The Interpreter In October of 1804, Lewis and Clark, travelling northwest in North Dakota, came across the Mandan Village. Lewis and Clark decided to stay at the Mandan Village for the winter, October of 1804 to April of 1805. The Mandan Indians traded with Lewis and Clark and also told the Hidatsa Indians that the white men wanted to attack. Lewis and Clark went to them to make peace and trade and that is where they met Sacagawea (Burns, 2012). Lewis and Clark’s words were passed along through the two tribes that they were looking for an interpreter who spoke the language of the tribes to the west. The other Indians suggested Charbonneau and his wives (Joyce et al., 2003).
Sunday, September 4th, 1804 Charbonneau, interpreter of gross venture nation, came to see us and informed us he came down with several Indians from a hunting expedition up the river to hear what we told the Indians and council this man wishes to hire as an interpreter- William Clark (Joyce et al., 2003). Charbonneau went to the council and this is when they learned about the Shoshone Indians. He recalled that the Shoshone Inians were the tribe of Sacagawea's people. He realized they could borrow her to travel over the Rocky Mountains. Sacagawea’s first encounter with Lewis and Clark was around the age of sixteen on Sunday, November 11th, 1804, as written in Sergeant Ordway’s journal, a member of the Corps of Discovery. Ordway mentions that Charbonneau and his two wives presented four buffalo robes as gifts for the Corps of Discovery (Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation, 2009). Charbonneau was hired as a full-time interpreter for the journey and told to bring his one wife along since she was a Shoshone Indian. Clark only wanted one of the wives to come along and we are not sure why Sacagawea was chosen, especially since she was pregnant when they met her and gave birth to her son soon before the Corps of Discovery planned on leaving the Mandan Village to continue their journey. Sacagawea was possibly Charbonneau, Lewis, and Clark’s favorite. Both Lewis and Clark agreed with Charbonneau as her being the chosen wife and also agreed to bring the baby on the expedition (Summit, 2008). After being hired, Charbonneau and Sacagawea moved to a room next to the two Captains in the Mandan Village. Monday, February 11th, 1805, about five o’clock this evening one of the wives of Charbonneau was delivered of a fine boy, it was worthy of remark that this was the first child which this woman had born and as is common in such cases her labor was tedious and pain violent- Meriwether Lewis. (Summit, 2008) Charbonneau and Sacagawea named their son Jean Babtiste, a typical French name. Lewis and Clark referred to Jean Babtiste as: Pomp, Pompey, and Dancing Boy. Clark was very found of the baby boy. Sacagawea took good care of her child, as there were no comments about a crying or unhappy baby throughout the journals. |
The Travel On Sunday, April 7th, 1805, around four o’clock p.m. the Corps of Discovery set out with a total of thirty-one members including: Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, Jean, and Charbonneau, York, a slave, sergeants and privates (Summit, 2008). They traveled fifteen to twenty miles a day mostly by water in large canoes and pirogues. Sacagawea, Jean, and Charbonneau shared their nights with Lewis and Clark in tents, also known as teepees. On the second day of the journey they camped at a place where Sacagawea could find roots and berries to prepare for their evening meal, because she knew how to gather food and sources. Their diet was mostly meat, so she felt it was her job to help them keep a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables. The men might have gone hungry without the nutrition Sacagawea provided.
