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TAKEN FROM HOME<o:p></o:p>I was born into the Lemhi Shoshone tribe. We lived at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in what is now known as Idaho or Montana.&nbsp;<div><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F587a0d94aab641bdba3765863a461bb5" alt="" style="width: 377.855px; height: 251.188px;"></div>My life changed when I was about 12 years old.&nbsp;A Hidatsa tribe attacked our settlement. Several people from my tribe were killed, and some girls and I were kidnapped. We were frightened, but I knew that I had to be strong.&nbsp;&nbsp;Life with the Hidatsa tribe was different from life with my tribe. I was made to work in the fields. My captors showed no mercy, but I always watched for my chance to escape. I eventually learned the Hidatsa’s language, which later proved useful.While I was still just a young teenager, the Hidatsa sold me to a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau. I soon became pregnant with our first child.&nbsp;<div>MEETING LEWIS AND CLARK</div>In the autumn of 1804, an expedition led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived close to our village. They had been sent by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Purchase and lands to the west. They built a fort and stayed there over the winter.&nbsp;Lewis and Clark were looking for guides to help them along their route, and they hired my husband. They soon found that I knew more about the native languages than my husband, so they asked him to bring me along as an additional interpreter.&nbsp;Before heading off, I gave birth to a son, Jean Baptiste, during a harsh, icy winter in February 1805. I was only 17 years old.&nbsp;When the ground began to warm, plans for our 8,000-mile journey were made, and in April we set out – me with my baby. Captain Lewis led us along the Missouri River in a small boat.&nbsp;<div>A TRUSTED GUIDE</div>At one point, our boat capsized. While everyone else swam to safety, I remained calm and saved important papers, instruments, books, medicine, and other valuables from the rushing water. The following week, Lewis and Clark named a tributary of Montana’s Musselshell River after me.<div><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F2e12bb64ed7c424bbce0b0ce11299060" alt="" style="width: 401px; height: 313.594px;"></div>There was always danger for me as the only woman on the expedition – and I was also looking after my baby son. It was difficult, but I had many skills that helped the expedition: I made moccasins and clothing, identified plants, and searched for fruits and vegetables that we could eat.&nbsp;My being there also showed other tribes that our group came in peace.In August, we were in unexplored territory in what is now Montana. Captain Lewis asked me to ride ahead to talk to some Shoshone tribesmen. As I got nearer, I recognised their leader. It was my long-lost brother.&nbsp;I shouted out his name - Cameahwait. He rode over at full gallop. What a reunion it was - he thought my kidnappers had killed me.&nbsp;My brother agreed to help our expedition. He found horses and guides for us and helped us cross the dangerous and difficult Rocky Mountains.&nbsp;They talked to local tribe leaders to keep us safe, but they could not solve the major problem of hunger. We had to eat candles to survive. I found camas roots to feed everyone, which helped to save us.<div><img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F7f0abafc495d4914a649a59dbda8a095" alt="" style="width: 25%;"></div>When we finally arrived at the Pacific Ocean, I was included in casting votes on where to build our winter shelter. I was also granted my request to visit the ocean.<div>RETURN HOME</div>In August 1806, after a five month return journey, we arrived back at Fort Mandan. It was time for Toussaint and me to say goodbye to our friends on the expedition. My husband received 320 acres and around $500 for his services.&nbsp;Even though William Clark had called me his pilot and relied on me, I received nothing. But although I was a young woman, and my contributions may not have been officially recognised at the time, I knew I had made my mark on history.GLOSSARY<o:p></o:p>Louisiana Purchase – The Louisiana Purchase (1803) was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. bought approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.Interpreter – a person who can translate between people who speak different languages.Captors – people that catch or confine others.Camas roots – the nutritious root of a North American plant of the lily family, and a food that was important to Native Americans.LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Sacagawea played a major part in assisting American explorers on this historic expedition. Her knowledge of the trails, the plants required for medicinal purposes, and food sources proved invaluable to the explorers. Being able to translate, she ensured supplies and a commitment from the Shoshones.</li><li>Considered a role model by many women, Sacagawea became an inspiration for the women’s movement, and she was the face of the National Woman Suffrage Association in the early 20th century.</li><li>Sacagawea’s image appears on a commemorative dollar coin, first issued in 2000.</li><li>Long after her death, Sacagawea was added into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Texas in 1976. The Hall of Fame honours those whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience and independence that helped shape the West.</li><li>Even though Lewis and Clark would never have completed their mission without her, Sacagawea was never compensated for her service to the expedition. Her husband, however, received 320 acres of land and $500.33.</li><li>Several places have been named after her, including Lake Sacajawea, in Washington state, and Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. There are numerous monuments and statues across the US dedicated to her, including one in Washington, D.C.</li></ul>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITS<o:p></o:p>Shoshoni Tipis (image does not show Sacagawea), W. H. Jackson, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsLewis and Clark expedition, Charles Marion Russell, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsLewis, Clark and Sacagawea at Three Forks, Edgar Samuel Paxson, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<div> </div><div> </div>

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