I am Smoked Lodge, chief of the North Shoshone tribe, and my daughter is the historical Sacagawea (Sack-og-a-wee-a), or Bird Woman. Now, I hope you are comfortable, for I have a story to tell.
In the beginning, the Shoshone were happy people, full of hope and courage. The men hunted, fished, and protected the others while the women dug roots, picked berries, cooked food, cared for the children, and made clothes. The children were very active, and were very respectful to each other, their elders, and the spirits. My dear daughter, only ten winters at the time, was the most active, but also the most helpful and respectful of all the youths. She was content. Unfortunately, things were about to change for her.
One fateful day, Sacagawea was with her mother and other girls when Hidatsa warriors planning to raid our tribe found them. The Hidatsa warriors captured Bird Woman and another girl. Bravely, the girls fought as hard as they could, but couldn’t escape the strong grasp of the Hidatsa warriors. The scoundrels took them on a long journey. I followed them. They took her to their tribe, and Fort Mandan.
Life in Fort Mandan was hard for me. Thankfully, Sacagawea was well taken care of. Later, unfortunately, she was forced to marry a french trapper by the name of Toussaint Charbonneau when she was only twelve winters. One day, she met two white men. Their names were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and they were on an expedition. They decided to take Charbonneau and my daughter on the journey they were on. Soon after she agreed, Sacagawea gave birth to a son. Charbonneau named him Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, while Bird Woman called him pompey. Clark was especially fond of pompey and my beloved daughter.
The expeditions beginning of the was on the water. The Corps(Core) of Discovery, which was the name of the expedition, had great boats to mosey through the water with. One day, the coward, Charbonneau, almost tipped the boat when a strong gust of wind made him panic. In that particular boat, very important papers lay, and they all floated out onto the open water. Fortunately, Sacagawea, the brave-hearted girl that she was, reached out and rescued most of the papers and equipment. She proved to be very valuable to the journey afterwards.
Later, they had to pass through the Rocky mountains. For that, they needed horses, which of course they didn’t have. So they told my daughter to find our tribe. She did. And she found out her brother was chief. After a tearful reunion, she was told that only a few of her family had survived. And soon after that, she found out the warrior she was to marry didn’t want her anymore, because of the marriage with Charbonneau. She had no reason to stay, so she proceeded with the Corps of Discovery.
In the Rockies, it was freezing. But Sacagawea stayed tough and provided food for the men, herself, and her baby. It was slow going for the Corps of Discovery. But finally, they passed through the giant mountains, and traveled down another river to the lake of unending waters. Bird Woman loved to walk along the shore. Sadly, soon they had to leave.
After the expedition ended, Jean Baptiste proceeded with William Clark and lived with him. Sacagawea and her husband departed for a place they don’t want anyone to know. To my greatest agony, my lovely daughter soon died of fever.
Now I am mostly alone, without my family, my tribe, or my animals to keep me company. In a lonely wilderness I am still not used to. But the story of Sacagawea’s journey keeps me alive and well. Her bravery saved many people, and I am proud to call her my daughter.I also memorized the tribes and forts that Sacagawea passed:
Finally, I created a presentation about how Sacagawea's tribe interacted with animals:
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