“Thursday, April 9th, 1805, when we halted for dinner, she busied herself in searching for wild artichokes, this operation she performed by penetrating the earth with a large stick- Meriwether Lewis” (Joyce et al., 2003). The first weeks went at ease heading toward the Yellowstone River. Sacagawea would walk along riverside with Clark carrying her son (Joyce et al., 2003). Sacagawea provided information she knew about climates and customs of the inhabitants. For the first months they had no encounters with Indians, but passed old camps. Sacagawea studied moccasins they found stating what kind of Indians they were. When they came across red cloth in a field she explained to them that the abandoned Indian camp meant it was a customary gift to the creator when they left to find new surroundings. Although she was meant to be an interpreter, Sacagawea provided herself as a vital part and a ready source of information (Summit, 2008). Sacagawea was thought to give the Corps of Discovery a sense of family and home that kept them moving forward and also made their life on the journey a little better. She reminded them why they were on the expedition. Sacagawea saved the day more times than once throughout the expedition. On May 14th, 1805, the weather took a rough turn, windy and stormy; Charbonneau steered the boat the wrong way and flipped the boat. Sacagawea kept calm and retrieved papers, journals, books, trading materials, medicine, and instruments. Although Meriwether Lewis rarely talked about Sacagawea, he did record in his journal about her with gratitude that day (Summit, 2008). “Thursday May 16th 1805 the Indian woman to whom I ascribe equal fortitude and resolution with any person onboard at the time of the accident caught and preserved most of the light articles which were washed overboard-Meriwether Lewis” (Joyce et al., 2003). Six days after this incident Lewis and Clark honored her by as they traveled up the Missouri River, naming a tributary after her. A number of problems on the expedition with the members were related to various physical ailments. “Sunday, June 23rd, 1805, to state the fatigues of this party would take up more of the journal than other notes- William Clark” (Joyce et al., 2003). Sacagawea fell dangerously ill, the journey had taken its toll on her as they reached the Great Falls, she could do nothing but sleep. She had a very high fever and Clark stayed with her while Lewis continued to explore the area. Sacagawea did not have the same symptoms of the other men that were ill. Lewis and Clark wrote in their journals that Sacagawea was ill because she had "taken a cold.” When they blamed her partner Toussaint Charbonneau for her illness, they likely meant that she was pregnant and had miscarried. Their references to the illness related to writing at the time and in the context of medical interest had a relationship of a cold to women's menstrual cycles. After about a week, Sacagawea had apparently recovered due to treatments given by Lewis and Clark (Kaster & Valencius, 2008). Now that Sacagawea was well again, a very dangerous and difficult part of the journey had begun; an eighteen-mile portage around the falls and rapids on the river that the canoes and pirogues were not going to be able to manage. Before they tried to conquer the falls they decided to build wagons and carts to haul the canoes and pirogues up the hilly terrain. It took them a total of ten days to pass the portage with the bad weather and difficult rocks. On the last day a sudden storm came through; a flood caused rushing rocks and debris to pour down the hillside into the valley. They took shelter under a rock overhang, but had to move to higher ground due to the rise in the water. Charbonneau pulled Sacagawea and Jean while Clark pushed up the rocky hill face. Most of Jean Baptiste’s clothing and blankets were lost in the flood along with other things (Summit, 2008). At the end of July, almost a month after the Corps of Discovery had managed to complete the difficult portage around the falls, Sacagawea began to recognize the landscapes. This part of the journey was in what is now Montana, an area where the Shoshones often traveled. Sacagawea told them that up the river at Three Forks are where they would find her people. Monday, July 22nd, 1805 Indian woman recognizes and assures us that this the river on which her relations live and that the three forks are at no great distance this info has cheered the spirits of the party- Meriwether Lewis (Joyce et al., 2003). Lewis and Clark were very happy to hear this good news Sacagawea was giving about the area she recognized, but it would be weeks before they reached the Shoshone Indians. As they made this journey up the river, through parts of the Rocky Mountains, Sacagawea told stories of her people, pointed out landmarks she remembered, and reassured Lewis and Clark that her people would trade for their horses. Sacagawea recognized the area where the Hidatsa Indians had captured her, and soon after, they reached Three Forks, just as Sacagawea had told them. It was up to Lewis and Clark what fork to take next, because she was not sure, but Sacagawea had confirmed their choice when she was recognizing more landmarks on the river (Summit, 2008). On August 13th, 1805, some Shoshone women were gathering food a few miles from their village when Lewis and some of his men approached. The woman were fearful, but saw that the men were friendly when Lewis laid down his gun, gave them trinkets, and painted their faces with vermilion, which is a symbol of peace. The women convinced the war party of Shoshones that these strangers were safe. The chief, Cameahwait, welcomed Lewis and his men and treated them as guests. These were the first white men the Shoshones had ever seen. Cameahwait described to Lewis that the rivers ahead were impassibleconfirming that they could not make an all water route to the Pacific. They would have to traverse the Bitterroot Mountains to continue the expedition. Horses were crucial for the Corps to have and the Shoshones had a herd of about seven hundred (Burns, 2012). The next day the small group headed back for the others including Clark and Sacagawea. They desperately needed Sacagawea to translate, since it was difficult to sign for communication. On August 17th, 1805, Sacagawea finally got to see her people again. She recognized many people and Lewis and Clark mentioned in journals