Who was she, really?
The end of Sacajawea’s life is a real mystery! The mystery begins after Lewis and Clark returned to St. Louis. It is known that Sacajawea and Charbonneau lived in St. Louis in 1810-1811, and that Pomp (now six years old) was left with Clark to be educated. After that, there are two different stories about her life—and death! Some historians believe that she died in 1812, and others believe that she lived to be a very old woman.
A diary written at that time reports that Charbonneau’s Snake (Shoshoni) wife drowned in 1812. However, Charbonneau had two Shoshoni wives, and it isn’t clear which one died. Other reports said that Charbonneau was cruel to Sacajawea and that she left him.
A number of people reported seeing Sacajawea in the years that followed. Comanche Indians living in Oklahoma believed that she lived among them for about 25 years. This woman married a Comanche man and had five children. After her husband was killed in battle, she became unhappy and left the Comanches in about 1855.
During the 1860s, a number of different people reported seeing or knowing Sacajawea in Montana and Wyoming. One man reported that "everybody" around Fort Bridger knew who she was. Late in life, this woman went to live with a son and his family at the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. She died there in 1884 as a very old woman.
Why is it hard to know the truth about Sacajawea? Records were not kept well in those days. Often Sacajawea was called by a different name, or by no name at all! Clark called her Janey, and others have called her "Bird Woman." An Indian person was often called by several different names by family and friends, and these names could change over the years.
The woman at the Wind River Reservation was called Chief Woman, Porivo, and Bazil’s Mother. She had a friendship medal that she said Lewis and Clark gave her, and some papers that were buried with her. She could speak French, and she told stories of a French husband and a long trip "toward the setting sun." She also told the story of the "big fish." (See Whales in the Animals section.)
Another problem is that of time. The study of Sacajawea began after Chief Woman died in 1884. After that, all information had to come from old diaries and other records, and the memories of people who had known "Chief Woman" many years before.
Now you know the mystery. Did Sacajawea really die in 1812, or was she Chief Woman, who lived to be very old? What do you think? What clues made you come to that conclusion. (Opinion is not enough. You need to base your answer on the information.) Who was she, really?
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