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Sacajawea
- Sakakawea - Sacagawea
There is a certain mystique which surrounds parts of the life of Sacajawea.
Many students of history have studied her name and there is a disparity
among them over the spelling, pronunciation, derivation and meaning of
her name. I have opted to use the most common spelling, although not the
most accurate, to assist those searching for information on this remarkable
Native American woman. Fifteen times her name was found entered in the
journals of Lewis and Clark, one of the entries being made by Sgt. John
Ordway. Lewis, Clark and Ordway were consistent in their use of the letter
"g" in the third syllable of her name, spelling it, Sacagawea
. This
spelling means "Bird Woman", as she was called by Lewis and Clark, sacaga,
meaning bird, and wea, meaning woman. It is pronounced sä-cä´gä-we-ä,
with a hard "g". The "Sakakawea" spelling is not found in the journals
of Lewis and Clark but is advocated by the North Dakota Hidatsa and was
constructed from two Hidatsa words, "tsa-ka-ka, noun; a bird," and "mia
[wia, bia], noun; a woman."
Sacajawea was a Shoshoni girl, believed to be living in Idaho, when, around
the age of 10, a band of Hidatsa captured Sacajawea, taking her to their
camp somewhere near the border of North Dakota. From this time on her life
was destined
to become a part of history. She was about 17 and pregnant when she first
met Lewis and Clark. Her "husband", Toussaint Charbonneau, a French Canadian
fur trader had purchased her from the Hidatsa and claimed her as his "wife".
A son was
born to her, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, at Fort Mandan, February 11, 1805.
Charbonneau,
conversant in both Hidatsu and French was hired by the expedition as an
interpreter and was specifically asked to bring his wife and baby along.
They realized the siginificant contribution she could make as an interpreter
when they reached Shoshoni country and her presence, with her young son,
would bear witness to the peaceful purpose of the expedition.
In his journals, Capt. Clark credits Sacajawea with many contributions
to the success of the expedition. She knew the lay of the land, she was
familiar with mountain passes and saved them weeks of travel. She
was an excellent negotiator and interpreter with the tribes they encountered
along their way, enabling them to keep a fresh supply of horses. Her knowledge
of edible plants and her skill at gathering and preparing roots, nuts and
berries provided strengthening food and nourishment. The extent of her
overall contribution to the success of the expeditions is evident in the
journals of Capt. William Clark.
The fate
of Sacajawea after the conclusion of the Lewis and Clark expedition is
somewhat vague. She left the abusive Charbonneau and spent some time in
St. Louis where she left her young son with Clark who promised to raise
him as his own in safety, away from the abuses of his father. The events
surrounding her death are as varied as the spellings of her neam. Dr. Charles
Eastman did extensive research into this matter and concluded that Shoshoni
oral history, was the most accurate. It tells of her remarriage and subsequent
children, her name becoming Porivo. The native woman Porivo spoke French
fluently, had intimate knowledge of the expedition of Capt.'s Lewis and
Clark, wore a Jefferson medal around her neck and was a political speaker
at the meeting which led to the Ft. Badger Treaty. She was also credited
with introducing the Sun Dance Ceremony to the Shoshoni. The woman, Porivo,
is buried in the white cemetery at Ft. Washaki, Wind River Indian Reservation,
Wyoming. She died at age 96. Other accounts, including that of Clarks account
of the members of his expedition state her as dead. Some accounts state
she died at age 25 of "putrid fever."
We
will never know much about the life of this outstanding Native woman, other
than that period of time she was with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The
contribution she made in that small segment of time was so significant
that she will be remembered for all generations to come. Her strength of
character, her intelligence, her willingness to serve, with a babe in her
arms, has earned her the respect and admiration of all Americans.
Clark's journal entry for May 20, 1805, reads: "a handsome river of about
fifty yards in width discharged itself into the shell [Mussellshell] river...this
stream we called Sah-ca-gah-we-ah or bird woman’s River, after our interpreter
the Snake woman." Soon the face of a Native American woman will grace the
new One Dollar coin in honor of "Sacagawea", the bird woman who traveled
with Lewis and Clark.
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