Discover Sacajawea as a Prominent Indigenous Woman

Biography of Sacajawea
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Biography of Sacajawea
Sacajawea was a prominent woman who became the only interpreter and a guide to Clark and Lewis Expedition of 1804-1806. Her exact year of birth is not known clearly, but sources indicate that she was born between 1784 and 1788 to the Lemhi band of Shoshone. Shoshone were Indians who inhabited the Eastern parts of the Salmon River which are the present Idaho. Her Shoshone name was Boinaiv which denotes "Grass Maiden."
Boinaiv was kidnapped by Hidatsa tribe warriors who raided her band. She was at the age of 12 years (Franklin, 2002). She was taken to the village of Hidatsa, a place currently called Bismark, North of Dakota. Boinave was given the name Sacagawea by the captors which means "Bird Woman." Sacajawea, alongside other girls captured together, was sold as a slave to a French man called Charbonneau who finally married the young girls. Sacajawea gave birth at the age of 16 (Franklin, 2002).
The husband to Sacajawea joined expedition at Fort Mandan in 1804 when the expedition camped for a winter in the area. Sacajawea gave birth to a boy who was given a Shoshone name Pomp in February 1805 (Franklin, 2002). On April the same year, the expedition which was authorized to explore the territories between Columbia Rivers and Mississippi, resumed their trek westwards along the Missouri River (Franklin, 2002).
Sacajawea Became a Prominent Indigenous Woman Due To Her Bravery
During the navigation of the river in the expedition, the boat in which Sacajawea was sailing in was hit by a storm squall. The boat keeled to the side almost capsizing. Everyone in the boat was working desperately to ride the boat and prevent it from capsizing. Surprisingly, Sacajawea with a young baby strapped to her back was busy retrieving instruments and the valuable books that were floating away from the boat (Cook, 1994). The books were rubbed in a waterproof material, and Sacajawea's courage and swiftness saved the books and the instruments from being swept away by the water (Cook, 1994).
Sacajawea also played a role in guiding and influencing the direction taken by the expedition in the course of their mission. When the expedition reached areas where Shoshone people used to hunt, Sacajawea suggested to the group to take a tributary of the Beaverhead River which could lead them to the mountains that were inhabited by people (Cook, 1994). Lewis and Clark were able to meet the horses they were wanted to buy at this place courtesy of Sacajawea's ...