Sacajawea, Indian Woman of Mystery & Myth
Questions Surround this Heroine of the Lewis & Clark Expedition
Sep 30, 2009
This article focuses on Sacajawea’s primary identity: her name.
An Unlikely Leader
Sacajawea’s place in history has been proven through written historical record, oral tradition and official reports. It is a fact that she was the Shoshone Indian guide who was vital to the success of the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Between 1804 and 1806, this teenage mother led the white explorers from the Northern Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Along with Sacajawea were her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and their son who was born during the trip, Jean Baptiste.
Her invaluable knowledge of the terrain, her ability to recognize and prepare wild edibles, her ability to speak and interpret many languages, and her effectiveness as a peace token among tribes they met along the way all contributed to the ultimate success of the expedition.
However, the narrative of Sacajawea’s personal life was one of conflicting reports and lingering questions.
What’s in a Name?
The name Sacajawea – spelled with a “j” – is derived from from Saca-tzaw-meah, which means "boat puller" or "boat launcher" in the Shoshone language. It is the spelling used by her Lemhi Shoshone people. It is also the spelling on her gravestone and bronze sculpture memorial at Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.
Sacagawea -- with a “g” -- is the most widely used spelling of her name, and is pronounced with a hard "g" sound, rather than a soft "g" or "j" sound. Lewis and Clark's original journals mention Sacagawea by name seventeen times, spelled eight different ways, each time with a "g." Clark used Sahkahgarwea, Sahcahgagwea, Sarcargahwea and Sahcahgahweah, while Lewis used Sahcahgahwea, Sahcahgarweah, Sahcargarweah and Sahcahgar Wea.
The spelling Sacagawea was established in 1910 as the proper usage in government documents by the United states Bureau of Ethnology, and is the spelling adopted by the United States Mint for use with the commemorative gold dollar coin, as well as the United States Board on Geographic Names and the U.S. National Park Service.
Sakakawea is the next most widely used spelling, which is derived from tsakáka wía, for "bird woman" in the Hadatsa language. Charbonneau told expedition members that his wife's name meant "Bird Woman." Members of the Hidatsa tribe captured Sacajawea when she was a girl of about 11, and a few years later, traded her to her future husband.
Later in life, according to Sacagawea of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and other accounts, Sacajawea married a Comanche and went by the name Porivo, which meant “Chief Woman.”
Sacajawea – by any other spelling – was unquestionably a remarkable woman of strength, ability and sense of duty. Caught up in a moment in history, she rose to the occasion and trekked 6,000 miles across the country to lead the way to the Pacific, opening up the West to white exploration and eventual settlement.
 |
 |
