• EXPLORER (albeit forcibly)
• Crucial member of Lewis and Clark's expedition through the newly purchased Louisiana Territory
• A member of the Shoshone people, she was captured and enslaved by an enemy tribe when she was 11 or 12 years old, then sold to Toussaint Charbonneau a few years later
• Charbonneau was hired by Lewis and Clark because Sacagawea (then 16 years old) spoke Shoshone; so even though she had just given birth to Charbonneau's son, she had to join the expedition
• She was the ONLY woman on the team, carrying and caring for their child throughout the entire journey
• Not only were her linguistic skills, knowledge of edible plants, and ability to scavenge helpful, but her presence itself proved critical for the survival of the team, disarming potentially hostile encounters with Native American tribes
• Also served as guide​ at times
• ​She was paid nothing for her role (all the money went to Charbonneau), although Lewis and Clark both called her out as being instrumental to the success of their mission
• ​There are MORE statues of her in the United States than any other woman
• Sacagawea (sometimes spelled Sacajawea) means Bird Woman, and is the name given to her by her captors; her real name is unknown, but some believe it was Grass Maiden
• Her life after the Lewis & Clark expedition is a mystery, with some believing she died in South Dakota in 1812, while other historians believe she left Charbonneau and died in Wyoming in 1884

Bibliography: Caldwell, Stella, Clare Hibbert, Andrea Mills, and Rona Skene. 100 Women Who Made History: Remarkable Women Who Shaped Our World. New York: DK Publishing, 2017. Print.
Drimmer, Stephanie W. National Geographic Kids: The Book of Heroines: Tales of History's Gutsiest Gals. Washington DC: National Geographic Partners, LLC, 2016. Print.
Rooney, Frances. Extraordinary Women Explorers. Toronto: Second Story Press, 2005. Print.
Townsend, Camilla. "Sacagawea." The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History, Vol. 3, Oxford University Press, 2008, 623.

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Sacajawea Historical State Park
Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural & Educational Center

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