She belonged to the Lemhi Shoshone tribe. [Sacagawea's] experiences may have made her one of those people permanently stuck between cultures, not entirely welcome in her new life nor able to return to her old. In 1804, Charbonneau was hired by Lewis and Clark to serve as an interpreter on their expedition to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea is assumed to be a Hidatsa name (Sacaga means bird and wea means woman) based on the journal entries of expedition members. . 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. In April of 1805 the expedition headed out. Abrams is now one of the most prominent African American female politicians in the United States. Read More The newborn was strapped to Sacagawea's back on a cradleboard. consider, but wanted to keep the baby until it nished . The attention inspired Marshall Crenshaw to record Bens Im Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee) for his Downtown album. Two years later, Charbonneau and Sacagawea left St. Louis to join a fur-trading expedition, leaving Jean Baptiste with Captain Clark, who had become the boy's godfather. Three years later, she was bought by Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian trapper, and made his wife. 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. 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. Her presence was credited with helping to calm tensions between Native Americans and explorers. However, many Shoshone Indians maintain that it is a Shoshone name meaning boat launcherand spell and pronounce it Sacajawea.. She was then married to a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau. During a crisis on May 14,1805,Sacagawea showed bravery and clear thinkingthat earnedLewisand Clarks praise and gratitude. Denton, Tex. Sacagawea summary: Real and accurate information regarding the history of Sacagawea is hard to find. "Sacagawea (c. 1786/1788?20 December 1812? [Sacagawea was the] only dependence for a friendly negotiation with the [Shoshoni] Indians. The name Sacagawea can be pronounced in a variety of ways, but it is not always the best way to do so. Sacagawea gets sold Sacagawea gets sold to Toussaint Charbonneau. In February 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to a son named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. What happened to Sacagawea? Painting by Split Rock. Lewis and Clark were so grateful that, a few days later, they named a branch of a Missouri River tributary in Sacagaweas honor. When Lewis and Clark found out that he had a Shoshone wife they took interest in him as they would need their help acquiring horses once they reached the Shoshone nation. He eventually became Jean-Baptistes godfather and ultimately, after Sacagaweas death, his legal guardian. Her skills as a chemist enabled her to identify edible roots, plants, and berries. Over a decade later, Clark compiled a list of the expedition members and labeled them Se-car-ja-we-au Dead. [Note: All journal entries are presented sic throughout.]. She was so respected by Lewis and Clark that when they reached the Pacific Ocean in November 1805, Sacagawea was asked to cast her vote for where they should build a fort. In November 1804, she. Even though she was pregnant with her first child, Sacagawea was chosen to accompany them on their mission. According to American Indian oral tradition, she died in 1884 on Shoshone land. Four years later, Sacagawea had a chance to make history. Sacagawea soon became a respected member of the group. Sacagawea didn't have a proper education, but she learned from her tribes. To explore this new part of the country, Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on a two-year journey to report on what they found. Although she was only 16 years old and the only female in an exploration group of more than 45 people, she was ready to courageously make her mark in American history. If were going to assign her a job title, interpreter might be a better fit. Even her name is a topic that historians still argue about. Best Known For: Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter best known for being the only woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition into the American West. [Sacagawea] gave me a piece of bread made of flour, which she had reserved for her child and carefully kept untill this time This bread I ate with great satisfaction, it being the only mouthful I had tasted for several months past. 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. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Sacagawea traveled 5,000 miles (10,000 km) with her infant son. In 1800, the twelve year old Sacagawea was kidnapped from her Shoshone Tribe in the Rocky Mountains by the Hidata Indians. For the return journey, the Corps divided into two groups,one led by Lewis and the other by Clark. She wanted to see the natural wonder with her own eyes. According to Lewis, he didnt regain his composure until another crewman threatened to shoot him if he didnt take hold of the rudder and do his duty.. In addition to being the husband of Sacagawea, he is also known as the father of her three children. Covered in brass, the Sacagawea coin (aka the "golden dollar") was made to replace the Susan B. Anthony dollar. She was a member of the Lemhi Shoshone tribe (which literally translates as . Sacagawea was the only woman in the expedition made up of 32 male members. Once Sacagawea left the expedition, the details of her life become more elusive. Sacagawea helped the Corps communicate with the Shoshone, translating alongside her husband when the explorers first met them. Sacagawea was regarded as a valuable addition to Lewis and Clarks language skills. February1. Sacagawea gave birth on Monday, February 11, 1805 to a healthy baby boy named Jean Babtiste Charbonneau, nicknamed Pompy. She was sold to a fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau. Lewis and Clark prepared for their journey back to St. Louis, but before they left,Clark offered to takeSacagaweas sonPomp back to St. Louis with him. He had lived amongst the Mandan and Hidatsa for many years. 