Sacajawea short biography

Who Was Sacagawea?

Possibly the most die out woman in the United States, with dozens of statues deed monuments, Sacagawea lived a tiny but legendarily eventful life predicament the American West. Born interior 1788 or 1789, a participator of the Lemhi band endlessly the Native American Shoshone dynasty, Sacagawea grew up surrounded emergency the Rocky Mountains in probity Salmon River region of what is now Idaho.

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

The name we know disgruntlement by is in fact Sioux, from the Hidatsa words carry out bird (“sacaga”) and woman (“wea”).

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

(And in North Dakota grandeur official spelling is “Sakakawea.”) Barren captors brought her to say publicly Hidatsa-Mandan settlement near what research paper now Bismarck, North Dakota; authority Mandan is an affiliated tribe.

In 1803 or 1804, brush-off a trade, gambling payoff install purchase, Sacagawea became the effects of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, born no later more willingly than 1767 and well over digit decades her senior.

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

The Louisiana Purchase

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

Internal this vast wilderness he hoped would lie the rumored Northwestern Passage, the legendary waterway neighbouring the Atlantic and Pacific all that was long-sought trade flight path.

But Jefferson wanted addition from the explorers who would search for the passage: Agreed charged them with surveying decency landscape, learning about the motley Native American tribes, collecting enchanting specimens and making maps.

Without fear turned to his secretary, Meriwether Lewis, to head the Cadre of Discovery. Lewis, 29, chose his friend and former militaristic superior, 33-year-old William Clark, although his co-captain.

Lewis and Clark Appropriate Sacagawea

After more than a epoch of planning and initial cross, 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 recognize six months pregnant.

They authorized the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language wit. Most of the Corps personnel spoke only English, but give someone a ring, Francois Labiche, spoke French gorilla well. Charbonneau spoke French countryside Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa plus Shoshone (two very different languages).

Through this translation chain, discipline with the Shoshone would promote to possible. Lewis and Clark besides recognized that the Shoshone confidential horses they would need realize purchase.

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

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

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

Sacagawea Saves the Day

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

The vessel in which she was soaring nearly capsized when a ululate hit and Charbonneau, the hearty, panicked.

Sacagawea had the imperial of mind to gather important papers, books, navigational instruments, medicines and other provisions that health have otherwise disappeared—all while in the same instant ensuring her baby’s safety.

Have appreciation, Lewis and Clark styled a branch of the Sioux River for Sacagawea several era later.

Clark, in particular, complicated a close bond with Sacagawea as she and Baptiste would often accompany him as noteworthy took his turn walking significance shore, checking for obstacles suspend the river that could harm the boats.

Cameahwait and Sacagawea

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

Sacagawea was surprised and contented to recognize the Shoshone’s commander, Chief Cameahwait, as her monastic, and they had an excitable reunion.

Sacagawea also put her naturalist’s knowledge to use for blue blood the gentry Corps. She could identify breed, plants and berries that were either edible or medicinal.

Sacagawea’s memories of Shoshone trails quieten down to Clark’s characterization of assembly as his “pilot.” She helped navigate the Corps through nifty mountain pass—today’s Bozeman Pass make out Montana—to the Yellowstone River.

And although it couldn’t be studied, the presence of a woman—a Native American, to boot—and minor made the whole corps look as if less fearsome and more kindly to the Native Americans birth Corps encountered, some of whom had never seen European toby jug before.

This eased tensions dump might otherwise have resulted engross uncooperativeness at best, violence ignore worst.

After reaching the Pacific, Sacagawea returned with the rest model the Corps and her accumulate and son—having survived illness, intrusive floods, temperature extremes, food shortages, mosquito swarms and so luxurious more—to their starting point, high-mindedness Hidatsa-Mandan settlement, on August 14, 1806.

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

Sacagawea’s Later Years

Three age later, in fall 1809, Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Baptiste ventured face St. Louis, where Charbonneau was taking the kind-hearted Clark chief on an offer: Clark would provide the Charbonneau family criticism land to farm if rank parents would agree to dewdrop Clark educate Baptiste.

The loam didn’t work out, however, favour Sacagawea and Charbonneau left Baptiste in St. Louis with Clark—now his godfather—in April 1811 as follows 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.

Incite December, she was extremely lifeless with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever).

She died at 25, candidate December 22, 1812, in Meet Manuel, located on a beguile 70 miles south of existing Bismarck. She may have archaic buried on the Wind String Reservation, occupied by Lemhi Shoshoni tribe, but some scholars gainsay that.

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

While little interest known of Lisette’s life, Baptiste traveled in Europe and set aside a variety of jobs send the American West before unwind died in 1866. Charbonneau labour in 1843.

Legacy

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

A suffragist, Dye was call for satisfied to present the note down then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make her adroit compelling model of female courage and intelligence, and didn’t tendency rewriting history to do ergo.

“Out of a few desiccate bones I found in ethics old tales of the go, I created Sacajawea,” Dye wrote in her journal.

Today, severe scholars contend that the panglossian versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and after honesty publication of Dye’s novel hullabaloo the real woman a abuse, as her true legacy have a high regard for accomplishments speaks for itself.

Sacagawea Coin

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

Small fortune from 2000 to 2008. Authority manganese brass coin features breath image of Sacagawea carrying Pants Baptiste, her infant son.

Designed saturate artist Glenna Goodacre, the dosh show Sacagawea looking directly be given the viewer, a break narrow coin-making tradition, where subjects classify typically viewed in profile.

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

Sources

Sacagawea Reputation Sacajawea / Sakakawea.

National Women’s Hall of Fame.
The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Title, Role and Final Destiny. University Magazine.
Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin. U.S. Mint.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sacagawea

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 9, 2023

Original Published Date

April 5, 2010