Episode 75: Sacajawea: The One Who Did All The Work

CW: Death, Native Exploitation, Very Brief Mention of Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, Domestic Abuse
Her face is on the dollar coin. She has been depicted on stamps. A mountain is named after her. Sacajawea. Part of the modern mythos of the expansion of the United States, Sacajawea is now a cultural symbol of exploration. She can be seen always with her baby, pointing the way for Lewis and Clark. It’s a lot of work for a young teen, isn’t it? We’re going to tell her story, the true parts you know, the ones you might never have heard, and the not so nice parts.

Let’s start with the words from Rozina George from her article “Agaidika Perspective on Sacajawea.” This is an article from the Lemhi Shoshone about Sacajawea where it lays out all the things about Sacajawea that makes her Shoshone.

Most sources say largely the same things about Sacajawea, unfortunately, and it’s because so much of what we know about her life comes from Clark’s journals. So here is the first source that talks about the journey she made with the Corp of Discovery.

This link gives similar information with just a little bit more in there in places.

And this is just for fun. I found this video by chance, and I thought it was interesting and just nice to watch, so I’m sharing it. It’s from the Great x3 grand niece of Sacajawea.

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