What was Sacajaweas most important contribution to the Lewis & Clark Expedition?
Sacagawea at the Three Forks
Sacagawea was the only female amongst 32 male members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. She was part of the master party from Apr 7, 1805 until August 14, 1806. Her official role was that of a Shoshone interpreter. However, she was not in the payroll as was Toussaint Charbonneau, her French Canadian hubby. After the expedition Charbonneau was paid $533.33 for his interpreting services and was as well given 320 acres of land in Missouri. Sacagawea on the other hand was paid nothing. She fulfilled many roles as the expedition progressed and proved to be an asset for the Corps of Discovery.
Token of peace
Her presence was her greatest contribution as it served to defuse tensions between the explorers and Native Americans. Native Americans approached westerners with great caution and hesitation but subsequently seeing Sacagawea with her son strapped to her back they were assured that the explorers had peaceful intentions. For many Sacagawea represents a symbol of the expedition's peaceful purposes and, as controversial as information technology may be, a building bridge in the success in Indian relations. The following is Clark's observation in his journal dated Oct 13, 1805:
"The married woman of Shabono our interpreter nosotros find reconciles all the Indians, as to our friendly intentions a adult female with a party of men is a token of peace".
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Identifying landmarks
Historians have given numerous assessments equally to her role every bit a guide of the expedition. Her contribution to the Corps of Discovery is based on identifying landmarks she remembered from her childhood and suggesting routes that were familiar to her near Shoshone lands. Before they arrived at the Shoshone nation Lewis made three periodical entries mentioning familiar landmarks that Sacagawea remembered from her childhood. There are no other periodical entries stating Sacagawea's familiarity with some other area. The residue of the regions were unfamiliar to her as it was to the balance of the trek. On July 22, 1805 Lewis'southward journal entry stated:
"the Indian woman recognizes the country and assures us that this the river on which her relations live, and that the three forks are at o peachy distance. This slice of information has cheered the sperits of the political party who at present brainstorm to console themselves with the apprehension of presently seeing the head of the Missouri yet unknown to the civilized earth."
A journal entry by Lewis on July 30:
"sharbono, his woman two invalleds and myself walked through the bottom on the Lard. side of the river about 41/2 miles when we once more struck it at the place the woman informed us that she was taken prisoner. here we halted untill Capt. Clark arrived which was not untill after 1 P.M."
She successfully recognized Beaver Head Rock as a landmark of the expanse where she was kidnapped as a kid. On August 8, 1805 Lewis wrote this entry in his periodical:
"the Indian woman recognized the point of a high obviously to our right which she informed us was not very distant from the summer retreat of her nation on a river beyond the mountains which runs to the west. this loma she says her nation calls the beaver'south head from a conceived remblance of its'southward effigy to the caput of that animal. She assures us that we shall either discover her people on this river or on the river immediately w of it's source; which from it's present size cannot be very distant."
Beaver Head Rock, Montana
Later on Sacagawea recognized the Beaverhead rock Lewis, with two other explorers, set out past land to find the Shoshones while Clark continued down the river with the remainder of the group. Lewis found the Shoshones 3 days later on their departure. Clark and the rest of the trek arrived one week subsequently Lewis. Soon Sacagawea discovered that the principal was her brother Cameahwait. After they reached the Pacific Ocean and on the way back Clark wrote the following entry on his journal. It is dated July xiii, 1806:
"The indian woman who has been of great Service to me equally a pilot through this State recommends a gap in the mountain more S which I shall cantankerous.-.
This entry by Clark shows that Sacagawea proved to exist an asset to the trek and that he trusted her recommendation.
