| The place and event. | | | | accomplishment outside of her own tribal bloodline. |
| Shortly after the Corps of Discovery arrived on | | | | It was a visible token of her all-around worthiness |
| the Pacific west coast, it was no coincidence that | | | | as a person, anywhere. This belt could have |
| several tribesmen appeared before Lewis and | | | | further inspired her to grow into a well-grounded |
| Clark wearing excellent fur apparel. These coastal | | | | mid-teenager. That's when she married a |
| tribes were commercially savvy. They had been | | | | French-Canadian fur trader at the age of 16. |
| trading with foreign sailors for years. They also | | | | Shortly after that, in late 1804, they met the |
| knew what was on the explorer's minds in | | | | Corps of Discovery there at their village, where |
| addition to finding a cross-country trade route. | | | | she gave birth to a baby boy on February 11, |
| One day, Lewis and Clark were awestruck by a | | | | 1805. Captain Lewis helped with the delivery. The |
| particular sea-otter shoulder-cloak worn by a | | | | captains also hired her trapper husband, Touissiant |
| tribesman. But, they didn't have enough tradable | | | | Charbonneau, as an interpreter. He spoke French, |
| goods on-hand to obtain it from him. The | | | | Hidatsa, and Mandan, and could sign. As it also |
| tribesman also wanted the blue-beaded belt worn | | | | turned out, Sacagawea, who spoke Hidatsa and |
| by the corps interpreter's wife, Sacajawea. Did | | | | Shoshone, and their baby son accompanied him |
| she voluntarily give it up for that purchase? | | | | on this dangerous journey. Their son was less |
| Sacajawea teenage years. | | | | than two-months old when they departed their |
| About five years earlier, Sacajawea's early | | | | village for the west. |
| teenage life underwent tumultuous change. As a | | | | During the journey westward, Sacajawea showed |
| 12-year-old Lemhi Shoshone girl living near the | | | | substantial maturity and capability as well. Lewis |
| now Idaho-Montana border, she was captured by | | | | and Clark praised her in their journals when she |
| a party of Hidatsa warriors. From there, she was | | | | calmly retrieved floating goods from the river |
| taken to a large Hidatsa-Mandan dual-tribal village | | | | while the boat she was in began to capsize in a |
| near the Knife and Missouri Rivers in North | | | | wind storm. She also supplied the corps with |
| Dakota, where she was adopted by a Hidatsa | | | | many wild edibles, and thought nothing of it. |
| family. The practice of capturing children from | | | | Additionally, she remembered the |
| different tribes was common among the plains | | | | Shoshone-country landmarks and their language |
| tribes at that time. | | | | well. Thus, she helped immensely with the |
| During the next four years in her new home she | | | | necessary interpretations when the corps arrived |
| learned the Hidatsa language and worked with the | | | | at her home tribe before crossing the Rocky |
| village women in their large field gardens. The | | | | Mountains. Furthermore, when the corps departed |
| Hidatsa and Mandan tribes were matriarchal, | | | | this village westward, she stayed with her |
| matrilineal agricultural tribes. That is, the women | | | | fur-trapper husband. She and their baby son could |
| there owned and inherited the 20-feet-across, | | | | have easily stayed there among her own people |
| earth-covered lodges and the huge gardens they | | | | now that her brother was the chief of that |
| maintained. They also headed the large clans | | | | Shoshone tribe. Instead, she stayed with her |
| within these tribes, while the men attended to the | | | | husband and the corps. |
| village defenses and hunting needs. In fact, the | | | | Back to the question. |
| women of these two tribes grew so much food, | | | | Now, back to the question: did Sacajawea |
| which they stored underground during the winter | | | | voluntarily donate her belt toward the purchase of |
| months, that they easily traded portions of it for | | | | that cloak? Although its not known for certain, |
| needed goods from several nonagricultural tribes | | | | she definitely could have done so at the behest |
| and from the French and English trappers passing | | | | of the corps mission to find a trade route, which |
| through the region. | | | | she understood. After all, she had been watching |
| During these four short pre-marriage | | | | the corps collect animal and plant specimens, pelts, |
| pre-motherhood years within her new tribe, | | | | and skins for several months by then. So, during |
| Sacagawea, must have made a favorable | | | | that spellbinding splendid-fur-for-sale moment, she |
| impression on the older women there. Her | | | | could have given Lewis and Clark the nod to add |
| adoptive mother could have been influential in their | | | | her belt to the trade package. Quietly and |
| Hidatsa clan, but just how much, no one knows | | | | tearfully, perhaps? Yet, she also knew that the |
| for sure. Still, Sacagawea was eventually given a | | | | coastal tribes knew the corps had a vested |
| blue-beaded belt by an influential society of the | | | | interest in the furring industry then. That's why |
| women there. According to the tribal historians, | | | | these tribes could demand the highly prized |
| such belts were awarded to those who were | | | | chieftain beads, like, the blue ones on her belt. |
| industrious and, perhaps, to those who were | | | | Moreover, the very next day after purchasing |
| sensible and well-grounded. The belt itself could | | | | that fur cloak, November 21, 1805, Clark noted in |
| have been three-fingers wide, with an extended | | | | his journal that they had given Sacajawea a "coat |
| section hanging down at the point of attachment. | | | | of blue cloth" to compensate her for the traded |
| This belt meant a lot to Sacajawea. It meant | | | | belt. That blue coat could have been a heavily |
| more to her than mere success through work. To | | | | adorned one of very fine cloth from a military |
| her, this belt meant acceptance and | | | | dress uniform. |