New trails - Sacagawea visits Riverside Regional libraries

Captive, American Indian interpreter and American legend, Sacagawea, impersonated by Patsy Johnson, kicked off the summer reading program at Riverside Regional libraries titled, "Discover New Trails @ Your Library."

Johnson, a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution John Guild chapter, has made similar presentations at DAR meetings and the Lutheran Home. Clad in a costume made from materials as close to authentic as possible, Johnson explained to a crowd of about 80, ranging from infants to adults, how Sacagawea was instrumental in the Lewis and Clark expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean.

The young Shosone was brought to life as Johnson told of her capture by the Minnetares and later enslavement by the Mandan Indians who gambled her off to a French-Canadian fur trader named Toussaint Charbonneau. Sacagawea was only 16 years old when Lewis and Clark met her at Fort Mandan in present-day North Dakota. She and Charbonneau were married, at the request of Lewis and Clark, before the expedition began. Selected for her skills as an interpreter and guide, Sacagawea earned the respect of Lewis and Clark and those on the expedition as she proved her bravery and valuable contributions to the survival of the group. Among the 45 travelers making the expedition, only one life was lost.

In characterJohnson donned her cradle board with a mock baby Jean Baptiste -- Sacagawea's son with Charbonneau -- strapped to her back illustrating that Sacagawea continued carrying out all her duties while tending to the infant. Examples of moccasins and beaded belts to hold clothing together were presented by Johnson to help youngsters understand that items consumed regularly today had to be created by those on the expedition.

Sacagawea's interpretive skills were essential in buying horses from a Shoshone tribe once the expedition reached the Missouri River. Without horses they would not have been able to continue the expedition across land in hopes of discovering a water passage through the unexplored Northwest, carving a direct route to the Pacific Ocean.

White men needed the help of the Shoshone. Little did they know that this tribe was composed of Sacagawea's people. Sacagawea informed her husband when the Shoshones were about to deceive the expedition party. Because her brother, Cameahwait, was their chief, the tribe upheld their promise to sell the horses.

Leather journals revealed Lewis' skills as a medic and poor speller, as he tended to Sacagawea when she was very ill. On Jan. 6, 1806, Lewis recorded the honor Sacagawea received to be among the chosen few to first view the Pacific Ocean.

The honor of being among the selected group revealed the equality Sacagawea had earned, making the option of returning to the Shoshone tribe undesirable for her.

Further proving Clark's respect and admiration for Sacagawea, Johnson indicated Clark's intentions of providing a formal education for her son at the completion of the expedition.

The belief that Sacagawea died at 24, seven years after the Lewis and Clark expedition, was mentioned by Johnson but she also shared that she believed Sacagawea lived to be 100 years old.

cpagano@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 133