The story of Native American, Sacagawea…

⁃ Born in 1788 into the Agaidika Tribe of the Lemhi Shishone in what is now Idaho.

⁃ When she was about 12, Sacagawea and several other girls were kidnapped by of Hidatsa Indians

⁃ She was taken captive to a Hidatsa village in North Dakota

⁃ She was then sold to a French Canadian, Toussaint Charbonneau

⁃ Within a year, she was pregnant with her first child

⁃ Soon after she became pregnant, the Corps of Discovery arrived near the Hidatsa villages

⁃ Captains Meriweather Lewis and William Clark built fort Mandan there and then started interviewing people to help guide them on their expedition

⁃ They agreed to hire Sacagawea’s husband – Charbonneau

⁃ Sacagawea would come along as an interpreter to assist in the communications of any native tribes

⁃ Shortly after, Sacagawea gave birth to a boy named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau

⁃ Clark called JBC, ‘Pompy’

⁃ Sacagawea carried Pompy on her back as they forged on with Lewis and Clark

⁃ In 1805, the boat they were riding in was capsized

⁃ She dove into the water recovering all the important papers and supplies which included the journals of Lewis and Clark

⁃ Later that year, Captian Lewis and three men scouted 75 miles ahead of the expedition’s main party crossing the continental divide and encountered a group of Shoshones

⁃ The Shisones was led by Chief Cameahwait who turned out to be Sacajawea’s brother

⁃ After 5 years of separation, Sacagawea and her brother are re-united

⁃ Unfortunately she had to bid farewell to her brother and continue on with the journey

⁃ At one point, the expedition became so difficult and freezing, the group had to eat candles to survive

⁃ On the return trip, they encountered an Indian wearing a beautiful fur robe

⁃ Lewis and Clark wanted to bring the robe to Thomas Jefferson as a gift but had nothing to trade for it

⁃ Sacagawea agreed to trade her most prized possession – her beaded belt

⁃ A little over 2 years after the expedition began, it was finally over ending in St. Louis