Sacagawea | |
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"Sacagawea" (1910), North Dakota State Capitol, Leonard Crunelle, sculptor
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Born | May 1788 Lemhi River Valley, near present-day Salmon, Idaho |
Died | December 20, 1812 or 1884 (aged 24 or 96) Fort Lisa, present-day North Dakota or Wyoming |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Sakakawea, Sacajawea, Sakagawea |
Known for | Accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition |
Spouse(s) | Toussaint Charbonneau |
Children |
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Lizette Charbonneau |
Sacagawea (/ˌsækədʒəˈwiːə/ see below; May 1788 – December 20, 1812; see below for other theories about her death), also Sakakawea or Sacajawea, was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition achieve each of its chartered mission objectives exploring the Louisiana Territory. With the expedition, between 1804 and 1806, she traveled thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, established cultural contacts with Native American populations, and researched natural history.
Sacagawea is an important part of the Lewis and Clark legend in the American public imagination. The National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early twentieth century adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence, erecting several statues and plaques in her memory, and doing much to spread the story of her accomplishments.
Posthumously, in 1977, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, in Fort Worth, Texas.
In 2001, she was given the title of Honorary Sergeant, Regular Army, by then-president Bill Clinton.
See also In art, entertainment, and media as well as Memorials