COLUMBIA GORGE INTERPRETIVE CENTER MUSEUM EXPLORATIONS

Sacagawea, Sakakawea, Sakagawea, or Sacajawea? And her son Jean Baptistes Gravesite By Herbert K. Beal

Among the Emory and Ruth Strong collec- tion of documents and correspondence, there is a file devoted to the only woman member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and her son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. To be more specific, its contents primarily concern two issues: 1) the dis- pute over the origin, meaning, pronunciation, and spelling of her name; and 2) the location, marking and preservation of her son’s gravesite. These are subjects in which the Strongs-Ruth in particular-had a keen interest and had something to contribute in search of the truth. Lewis and Clark’s tendency to use variant and inconsistent spellings in their journals is well known if not legendary. In recording the name of the Shoshoni woman who accompanied the expedition, they used at least eight different phonetic spellings of her name, such as: “Sah-ca- gah-we-a”, or “Sah-ca-gah-we-ah,” or “Sah-cah- gar-weah”, each pronounced “sah KAH gah WEE ah.” Not surprisingly, these and their other pho- netic spellings differ mostly in small details. But in one respect they are all consistent in indicat- ing that the third syllable is always pronounced with a hard “g” sound. This is one of several rea- sons for the current preference among nearly all historian scholars for the spelling “Sacagawea,” Sacagawea, Sakakawea, Sakagawea, or Sacajawea. as opposed to the more popularized “Sacajawea” (pronounced SAK ah jah wee ah). Guide and Interpreter of the Lewis and The late Irving W. Anderson, past Clark Expedition, published in 1933. secretary (1973-79) and president She argued that the name “Sacajawea” (1980-81) of The Lewis and Clark Trail was based on three Shoshoni words: Heritage Foundation, was noted for his sac meaning boat, canoe, or raft; a relentless efforts to track down the meaning the; and ja we meaning truth or falseness behind this and launcher; combined they become sac a other sometimes arcane facets of the ja we, meaning canoe launcher or boat expedition’s history and personnel. pusher. Lewis and Clark sometimes This is relevant to the present discus- referred to their Shoshoni interpreter sion because among the contents of the by names or in ways other than her Strongs’ Sacagawea-Baptiste file there native name, such as: “ Indian squar,” are two handwritten letters addressed “Indian woman,” “ Snake woman,” or to the Strongs by Irving Anderson. One “Bird woman.” Lewis believed that the letter, dated August 30, 1974, mentions meaning of her native name in English an accompanying black-and-white was Bird Woman, a fact confirmed by photograph of the “ Charbonneau her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, gravesite at Danner.” The other letter, This pointed to the likelihood that the of April 15, 1976, opens by stating: “At name Sacagawea was not derived from long last I am returning your her native Shoshoni language but that Sacagawea file. I have kept digging of her captors, the Hidatsa of present- into it from time to time, as you have day North Dakota. It is a compelling kept good notes on some of the more thesis when one considers that the obscure references concerning both Hidatsa word for bird is sacaga and for Sacagawea and Baptiste.” These notes woman is wea. consist of many pages of extracts taken Shortly before his death in August from the Lewis and Clark journals that 1999, Anderson co-authored with mention Sacagawea or Baptiste They Blanche Schroer an article entitled appear to be in Ruth’s handwriting and “Sacagawea: Her Name and Her copied from the Thwaites edition. Destiny,” (published in We Proceeded There is also an extract of the meeting On, The Official Publication of the minutes of the U.S. Board on Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Geographic Names for February 8, Foundation, November 1999). Their 1979, which includes a succinct but article marshaled virtually all of the informative discussion of “the back- most persuasive evidence indicating ground of the name Sacagawea.” the Hidatsa origin of Sacagawea’s Confusion surrounding the pro- name and its appropriate spelling and nunciation and spelling of this pronunciation. Schroer, now deceased, Shoshoni woman’s name stemmed in was a respected Wyoming writer and part from the assumption that it was of scholar, author of two important stud- Shoshoni origin. This view was advo- ies of the Bird Woman’s life and name: cated vigorously by Grace Raymond “Sacagawea: The Legend and the Hebard in her biography Sacajawea, A Truth,” (in Wyoming, Dec./Jan.,1977-

Sacagawea — Page 2 Drawing of Sacagawea with Lewis and Clark. 1978); and “Boat Pusher or Bird there is no ‘ j’ included in the Hidatsa Woman? Sacagawea or Sacajawea?” (in alphabet, and that ‘g’ is pronounced as Annals of Wyoming, Spring 1980). a hard ‘g’.” Anderson and Schoer con- Anderson and Schroer, citing an 1877 cluded “that the Shoshoni Indian dictionary titled Ethnology and woman’s name has been decisively Philology of the Hidatsa Indians, com- treated by the disciplines of orthogra- piled by U. S. Army Surgeon, Dr. phy, etymology and philology, with the Washington Matthews, “explained that effect of formally establishing the