5 of the Best Finnish Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Bands. When a boat capsized on the Missouri River as they were crossing into what is now Montana, Sacagawea saved important books and much-needed supplies. Lewis and Clark arranged for a meeting with the chief, Cameahwait, and Sacagawea served asthetranslator. Charbonneau knew Hidatsa and the sign languages common among the river tribes. Sacajawea was 14 when she was kiddnapped. Though she was moved to tears, she resumed her duty as interpreter. Spouse(s) of Toussaint Charbonneau, Spouse(s) Sacagawea, Otter Woman, and more children. At about 17 years of age, she was the only woman among 31 older men on this portion of the expedition. . The Hidatsa derivation is usually supported by Lewis and Clarks journals. ThoughSacagaweas role as a guidewas limited to the Idaho/Montana region where shehad grown up(rather than the entirety of the expedition), she still proved criticalto theCorps. -Mandan villages where Charbonneau and Sacagawea were living. Did Sacagawea disappear? Toussaint Charbonneau, a trapper from Canada and AstorSIGNORE, a fur trader, led a party of eight men up the Salmon River, trading goods and services. She was only about twelve years old. Traveling with Clark, Sacagawea guided his group south of the Yellowstone River by recommending a, the Hidatsa villages two days later, where Sacagawea and her family departed the expedition. Lewis and Clark historian James P. Ronda argued that Hebard might have misinterpreted (or neglected) some evidence to come to this conclusion. As far as historians know, the first written reference to Sacagawea datesto November 4, 1804,. Interpreters with Lewis And Clark: The Story of Sacagawea And Toussaint Charbonneau. Her mere presence might also have been invaluable. . In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought more than 825,000 square miles of land from France in what was called the Louisiana Purchase. American National Biography. In 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to her son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, while traveling with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Sacagawea, her husband, and her son remained with the expedition on the return trip east until they reached the Mandan villages. Sacagawea was a part of the Shoshones Indian tribe. Another theory is that her name means boat puller, which would make sense given her role in helping Lewis and Clark navigate the rivers during their expedition. Historical documents suggest that Sacagawea died just two years later of an unknown sickness. Jan 17, 1803. She received no pay for her services and died on December 20, 1812. When Sacagawea joined the expedition, she was only about 16 years old and had a 2-month-old son. Other sources say that she became part of the tribe. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. His birth was aided by Lewis who described her labor as tedious with violent pain. Sacagawea is commemorated by two grave markers: one in Mobridge, South Dakota, and the other in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, on the Wind River Indian Reservation. 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. Lewis wrote in his journal that she was administered small pieces of rattle snake added to a small quantity of water to speed up her delivery. . In 1809, it is believed that she and her husband or just her husband, according to some accounts traveled with their son to St. Louis to see Clark. Sacagawea and her babyhelpedthose they encountered feelit was safe to befriend the newcomers. Her horse management skills were particularly useful, as were her interpretive skills in interpreting complex Indian sign languages used by the expedition members. 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. In 1800, when she was about 12 years old, Sacagawea and several other girls were taken captive by a group of Hidatsa in a raid that resulted in the deaths of several Shoshone: four men, four women, and several boys. When she was around the age of 12, she was captured by the Hidatsa tribe and taken to present-day North Dakota. In November 1804, she was invited to join the Lewis and Clark expedition as a Shoshone interpreter. During the 1800s, the Hidatsa tribe kidnapped Sacagawea during a buffalo hunt in search of gold, and the Shoshone were enemies of the gun-toting Hidatsa tribe. Despite traveling with a newborn child during the trek, Sacagawea proved to be helpful in many ways. He was only two months old. Sacagawea grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the Salmon River region of what is now Idaho, a member of the Lemhi tribe of the Native American Shoshone tribe. Clark even offered to help him get an education. He was a French-Canadian trapper and trader. There is some ambiguity aroundSacagaweasdeath. Precise details about Sacagawea's early life are hard to come by, but she was born around 1788 in modern-day Idaho. This was most famously embraced by at least one historian, the University of Wyomings Grace Raymond Hebard, who wrote a 1933 biography titled Sacajawea. Sacagawea was not compensated at all. On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau headed west with the 31 other Corps members. President Thomas Jeffersons Louisiana Purchase of western territory from France nearly doubled the size of the United States. She was only 12 years old. It was hard to find out the complete details about her early life. When word of a washed-up whale carcass reached the Corps in 1806, Sacagawea insisted on accompanying the men to investigate. