SACAGAWEA

= SACAGAW **EA a**uthor:Angela D =

Sacagawea December 20, 1812 was a Native American woman who accompanied the Corps of Discovery of Meriwether Lewis and William. At the age of about 16 she married a French trapper Toussaint Charbonneau, who was also married to another Shoshone woman .He had purchased both from the Hidatsa as slaves). Sacagawea was pregnant with their first child when the Corps of Discovery arrived in the area to spend the winter. Needing someone to interpret the Hidatsa language, Lewis and Clark interviewed Charbonneau for the job. Although they were not overly impressed with him, the deal was sealed when they discovered that Sacagawea spoke Shoshone, an added bonus. She would become invaluable in her role as interpreter, as seen below.

She was born to a tribe of Shoshone near what is now Three Forks, Montana, and betrothed at an early age to a much older man. However, in 1800, she was kidnapped by a group of Hidatsa, and taken to their village in North Dakota. She therefore grew up culturally affiliated with this tribe. Her name is taken from the Hidatsa phrase for "Bird Woman." . Sacagawea gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, on February 11, 1805 while staying with the party. she brought her child along to the party and by doing that it didn't feel like it was a war party it mostly felt like a peaceful party because everyone was protecting each other.  = =

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