea gets kidnapped When Sacagawea was 12 years old, Hidatsa warriors raided her tribe and captured many young people, including herself. For the return journey, the Corps divided into two groups,one led by Lewis and the other by Clark. Every March, people in the United States celebrate the achievements and history of women as part of Womens History Month. Sacagawea was an American Indian woman, the only one on Lewis and Clark's 1804 expedition. Sacagawea was only 17 years old when he joined Lewis and Clarks Corps of Discovery. Remaining calm, she retrieved important papers, instruments, books, medicine, and other indispensable valuables that otherwise would have been lost. He eventually became Jean-Baptistes godfather and ultimately, after Sacagaweas death, his legal guardian. As a translator, she was invaluable, as was her intimate knowledge of some difficult terrain. Sakakawea eventually married and had a second child after Tetanoueta died a few years later. If were going to assign her a job title, interpreter might be a better fit. There is so much discussion and argument as to the spelling of her name: Her name in the Shoshone language means Bird Woman and in Hidatsa Boat Launcher. She is buried in a dispute over where she is buried and when she died.