that they were moved by the experience (Summit, 2008). While communicating and negotiating, Sacagawea had recognized Cameahwait as her brother. After the emotional reunion Cameahwait agreed to sell the Corps of Discovery the horses they needed and they agreed to return them on their journey back east (Burns, 2012). They stayed days after to trade, gather horses, help with food, and explore the area. On August 25th, 1805, Sacagawea saved the day by being able to listen to what the Shoshones were saying. Sacagawea relayed the message to Lewis that the Shoshones were planning to travel and leave the Corps of Discovery with fewer than enough horses. Charbonneau relayed the message hours after knowing and Lewis was very angry with him and referred to him as a liability. Lewis called the Shoshone chiefs to discuss the importance of the horses for the journey over the mountains and the advantages to being good friends with the white men. Cameahwait admitted to being dishonest, apologized, and kept his word. They gathered a total of twenty-nine horses and one mule and left the Shoshone Indians. Sacagawea never mentioned, debated, or asked to stay with her people and continued on the journey with the Corps of Discovery, headed north (Summit, 2008). Toby, an elder Shoshone Indian, led them over them the top of the mountains and then returned back to his tribe (Joyce et al., 2003). The mountains would prove to be the Corps of Discovery’s toughest phase. The summer was ending and the cold weather was soon on the way. They struggled with cold rain, rocky paths, tired and limited horses, and limited amounts of food. They came across several different tribes who helped with food, shelter, and even sold the Corps of Discovery more horses. Many of the Indian villages were wary of the white men until they saw Sacagawea, a woman with a baby; then knew the white men meant no harm. “Sunday October 13th 1805 the presence of Sacagawea with the expedition convinces all Indian people of the peaceful intentions of our party having a woman with the expedition is a sure sign we are not a war party-William Clark” (Joyce et al., 2003). |
The Pacific Although Sacagawea’s main purpose of the journey as an interpreter was over, she wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. When the Corps of Discovery first reached the Pacific Ocean, the journals spoke of how joyful people felt reaching their final goal, but the conditions were far from excellent. As they searched for a place to camp for the winter many of the men became sick, the weather was bitter cold and every day was rain and fog. They wrote of how drinking water became scarce because it was salty the closer they came to the ocean. One day, a chief of the Chinook people who lived at the mouth of the Columbia met with Lewis and offered him friendship. Lewis hoped he would be able to establish a good trading relationship with them to help the expedition manage the long winter ahead. Both Lewis and Clark, however, complained in their journals that any time a Chinook gave them a gift, they expected far more than the gift was worth in return. One Chinook came to trade and wore a beautiful coat of otter fur, which both Lewis and Clark thought was the most beautiful fur they had ever seen. Desperate to trade for this coat, Lewis offered the man many things, but the man refused to give up his coat. Finally, they offered him a blue-beaded belt that belonged to Sacagawea. Blue beads were very much in demand by the Chinook Indians. They considered them symbols of a chief. The blue-beaded belt finally sealed the trade. With trade so expensive they needed a place to stay for the winter and through an equal vote, including Sacagawea and York, an African American slave, to move south over the river. This was a great moment in American history and was the first time an African American man and a woman were able to vote (Summit, 2008). All the cabins were built by December 25th, 1805, and named Fort Clapston. Life started to settle into a boring daily routine. On January 6th Lewis recorded about a beached whale he wanted to see with some of his men and Sacagawea was told to stay behind; however, she protested about traveling a long way and working very hard and she told them she was going to see the whale and which she very well did.
At the end of March in 1806, the Corps of Discovery was eager to leave and started packing for their departure, but were not able to due to bad weather and on March 23rd they finally started their return trip. The trip back was also difficult and Sacagawea helped as an interpreter again using signing and finding Indians who spoke Mandan and Shoshone and also providing food for the men. During this time Jean Babtiste was just a toddler and it must have been difficult for Sacagawea to carry and keep up with him through the cold, long, and dangerous days. After tackling the Rock Mountains, Lewis and Clark decided to go separate paths. Sacagawea, her son, and Charbonneau decided to go with Clark in the most direct path to the Mandan Village. On the way east, Sacagawea recognized many land marks and guided the Corps of Discovery back east. Clark listened to many of Sacagawea’s suggestions about plants, food, and following the animals. Lewis and Clark met up on the river on August 12th and on August 14th they arrived at Fort Mandan. On August 17th, 1806, Sacagawea’s journey was over. Clark said his goodbyes to Sacagawea and Jean Babtiste and paid Charbonneau as an interpreter. Charbonneau and Clark made an arrangement for Jean Babtiste, in a year, to live with Clark in St. Louis where he would be well-taken care of and educated. Sacagawea must have been sad to see the Corps of Discovery leave, but happy to be done with the rough travels. Three years later in 1809, Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and Jean Babtiste traveled to live with Clark. In 1811 Charbonneau and Sacagawea decided to head back to the Mandan Village and leave Jean Babtiste with Clark in St. Louis. In 1812 Sacagawea gave birth to a daughter known as Lizette. That same year Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and her daughter joined a fur-trading expedition. It was recorded by their leader John Luttig that Sacagawea was not feeling well and that she died of a fever on December 20th, 1812. Soon after her death, Clark received custody of Jean Babtiste and Lizette ( Pillow, 2007; Summit, 2008). |