They needed local guides to help them through this unknown territory. Sacagawea, a young Native American, joined them. Born to a Shoshone chief around , Sacagawea had been kidnapped by an enemy tribe when she was about 12, then sold to a French-Canadian trapper. Sacagawea soon became a respected member of the group. She was skilled at finding plants for food and medicine to help keep the explorers alive.
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. When they needed horses to cross rough terrain, she convinced a Shoshone tribe—led by her long-lost brother—to give them some.
She was so respected by Lewis and Clark that when they reached the Pacific Ocean in November , Sacagawea was asked to cast her vote for where they should build a fort. Sacagawea proved herself again after the group took a different route home through what is now Idaho. As they passed through her homeland, Sacagawea remembered Shoshone trails from her childhood and helped the expedition find their way through.
Both Anderson and Saindon rely heavily on the findings of professional linguists, who in turn differ considerably in their conclusions. Along with the historian Donald Jackson, I have found the Sacagawea spelling most acceptable. Far more important than the spelling and meaning of Sacagawea's name is the nature and scope of her contributions to the expedition. Perhaps the most persistent Lewis and Clark myth is that Sacagawea "guided" the party to the Pacific. In countless statues, poems, paintings, and books she is depicted as a westward-pointing pathfinder providing invaluable direction for bewildered explorers.
In the interest of correction, there has been a tendency to underestimate Sacagawea's genuine achievements as a member of the Corps of Discovery. Not as important as George Drouillard or John Ordway , the young woman did make significant contributions to the expedition's success.
Those contributions can be discussed under four heads. When the expedition left Fort Mandan in April , its most immediate need was to find the Shoshoni Indians and obtain horses for what was assumed would be an easy mountain portage to Pacific waters. Lewis and Clark certainly believed that Sacagawea would be of considerable value in the Shoshoni mission. They expected that she might recognize landmarks along the route and would provide general information about the location of Shoshoni camps.
When Sacagawea became ill at the Great Falls of the Missouri , Lewis admitted, "This gave me some concern as well as for the poor object herself, than with the young child in her arms, as from the consideration of her being our only dependence for friendly negocition with the Snake Indians. For reasons that are now unclear, Sacagawea was not included in Lewis's advance party that finally made contact with the Shoshonis in August Good relations between the explorers and Cameahwait depended far more on promises of guns and trades than on any intercessions made by Sacagawea.
Sacagawea was not an expedition guide in the usual sense of the word. When Lewis and Clark needed to make a critical decision in early June about the true channel of the Missouri , she took no part in the process. Much later, when the expedition needed guides, men like Old Toby , Tetoharsky , and Twisted Hair were hired for that duty.
Only twice did Sacagawea provide what might be termed guide services. In late July and early August , she recognized important geographical features on the way to find Shoshoni camps. On the return journey in , Sacagawea accompanied Clark's party and provided the explorer with valuable information on what has since been named Bozeman Pass.
For most of the transcontinental journey, Sacagawea was seeing country as new to her as it was to the captains. That she was not in the lead making trail decisions does not diminish the fact that when she did recognize a landmark, "this piece of information cheered the spirits of the party.
Success in many of the expedition's Indian missions depended on reliable communication and translation. Both diplomacy and the collection of ethnographic information demanded the sort of communication that George Drouillard's signs could not always provide. One of Sacagawea's most important roles in the expedition was that of translator, or as Clark quaintly put it, "interpretress with the Snake Indians.
Sacagawea was able to continue those duties west of the Continental Divide because of the presence of Shoshoni prisoners among groups that did not speak Shoshoni.
Talks with the Flatheads at Ross's Hole were conducted through such a prisoner, as were those on the return journey with the Walulas and Nez Perces. The expedition also benefited from the physical presence of Sacagawea and her child. Pittsburgh, Penn,: Cramer, Spear and Eichbaum, Taber, Ronald. Tubbs, Stephenie Ambrose. Lincoln: U. Skip to main content. A project of the Oregon Historical Society.
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