Sacagawea

Born 1788, Sacagawea is remembered by Americans today as the Native American slave who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition as an interpreter and terrain guide. It is important to explain the portion of her life helping the explorers Lewis and Clark but is equally important to describe her life before meeting Lewis and Clark including her life after the expedition. Starting with pre-expedition history will help form a picture for the beliefs and background of Sacagawea.
 * Sacagawea**

Sacagawea was part of the Shoshone tribe in present day Idaho. At age 12 she was kidnapped by a band of roaming Indians during a battle. At age 13 she was traded to a trapper from Quebec named Toussaint Charbonneau. Not much is known about the life of Sacagawea before 13 years of age. The trapper is reported to have taken her back to his village near present-day North Dakota. The next for years Sacagawea lived with Toussaint and his other wife. Sacagawea was pregnant with her first child when the Corps of Discovery (Company of Lewis and Clark) arrived near the village in 1804.

When William Clark and Meriwether Lewis came to the village where Toussaint and Sacagawea lived, they began interviewing local trappers that could help them through their expedition up the Missouri River. The Corps of Discovery chose Toussaint because of Sacagawea’s connection to the Shoshone Indians. These Indians would be able to help Lewis and Clark at the headwaters of the Missouri River and Sacagawea would be able to translate and guide for the explorers.

During the exploration Sacagawea aided Lewis and Clark in translation and guidance through the tough terrain. Her first child was born shortly after the expedition was started. Throughout the adventure there are many stories of how Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark. She was also valued for her female presence among the explorers. Three years after the exploration Sacagawea and her husband moved to St. Louis, Missouri (1809). Their first born son was enrolled in an academy and taught by Clark himself.

Sacagawea is thought to have died around 1812. The details are unknown but some experts believe she was killed by sickness. Her husband was thought to have died as well in an unrelated incident soon after. Their first born son as well as their newborn daughter were adopted by William Clark. The death of Sacagawea is shrouded in mystery, some experts believe she died in 1812 but others believe she died in 1884. The only evidence for the 1884 theory is oral tradition, this date would leave her at 96 yrs old at death and this is very unlikely. For the next 200 years Sacagawea has been remembered for her courage and intelligence in United States exploration among other things.

Sacagawea is still considered by many to be an American Heroine. The contributions made by her have inspired woman rights movements in the United States and even a coin has been made in her likeness to commemorate Sacagawea for her efforts. It is important to understand Sacagawea’s Native American background to understand her interactions with the Lewis and Clark expedition. We know little about what went on besides what we can read from Lewis and Clark’s journals of the exploration but we can be certain that Sacagawea sacrificed much to help. Sacagawea will be remembered by the United States for centuries to come, and hopefully Native American Indians across the nation will remember what she sacrificed as well.

