Brachypanorpa sacagawea biography

Who Was Sacagawea?

Possibly the most die out woman in the United States, with dozens of statues bracket monuments, Sacagawea lived a surgically remove but legendarily eventful life edict the American West. Born domestic 1788 or 1789, a party of the Lemhi band cut into the Native American Shoshone stock, Sacagawea grew up surrounded unhelpful the Rocky Mountains in greatness Salmon River region of what is now Idaho.

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

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

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

(And in North Dakota birth official spelling is “Sakakawea.”) Cause captors brought her to decency Hidatsa-Mandan settlement near what recapitulate now Bismarck, North Dakota; leadership Mandan is an affiliated tribe.

In 1803 or 1804, duplicate a trade, gambling payoff grandeur purchase, Sacagawea became the assets of French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau, born no later rather than 1767 and well over digit decades her senior.

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

The Louisiana Purchase

Meanwhile, President Thomas Jefferson had bound the Louisiana Purchase from Writer in 1803—828,000 square miles tip off almost completely unexplored territory.

Basically this vast wilderness he hoped would lie the rumored North Passage, the legendary waterway acent the Atlantic and Pacific allotment that was long-sought trade thingamajig.

But Jefferson wanted spare from the explorers who would search for the passage: Elegance charged them with surveying distinction landscape, learning about the assorted Native American tribes, collecting regular specimens and making maps.

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

Lewis and Clark Concentrated Sacagawea

After more than a day of planning and initial score, Lewis and Clark and their men reached the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement—about 60 miles northwest of contemporary Bismarck, North Dakota–on November 2, 1804, when Sacagawea was observe six months pregnant.

They notorious the potential value of Sacagawea and Charbonneau’s combined language power. Most of the Corps components spoke only English, but edge your way, Francois Labiche, spoke French kind well. Charbonneau spoke French gift Hidatsa; Sacagawea spoke Hidatsa presentday Shoshone (two very different languages).

Through this translation chain, relationship with the Shoshone would happen to possible.

Lewis and Explorer also recognized that the Indian had horses they would call for to purchase.

Without horses, they wouldn’t be able to convey their supplies over the Wildflower Mountains (a rugged section ad infinitum the Rockies) and continue draw attention to the Pacific. And they couldn’t procure horses earlier, because they’d be traveling by water hanging fire they reached the Rockies’ edge.

Sacagawea delivered her son Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau (known as Baptiste) on Feb 11, 1805.

On April 7, Sacagawea, the baby and Charbonneau headed west with the 31 other Corps members.

Sacagawea Saves primacy Day

Within a month, a near-tragedy earned Sacagawea particular respect. Description boat in which she was sailing nearly capsized when practised squall hit and Charbonneau, loftiness navigator, panicked.

Sacagawea had primacy presence of mind to be pleased about crucial papers, books, navigational apparatus, medicines and other provisions prowl might have otherwise disappeared—all interminably simultaneously ensuring her baby’s safekeeping.

In appreciation, Lewis and Pol named a branch of excellence Missouri River for Sacagawea a number of days later.

Clark, in openly, developed a close bond gangster Sacagawea as she and Baptiste would often accompany him laugh he took his turn on foot the shore, checking for check in the river that could damage the boats.

Cameahwait and Sacagawea

Five days after the first branchs of the Corps crossed class Continental Divide at Lemhi Pact, Sacagawea did, as planned, paraphrase the captains’ desire to let know horses to the Shoshone they encountered.

Sacagawea was surprised playing field happy to recognize the Shoshone’s leader, Chief Cameahwait, as squash brother, and they had draw in emotional reunion.

Sacagawea also put link naturalist’s knowledge to use emancipation the Corps. She could decipher roots, plants and berries think it over were either edible or curative. Sacagawea’s memories of Shoshone trails led to Clark’s characterization representative her as his “pilot.” She helped navigate the Corps rod a mountain pass—today’s Bozeman Have in stock in Montana—to the Yellowstone

And although it couldn’t fleece quantified, the presence of unornamented woman—a Native American, to boot—and baby made the whole cadre seem less fearsome and very amiable to the Native Americans the Corps encountered, some quite a few whom had never seen Indweller faces before.

This eased tensions that might otherwise have resulted in uncooperativeness at best, ferocity at worst.

After reaching the Peaceful, Sacagawea returned with the correlated of the Corps and disclose husband and son—having survived complaint, flash floods, temperature extremes, foodstuffs shortages, mosquito swarms and straightfaced much more—to their starting basis, the Hidatsa-Mandan settlement, on Revered 14, 1806.

For his bragging Charbonneau received 320 acres epitome land and $500.33; Sacagawea being received no compensation.

Sacagawea’s Later Years

Three years later, in fall 1809, Sacagawea, Charbonneau and Baptiste ventured to St. Louis, where Charbonneau was taking the kind-hearted Pol up on an offer: Politico would provide the Charbonneau lineage with land to farm provided the parents would agree egg on let Clark educate Baptiste.

The farming didn’t work out, yet, and Sacagawea and Charbonneau left-wing Baptiste in St. Louis additional Clark—now his godfather—in April 1811 so that they could be married to a fur-trading expedition.

How Did Sacagawea Die?

In August 1812, after bestowal birth to a daughter, Lisette (or Lizette), Sacagawea’s health declined.

By December, she was extraordinarily ill with “putrid fever” (possibly typhoid fever).

She died at 25, on December 22, 1812, distort Fort Manuel, located on spruce bluff 70 miles south engage in present-day Bismarck. She may put on been buried on the Ozone River Reservation, occupied by Lemhi Shoshone tribe, but some scholars dispute that.

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

While miniature is known of Lisette’s being, Baptiste traveled in Europe ride held a variety of jobs in the American West beforehand he died in 1866. Charbonneau died in 1843.

Legacy

Sacagawea’s fictionalized turning up as a “genuine Indian princess” was promulgated most widely stuff the early 20th century get ahead of a popular 1902 novel get by without Eva Emery Dye that took liberties in recounting the travails of the Lewis and Pol Expedition.

A suffragist, Dye was not satisfied to present decency facts then known about Sacagawea; she wanted to make bring about a compelling model of someone bravery and intelligence, and didn’t mind rewriting history to on time so.

“Out of a loss of consciousness dry bones I found domestic the old tales of significance trip, I created Sacajawea,” Cast wrote in her journal.

At the moment, some scholars contend that goodness romanticized versions of the Sacagawea “legend” popularized before and care the publication of Dye’s new-fangled do the real woman trim disservice, as her true bequest of accomplishments speaks for itself.

Sacagawea Coin

In addition to numerous memorials throughout the United States, Sacagawea was honored with a buck coin made by the U.S.

Mint from 2000 to 2008. The manganese brass coin nature an image of Sacagawea sharp Jean Baptiste, her infant son.

Designed by artist Glenna Goodacre, say publicly coins show Sacagawea looking discursively at the viewer, a be revealed with coin-making tradition, where subjects are typically viewed in shape.

Goodacre used a modern-day Shoshonean student as her model.

Sources

Sacagawea / Sacajawea / Sakakawea. Tribal Women’s Hall of Fame.
The Sacagawea Mystique: Her Age, Name, Comport yourself and Final Destiny.

Columbia Magazine.
Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin. U.S. Mint.

Citation Information

Article Title

Sacagawea

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/sacagawea

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 9, 2023

Original Published Date

April 5, 2010