Sacagawea helps the Lewis and Clark cause

Several young, would-be American citizens had emigrated from all over Europe. All were eager to forge out new lives within the new expanses of the national frontier. They were as diverse as missionaries, to soldiers, to former slaves, to entrepreneurs. “Homesteading” was the contemporary buzz word that circulated among them all. By means of that modern act, if anyone were to settle vacant land and make improvements on it for two years, his family would be allowed to claim it. They might even offer to trade it on to poorer relations or friends in exchange for another piece, closer to a settlement. The major obstacle that stood in the way of that proposal was the fact that prior indigenous tribes had not been consulted.

Jean-Luc had already learned from various Indian chiefs that they were not happy with the status quo of foreigners in the United States. The Natives were willing to fight for and die in defense of ancestral lands. Shortly before his arrival, he had learned about the renowned Indian Chieftain named Pontiac of the Ottawa tribes. He had even been ready to do battle with the American troops themselves. Along with him was Chief Logan, others like Osceola and Black Hawk were ready to stand up for the Seminole and the Kickapoos. Jean-Luc also had his eye out for Chief Black Kettle of the Cheyenne.

No, it was not going to be easy to occupy most of the territory included in the Louisiana Purchase. A great part of it was already occupied by Native tribes. Lewis and Clark had met up with some 50 local tribes, including the Shoshone, the Mandan, the Minitari, the Blackfeet, the Chinook and the Sioux.

Jean-Luc made his way up the Missouri, following along the lines of the Lewis and Clark expedition that had set out from Camp Dubois in Illinois on May 14, 1804.

On the banks of the Missouri River, Jean-Luc had heard of the Lemhi Shoshone lady who had helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition with their Presidential mission of exploring the Louisiana Territory. She had traveled with the expedition for thousands of miles, from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, helping them as a cultural and language interpreter.

The ancient medicine man had revealed to him that Sacagawea was her name. Jean-Luc had learned that this daughter of a Shoshone chief had been born circa 1788 in Lemhi, Idaho. She told the medicine man that her name meant “bird woman” or “boat puller.” Sacagawea grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the Salmon River region. When she was about 12, she had been captured by the Hidatsa Indians, who were enemies of the Shoshone. She was then sold to a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau, who made her one of his wives.

In November 1804, she was invited to join the Lewis and Clark expedition as a Shoshone interpreter.

“After serving the expedition,” the old medicine man said sadly, “Sacagawea died at Fort Manuel,

South Dakota, circa 1812, when she was in her early 30s. She had two children: Her son, Jean Baptiste was adopted and educated by Captain Clark. Her adopted son, Bazil, remained in the Northern Shoshone areas.”

Jean-Luc smiled sadly, thinking of the next maiden in the indigenous legend of the Seven Pleiades.

He was remembering that the cluster of stars were associated with raindrops by various tribes around the world. As he thought of the Shoshone maiden who had helped facilitate the expedition that added so much to the United States, it began to rain.

He whispered, “May she rest in peace, amen.”