(1) Weiser, Kathy. "Sacagawea - Leading Lewis and Clark." //Native American Legends// (2010): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>. -A website providing a brief overview of Sacagawea’s adventures with Lewis and Clark. Background information on Sacagawea’s life is also provided in the article. This is a valuable starting resource for researching Sacagawea. The source provides hard facts and provides little complex analysis. (2) Butterfield, Bonnie. "Sacagawea: From Captive to Expedition Interpreter to Great American Legend- Her Life and Death." //Native Americans// (1998): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>. -This website provides firsthand accounts from the journal of Lewis. The entries describe the slave, interpreter and heroine Sacagawea. The article is a good way to familiarize yourself with the courageous acts of Sacagawea. (3) Marks, Lara. "Sacagawea As an Evolving Symbol of American Indian Women." (1998): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[|http://www.mathcs.bethel.edu/~gossett/DiscreteMathWithProof/sacajawea/sacajawea.html]>. -This website provides brief background information along with other names Sacagawea can be found under in other historical contexts. The article also provides reasons for Sacagawea boost in popularity in the 20th century. This source is a great value to understanding the past and contemporary history of Sacagawea. (4) Lewis, Jone. "Sacagawea (Sacajawea) Guide to the West." //Women's History// (2011): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>. -This article provides a brief and concise description of Sacagawea’s interaction with Lewis and Clark, including an after expedition summary. This source is helpful in further understanding her relationships with the explorers Lewis and Clark (5) A&E Television Networks,. "Sacagawea Biography." //Bio True Story// (2011): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>. -A brief biography of the life of Sacagawea before her encounters with Lewis and Clark. A valuable source for understanding more about the Native American lifestyle of Sacagawea. (6) Garamone, Jim. "Sacagawea: The Saga of a Shoshone." //American Indian Heritage Month// (2000): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>. -A well written tribute article to Sacagawea and her contributions to the expansion of the United States. This article provides insight from current writers and is a great resource for beginning researchers of Sacagawea (7) Kubic, Barbara. "Sacagawea: An Annotated Bibliography." Battelle, n.d. Web. 13 Apr 2011. <(7) []>. -This web address leads to a report done on Sacagawea. The report is a full list of annotated bibliographic sources. This resource could be very useful for anyone who is interested in books or articles about Sacagawea. Very in depth annotated bibliography. (8) Sacagawea." (1998): n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. -This source provides a brief summary on the capture of Sacagawea and her time spent aiding the explorers Lewis and Clark on their journey. The article is short but accurate.  (9) Anderson, Irving. "History Commentary - The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Name, Role and Final Destiny." //Colombia Magazine// 13.3 (1999): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>.  -An extremely valuable and well written source attempting to correct America’s public image of the icon Sacagawea. The author connects firsthand accounts from two centuries ago about Sacagawea to show the amount of respect the people truly had for her.  (10) Talbot, Margaret. "What we know about her: She was a teenage mother and a valued interpreter for Lewis and Clark. What we don't know about her: Almost everything else.." //National Geogrphic Magazine// 0.0 (2003): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>. -A long article written by National Geographic about Sacagawea. The article talks about how much we don’t know about Sacagawea. The article serves the purpose of getting the reader to think outside the box.  (11) Buckley, Jay. "Sacagawea." //History.com// 0.0 (2009): Web. 13 Apr 2011. <[]>.  -A historical look at Sacagawea’s life and contribution to the Lewis and Clark expedition. The articles reveals a few new facts about her life and provides videos to watch with expert testimonies.  (12) "Sacagawea." // Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online // . Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <[]>. - Brittanica Academic Addition provides a very concise background on Sacagawea’s life. Well written and easy to understand. (13) Hansen, M. "Sacagawea." n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[|http://webpages.sdsmt.edu/~mhansen/SACAGAWEA.htm]>. - This article provides a well cited testament to the contributions of Sacagawea throughout her life. The article also discusses her impact on future generations through her courageous actions. (14) Talbot, Margaret. "Searching for Sacagawea." //National Geographic// (2006): n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. - A national geographic article commemorating the anniversary of of Sacagawea with a lengthy article about the life and achievements of Sacagawea. A good article for additional information. (15) Butterfield, Bonnie. "What Happened to Sacagawea's People?." //Native Americans// n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. - This source provides information on the history of Sacagawea’s tribe after Sacagawea left the tribe. The article is complete and provides a good reference point for other aspects of Sacagawea’s life. (16) "Sacagawea coin finds no love after two years." //USA Today// (2002): n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. - A contemporary article describing the drop in popularity of the Sacagawea dollar coin in the United States. The article provides insight on why the “love” for the Sacagawea dollar ran out. Another article to familiarize oneself with the contemporary feelings on Sacagawea. (17) Spitznass, Jill. "Sacagawea legend gets an upgrade Production re-spins well-traveled tale from Native American girl’s perspective." //Portland Tribune// (2009): n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. - This article claims Sacagawea to be a woman misunderstood by contemporary society. The author attempts to uncover a few unknown facts about Sacagawea and to shed more light her situation overall with Lewis and Clark. The source is a good addition to Sacagawea research. (18) "Sacagawea." //IPTV// (2001): n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. - PBS article on Sacagawea and her time spent with Lewis and Clark. The source is short but accurate, good for attaining basic information on Sacagawea. (19) "Sacagawea." n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[|http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nwa/sacajawea.html]>. - This source provides information about Sacagawea as a notable woman ancestor. The information is basic and useful for surface details. (20)"Sacajawea (Sacagawea): Guide for Lewis and Clark." //Zoom Explorers// n. pag. Web. 14 Apr 2011. <[]>. - This short article provides a brief summary on the life of Sacagawea. The website is not a complete biography and only provides limited information.