Interpreting
The interpreting process was cumbersome. Clark's communication with Master Cameahwait had to be translated from English to French, from French to Hidatsa and from Hidatsa to Shoshone. The process was reversed when Master Cameahwait spoke. It involved Francois LaBiche, Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea respectively. This multistage communication was common at the fourth dimension when multiple tribes spoke different languages, oral interpretation was complemented with sign linguistic communication.The meeting with the Shoshone was crucial to the success of the expedition equally they needed to gather horses to carry supplies beyond the Rockies. The importance of meeting with the Shosones was described past Lewis in this entry on Baronial viii, 1805:
"as it is now all important with usa to meet with those people equally soon every bit possible, I determined to go along tomorrow with a modest political party to the source of the principal stream of this river and pass the mountains to the Columbia; and down that river until I found the Indians; in brusk it is my resolution to discover them or some others, who accept horses if it should cause me a trip of 1 month. For without horses we shall exist obliged to get out a slap-up part of our stores, of which , it appears to me that nosotros have a stock already sufficiently small for the length of the voyage before us."
Cheers to Sacagawea and to her relation with her blood brother, Principal Cameahwait, the expedition was able to trade horses and infringe a guide to lead them through the mountains.
Resourcefulness and endurance
Sacagawea proved to be a very resourceful traveler. Journal entries show that she introduced native roots and fruits to the members of the expedition. One month after their departure from Fort Mandan Clark observed:
"in walking on Shore with the Interpreter & his wife, the Squar Geathered on the Sides of the hills wild Lickerish, & the white apple equally called by the angegies and gave me to consume, the Indians of the Missouri brand great use of the white apple dressed in different ways"
On May 16, 1805 Lewis made the following ascertainment in his journal:
"the Indian woman to whom I ascribe equal fortitude and resolution, with any person onboard at the fourth dimension of the accedent, caught and preserved most of the light articles which were washed overboard all matters being now bundled for our difference we lost no time in seting out;"
The twenty-four hour period before this journal entry the trek was hit by a wind tempest which capsized the boat where Charbonneau was travelling. The boat carried of import scientific information gathered in journals as well as medicine and tools. Charbonneau, who did not know how to swim, panicked instead of collecting the appurtenances while Sacagawea reached for them. Her level headed beliefs saved documents and tools that would have been lost forever.
Equally the expedition was approaching the Pacific declension they met a group of Chinook and as it was common they exchanged gifts. At the initial coming together the locals gave the explorers two very much needed black bear fur coats for the upcoming winter. Captains Lewis and Clark gave the two chiefs, Comcommoly and Chillarlawil, medals and a flag. Lewis observed that one of the chiefs was wearing a robe made with the fur of two sea otters and referred to it as the well-nigh beautiful fur they have e'er seen; they wanted it as a nowadays for President Jefferson. Lewis and Clark tried to trade several items for information technology but they refused. Eventually after much negociation they accustomed Sacagawea's bluish beaded chugalug. Information technology is not clear whether Sacagawea offered it every bit a trade detail or she was forced to give it upwards. This entry by Clark on November 20, 1805 describes the exchange:
"ane of the Indians had on a roab made of two Sea Otter skins the fur of them were more than butifull than whatever fur I had ever Seen both Capt. Lewis & my Cocky endeavored to purchase the roab with different articles at length we precured it for a belt of bluish beeds which the Squar-wife of our interpreter Shabono wore around her waste material."
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This is a Shoshone replica of the blue beaded belt that Sacagawea traded with the Chinooks.
Civil Rights and Women'southward Suffrage
Afterward reaching the Pacific on Nov fifteen, 1805 the expedition needed to settle for the winter. A vote was required from all the members in order to decide where to set up military camp. Sacagawea voted for a identify with plenty of potatoes, she was outvoted.
Clark entry on his periodical onNovember 24, 1805:
"[A vote of the men, equally to location of wintertime quarters.] Janey [Sacajawea? — Ed.] in favour of a place where in that location is plenty of Potas."
That Sacagawea, a Native American woman, and York, an African American slave, were immune to vote was extraordinary because the times. African Americans were subjected to slavery and Native Americans where not considered citizens, women were not allowed to vote. Abolition and women'due south suffrage would have to wait close to half-dozen more decades. After the publication of the 1902 novel by Eva Emery Dye, Sacagawea became a symbol for women's rights and a face for the National American Adult female Suffrage Association.
Sacagawea, the face up of the National Woman Suffrage Association during the early 20th century.
Next – The years after the expedition >>
Source: http://www.sacagawea-biography.org/significance-role-lewis-clark-expedition/
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