The Linguist

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER The Linguist 7 @Linguist_CIOL FEATURES The story of Sacagawea is one that has very few verifiable facts. And yet the legend of this young mother makes her perhaps the most commemorated American woman, second only to Pocahontas. There are at least 24 statues of her in different state capitols and parks. She has had a coin and a postage stamp with her image, bravely walking with a baby on her back, pointing the way west. About 100 years after she interpreted for an exploratory expedition commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, she was portrayed by the novelist Eva Emery Dye as a brave 'Indian' guide for the white explorers. Dye's novel planted the story of Sacagawea into the romantic imagination of American legends and ensured her a place in the history textbooks. While many of the stories are fanciful, her short life filled an important place in United States history as an interpreter and informal diplomat between European Americans and the Indigenous people whose lands they traversed. While mostly a symbol, she was, indeed, a trailblazer. Sacagawea was born around 1788 into the Lemhi Shoshone tribe, a nomadic people who populated what is now Idaho and Montana. Her life took a major turn around the age of 12 when she was captured by Hidatsa warriors – a practice aimed at cementing relationships between tribes. When she turned 16, she became the second wife of the French fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau. He served as an interpreter for US government dignitaries, artists and westward travellers as they passed through the Mandan and Hidatsa lands. In 1803, President Jefferson negotiated the purchase of a large swath of land from Napoleon Bonaparte. Known as the Louisiana April Summitt uncovers the tragically short life of Sacagawea – the much mythologised interpreter for President Jefferson's western expedition The trailblazers Purchase, it expanded the western boundaries of the young nation and inspired Jefferson to send explorers in search of the fabled northwest passage. Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, this 'Corps of Discovery' included almost 40 volunteers from the US Army, as well as Charbonneau, Sacagawea and their son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, who was born in early 1805, just before they joined the expedition. The few details we know about Sacagawea come from The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. On 7 April 1805, Clark wrote her name as 'Sah-kah-gar-we-a'. Most of the time, she was referenced as the 'squaw' or wife of Charbonneau. Nearly 100 years later, novelists and historians began to write about her using this single record of her name. The Corps of Discovery depended on her to translate for them once they reached Shoshone territory, knowing they would need to purchase horses to complete the journey. While some storytellers portray Sacagawea as a guide throughout the trip, it is not possible to confirm this from the records. However, it is clear that she recognised her homeland and confirmed that they were in the right region. When the group encountered Shoshone people, they discovered that the chief was none other than Sacagawea's brother. She served the expedition well and her interpreting was critical to its success. Sacagawea died in 1812 at the age of 25 in Ft Manuel, South Dakota. Her work as translator and a symbol of peace created a lasting impact. European Americans learned much about their Indigenous neighbours from her. Sacagawea reminds us that translating culture can create the possibility of peace. April Summitt's Sacagawea: A biography (2008) is published by Greenwood. CELEBRATED INTERPRETER Charles Marion Russell's 1918 painting 'Lewis and Clark Expedition' depicts Sacagawea (right) leading the group to the Shoshone camp

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