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By the fall of 1804, Sacagawea was expecting her first child. But that didn’t stop Charbonneau, a wanderer by nature, from asking Lewis and Clark if they would hire him as an interpreter.
He knew Hidatsa and the sign language common among the river tribes. Lewis and Clark signed him right up. When they found out he was married to a Shoshone, they encouraged him to bring her along. They had heard that the Shoshone had fine horses, which they would need later. They figured that seeing Sacagawea would make the Shoshone more open to negotiations. They also believed that any Indians they encountered would view them as peaceful. That’s because war parties never included women.
◀ Sacagawea and Charbonneau moved into Fort Mandan with the rest of the Corps. On February 11, 1805, Sacagawea went into a long, difficult labor. A local interpreter gave Lewis a remedy that used a rattlesnake’s rattle to make the birth easier. Lewis tore off two rings from the rattle. He pounded them into a powder. Then he mixed the powder with water. Minutes after drinking it, Sacagawea gave birth to a boy, whom Charbonneau named Jean Baptiste. She called him Pomp, which means “first born” in Shoshone.
On April 7, the Corps of Discovery, which now numbered 33 people, left Fort Mandan. Most people think that Sacagawea guided the Corps west. That’s not true. It wasn’t until the expedition got near her home that Sacagawea recognized landmarks. However, she contributed to the group’s success. Within a few days, she had shown her usefulness by gathering wild artichokes for food. During the whole journey, she played a big part in supplying food for the group. ▶
▲ A little over a month into the journey, Sacagawea showed the courage and clear thinking that won her the praise of the expedition members. On May 14, Charbonneau was at the helm of one of the sailboats. Sacagawea and Pomp were passengers. When a sudden storm came up, the boat tipped over and began to fill with water. Charbonneau froze, because he wasn’t good in emergencies. One of the other men threatened to shoot him if he didn’t get the boat upright. Meanwhile, Sacagawea grabbed some of the expedition’s valuable supplies (instruments, books, clothing) that were wrapped in waterproof packets. She pulled them out of the water. Without her quick thinking, the expedition could have been in real trouble.
Check It Out!
Sacagawea faced the same dangers and difficulties as everyone else—and she did it while having full care of a baby. How did she carry her son on the journey?
This is a trick question. If she used the Hidatsa method, she carried him on her back, held close in a shawl or blanket. If she used the Shoshone method of carrying a baby, she carried him in a cradleboard, which was a piece of wood strapped to her back. No one knows for sure which method Sacagawea used.
◀ What did Clark and Lewis think of Sacagawea? Clark’s journal entries show he liked her a lot. He gave her the nickname Janey (possibly from jane, which was army slang for “girl”) and called her “uncomplaining.” Mostly, the two captains referred to her usefulness, her alertness, and her hard work. They never wrote a word of complaint about her.
Lewis and Clark never described Sacagawea’s appearance. Lewis did write some general remarks about what the Shoshone looked like. This modern-day interpretation by Michael Haynes is based on Lewis’s remarks. It’s also based on what is known about Plains tribes of the time. ▼
The part in Sacagawea’s hair is colored with red vermilion (mercuric sulfide). Plains women of the time considered this a mark of beauty.
The belt is decorated with blue beads, a popular trade item, and porcupine quills. The quill pattern pictured here was copied from a Hidatsa robe. Native North Americans are the only people in the world to create an art form using porcupine quills. Quills are washed and dyed. Then they are softened in the mouth. They are pulled between the teeth to flatten them.
An awl case hangs from Sacagawea’s belt. An awl is a small pointed tool used for making holes or marking surfaces. The case is decorated with porcupine quillwork. It is fringed with dyed horsehair, shells, and leather wrapped in quills.
By Sacagawea’s side is a cradleboard, which is what Shoshone women used to carry babies. Hidatsa women generally carried their babies in shawls wrapped around them. However, sometimes they used a cradleboard.
Sacagawea is holding a rake made from wood and a deer’s antler. She would have learned farming skills from the Hidatsa women she was brought to live with. They were experienced farmers who used rakes like this.
The garment is made of two deerskins. The yoke, or top part, is painted gold, outlined with deer fur, and ornamented with a deer tail. Back then, this was a typical work garment.
