Sacagawea

Who She Is

Sacagawea was born around 1788 into the Lemhi Shoshone tribe in what is now Idaho. At about age eleven, she was kidnapped by a rival tribe and taken to a village in present-day North Dakota. In 1804, when explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark arrived and hired her husband as an interpreter, Sacagawea joined them. She was sixteen years old, had just given birth to her son Jean Baptiste, and became the only woman on an eight-thousand-mile journey to the Pacific Ocean and back.

Why She Matters

Sacagawea served as interpreter, guide, and diplomat for the Corps of Discovery during one of the most important expeditions in American history. She identified edible plants, recognized landmarks, translated during critical meetings with Native nations, and when a canoe capsized she calmly rescued the expedition's journals and supplies. Her knowledge of the land, languages, and cultures made her one of history's most essential guides.