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, Lisette Charbonneau, and more. Postal Service released a Sacagawea stamp in 1994; and the U.S. Mint issued Sacagawea golden dollar coins from 2000 to 2008. She died at Fort Manuel, now Kenel, South Dakota, after leaving the expedition. Sacagawea was only 16 or 17 years old when she joined Lewis and Clark's grueling expedition. Sacagawea. A biography of the Shoshone girl, Sacagawea, from age eleven when she was kidnapped by the Hitdatsa to the end of her journey with Lewis and Clark, plus speculation about her . Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. Sacagawea faced the same dangers and difficulties as the rest of the expedition members,in addition tocaring for her infant son. Soon after, they neededto determine where they wouldestablishtheir winter quarters. In 1810, Sacagawea gave birth to a daughter. Meriwether Lewis as her doctor. Sometime in 1811, Sacagawea gave birth to her daughter, who was named Lizette. The Sacagawea River is a 30-mile waterway in what is now north-central Montana. According to some, the term Otter Woman was intended to refer to interpreter Toussaint Charbonneaus other wife. Please be respectful of copyright. The expeditions valuable suppliesfellinto the water and Charbonneau froze. The English-Shoshone communication would require a four language chain interpretation. Sacagawea gave birth to her second child, a daughter named Lisette, three years later. was limited to the Idaho/Montana region where she, (rather than the entirety of the expedition), a great help during their journey. Her presence was regarded as a peace offering and her greatest contribution. However, not much is known about Lizette's life, except that she was one of the few people who survived the Indian attack on Fort Lisa in 1812. Sacagawea was a Shoshone interpreter best known for being the only woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition into the American West. The most accepted date of death and the one supported by historians is 1812. READ. Sacagawea was born in either 1788 or 1789. Sacagawea, who was pregnant, spoke both Shoshone and Hidatsa, Charbonneau Hidatsa and French but did not speak English. It was presumed that Toussaint Charbonneau had died. She brought him along, carrying him in a cradleboard tied to her back. She was the only female among a group of 33 members that set out on a journey through a wilderness area that had never been explored before. National Women's History Museum. Sakakaweas story is currently taught in schools across the country, and she is one of the most significant figures in American history. All rights reserved. Jefferson hired Virginias Meriwether Lewis to explore theland. She was only 12-years-old. Sacagawea has also been memorialized in the names of parks, schools, playgrounds, and cultural and interpretive centers all over the country. She convinced the Shoshone to provide additional guides and horses to the expedition members. This didnt seem to sit well with Clark, who wrote to Charbonneau: Your woman who accompanied you that long dangerous and fatigueing rout to thePacific Ocian and back diserved a greater reward for her attention and services on that rout than we had in our power to give her. Perhaps thats part of the reason Clark offered to make sure the couples young son, whom Clark had affectionately called Little Pomp during the expedition, received a quality education. The infant was just four months old when Charbonneau, Sacagawea and little Jean Baptiste joined expedition. In 1800, when Sacagawea was about 12 years old, she was kidnapped by Hidatsa Indians and taken from her homeland, near Idaho, to the Hidatsa-Mandan villages near present-day Bismarck, North Dakota. "Sacagawea." However, according to some Native American oral histories, Sacagawealived for manymoreyears in theShoshone lands in Wyoming,untilher deathin 1884. Sacagawea was a pioneer and interpreter of the Lewis and Clark expedition west of the Mississippi River. Photo: Edgar Samuel Paxson (Personal photograph taken at Montana State Capitol) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons, Photo: Lyn Alweis/The Denver Post via Getty Images, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Sacagawea, Birth Year: 1788, Birth State: Idaho, Birth City: Lemhi County, Birth Country: United States. Other evidence that cropped up during the 20th century indicated that Sacagawea, living under the name Porivo, died in 1884 in Wind River, Wyoming, near age 100. After leaving the expedition, she died at Fort Manuel in what is now Kenel, South Dakota, circa 1812. Sacagawea, the daughter of a Shoshone chief, was captured by an enemy tribe and sold to a French Canadian trapper who made her his wife around age 12. She was then sold as a slave to Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian fur trader, who claimed her as one of his many wives. Historical documents tell us that Sacagawea died of an unknown illness in the year 1812. After Sacagawea's death, Clark looked after her two children, and ultimately took custody of them both. Kidnapped from her Shoshone tribe when she was just eleven or twelve, Sacagawea . 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. 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. Sacagaweas place and date of death are as contentious as the spelling of her name. 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. 1. Early life. Sacagawea said she would . Sacagawea appears seventeen times in the original Lewis and Clark journals, spelled in eight different ways with an g..