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Although no two accounts
of her life are the same, Sacagawea is famed as a courageous young woman
who played a significant role in the settling of the west. When she was
only eleven years old her tribe, the
Shoshone, who lived in present day Idaho, was attacked by the Hidatsa, a
rival Indian tribe. She was
captured by an enemy brave and taken from her home.
As a slave in North
Dakota, Sacagawea learned a new language and new skills. Unlike the
Shoshone,
the Hidatsa stayed in one place (near present day Bismarck). They built
homes from clay and timber and
farmed the land. Here, Sacagawea became one of Charbonneau’s many
Native American wives. Some say
Sacagawea was bought by the French Canadian fur trader. Others say he
won her in a gambling bet.
In 1804 Charbonneau was
employed by Lewis and Clark to accompany them on their expedition
west
through the Louisiana Territory. He was an experienced fur trapper and
trader and could make himself
understood by most of the river Indians. Lewis and Clark were also
aware of how useful Sacagawea could
be on their journey, especially if they came in contact with her old
tribe.
At this time, Sacagawea
was only sixteen years old and expecting her first child. She delivered
a baby
boy just two months before they set out on their journey. The baby was
christened Jean Babtiste and
nicknamed “Pomp,” meaning firstborn in Shoshoni.
Some of the men thought
the young woman and her new baby would be a hindrance on the trip.
Others
felt it would be wise to have them in their party. They hoped Sacagawea
and Pomp would be seen as
symbols of peace so that their expedition would not be mistaken by the
Indian tribes as a war party.
On April 7, 1805, the
Lewis and Clark party set out on its expedition to explore the unknown
Northwest. The group consisted of thirty-one explorers, Charbonneau,
sixteen year old Sacagawea, and two
month old Pomp. The newborn was strapped to Sacagawea’s back on a
cradle board.
Sacagawea proved to be
a great help on the journey. She knew more about the Indians they
encountered than anyone else in the group. Often times she would save
the men from starvation by finding
fruits and nuts the small animals had hidden for the winter. Captain
Clark wrote in his journal that she was
cheerful and did not complain.
The group traveled to
the land of the Shoshone tribe where Sacagawea learned that many of her
relatives had been kidnapped or killed in the attack five years before.
Much to her delight her brother
survived and was now the tribe’s chief. Sacagawea negotiated a trade
that enabled the expedition to obtain
much needed horses to continue its journey.
Nature’s elements made
the trip a grueling one. Gnats and mosquitoes were thick in number.
Rattlesnakes were a constant danger. The weather was extreme and seldom
in their favor. Still they forged
ahead and made it to the Pacific Ocean. By the time the expedition
returned home, the group had traveled through present day Montana,
Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
Sacagawea was a
remarkable woman whose perseverance and resourcefulness while traveling
with the
Lewis and Clark Expedition helped make the journey west a success. It
is said that there are more
monuments to honor Sacagawea than any other woman in U.S. history.
*Revised selection –
original text authored by Melissa Horrocks. Reprinted with permission
by Deborah Byrnes, Ph.D., Utah State University. |
First
Timed Reading