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During the summer of 1805, Lewis and Clark were desperate to find the Shoshone. They needed their horses to get them over the Rocky Mountains before winter.
On July 22, Sacagawea began to recognize landmarks. She told the captains that up ahead were the three forks of the Missouri, where three smaller rivers come together to form the Missouri. This news greatly cheered the group. A few days later, when they reached the three forks, Sacagawea informed them that this was where her people had been camped when she was kidnapped by the Hidatsa. Lewis wrote in his journal, “She does not... show any distress at these recollections, or any joy at the prospect of being restored to her country.” He was later proved wrong.
◀ The Corps of Discovery left Fort Mandan on April 7. They didn’t see another human being until August 11. That’s when Lewis, who was out with a scouting party, spotted a lone Shoshone on horseback. The horseman rode off, probably in fear, before they could make contact.
▲ On August 15, Sacagawea, Charbonneau, and Clark were walking through high dew-covered grass. Suddenly, Sacagawea began to jump up and down, dancing with joy. She pointed to approaching Indians and sucked her fingers, as a sign that these were her people.
◀ From Cameahwait, Sacagawea learned that most of her family had died. Only two brothers and her oldest sister’s child remained, so Sacagawea immediately adopted the little boy. Cameahwait enjoyed a piece of dried squash the expedition brought from the Mandans and a lump of sugar that Sacagawea had saved for a treat.
▲ It is amazing that Lewis and Clark were able to communicate at all with the Shoshone, since every spoken word had to go through a chain of interpreters. Lewis and Clark spoke English to one of their men, Labiche. He translated their words into French for Charbonneau, who spoke in Hidatsa to Sacagawea. She then translated the words into Shoshone. When the Shoshone replied, the process had to be repeated in reverse. The expedition got the horses they needed, but there was still a lot of hard traveling to do before they reached the Pacific Ocean.
▲ Sacagawea was successful in getting the Shoshone to trade horses to the Corps and to provide them with guides. Why did she go on with the journey instead of staying with her people? Perhaps she went out of loyalty to the Corps, or perhaps, like others, she was caught up in the spirit of discovery. All we know for sure is that when Lewis and Clark took leave of the Shoshone, Sacagawea went with them.