Sacagawea — Page 3 Sacagawea spelling and pronunciation tion of the expedition’s Shoshoni inter- [sah KAH gah WEE ah].” preter’s name is difficult to say. But Anderson and Schroer were hope- Anderson’s letter returning the file ful that this would end or at least quiet suggests it likely was of some assis- the debate. And to a large extent it has. tance. As early as 1910, the Bureau of Moving on to the question of American Ethnology had already stan- where Sacagawea’s son Jean Baptiste dardized use of the Sacagawea spelling was buried and what had transpired in in its publications. More recently, his post-Corps-of-Discovery life, it is other agencies or organizations such as well documented that William Clark the U.S. Geographic Names Board, U. took young Baptiste (whom he had S. National Park Service, and the nicknamed Pomp) under his protec- National Geographic Society have tion. Clark saw to it that the boy adopted use of the Sacagawea form. received a formal education at St. However, the Sacajawea spelling and Louis. And as a youth he was befriend- pronunciation is so widespread in the ed by a German nobleman, Prince Paul popular mind-especially in the west- Wilhelm of Württemberg, who was vis- ern United States-that the wholesale iting the Louisiana Territory in 1824 as retroactive name change of numerous a naturalist or scientific observer. lakes, rivers, peaks, and other such Clark consented to let Baptiste travel to geographic features is no trivial matter. Germany with the prince to further the There are also two other variant youth’s education in European culture spellings that have some claim to legit- and languages, including French, imacy: Sakakawea and Sakagawea German, and Spanish, to supplement (pronounced sah KAH KAH wee ah). the English and several Native The substitution of “k” for both “c” and American languages of which he “g”, or of “k” for the “c” only, have been already had command or acquain- proposed as more closely approximat- tance. Upon returning to America, ing the spoken sound of the Hidatsa Baptiste decided to enter the frontier language. As for the meaning of the as a guide and interpreter-arguably the name, supporters of the last two alter- best educated and most widely trav- native spellings agree that it is derived eled of his peers. He made the acquain- from Hidatsa and means Bird Woman. tance of many figures among the One of the more curious aspect of this mountain men and other personalities controversy is the North Dakota legis- of the fur trade era in the Rocky lature’s approval of a law requiring the Mountains, including: Jim Bridger, Sakakawea spelling be used in all State Nathanial Wyeth, John C. Frémont, Jim publications and names of geographic Beckworth, and Joe Meek, to name a features in that state. few. To what extent the Strongs’ There is an incident, recorded in Sacagawea-Baptiste file figured in Nathaniel Wyeth’s “Journal of his First Irving Anderson’s research and think- Expedition to the Oregon Country,” in ing about the spelling and pronuncia- which Baptiste seems to have been

Sacagawea — Page 4 involved. the hands of an Indian[.] [I]t was It began at the end of July, 1833, immediately discharged and so near somewhere in the vicinity of the Wind his head that the front piece of his cap River Range of western Wyoming. alone saved his eyes from being put Wyeth wrote in his July 31 journal out by the powder[.] [T]he Ball entered entry that he and his men “found a the head outside of the eye and break- party of 4 whites who have lost their ing the cheek bone passing downward horses and one of them wounded in and lodged behind the ear in the neck the head with a Ball and in the body . . . . [T]his stunned him and while with an arrow very badly.” The vic- insensible an arrow was shot into him tims believed their attackers were a on the top of the shoulder . . . the Inds. small band of Snake (Shoshoni) got 7 horses . . . Charboneau pursued Indians-an identity at first doubted by them on foot but wet his gun in cross- Wyeth. But by morning the next day, ing a little stream.” Thompson appar- August 1, he had a different opinion: ently recovered from his wounds; the “On farther inquiry I changed my opin- seven horses, however, were never ion expressed above in regard to the reclaimed. Such was life in the Rocky Indians who stole the horses. I think Mountain fur trade business. they were 15 Snakes who left our camp In all likelihood the person Wyeth at Green River a few days before we described as “Charboneau a half left that place.” Wyeth would also breed” was Baptiste. It is less certain if learn from the victims the harrowing Wyeth or any of his men knew of the details of what happened. young man’s claim to celebrity. In any In his journal entry for Augist 1, event, Baptiste remained a frontier Wyeth wrote:”Mr. Bridger sent 4 men guide, interpreter and fur trader. On to this river to look for us viz. Mr. July 9, 1843, John C. Frémont, U. S. Smith, Thompson, Charboneau a half Army explorer, encountered a certain breed and Evans. Two days before it “Chabonard,”-whom he thought to be a happened 15 Inds. came to them Spaniard-camped on an island in the (Snakes) and after smoking departed[.] Platte River, probably somewhere in [T]he second day after they were gone Nebraska. “Mr. C. received us hos- Thompson having been out hunting pitably.” wrote Frémont, “One of the [hobbled?] his horse to the others and people was sent to gather mint, with thought he would sit down by them the aid of which he concocted very until it was time to water them and good julep; and some boiled buffalo having been on guard much of the time tongue, and coffee with the luxury of previous fell asleep[.]” When he sugar, were soon set before us.” Mint awoke he was faced with a very juleps no less! It could only have been unpleasant surprise. Wyeth’s journal the amiable and urbane Baptiste. entry continues: “raising his His adventures in the fur trade and [Thompson’s] head and opening his as a military scout during the Mexican eyes the first thing that presented itself War eventually brought him to to his sight was the muzzle of a gun in California. In the winter of 1846-1847,

Sacagawea — Page 5 he rode with troops under command of [Strong] the possibility of marking the Philip St. George Cooke in the march grave of Sacajawea’s child which is from Santa Fé, New Mexico, to seize located on the Ruby Ranch in Jordan San Diego, California. For a brief time Valley, Oregon.” The letter continues, Baptiste held the position of alcalde observing that “the Oregon Historical (magistrate) of an Indian community at Society has neither the staff nor the Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, about finances necessary to mark and to care thirty-five miles north of San Diego. In for individual pioneer graves.” It goes 1848, he was drawn into the gold rush on to intimate that the State fever set off at Sutter’s Mill, which Coordinator’s office of the Oregon eventually led him to the town of Centennial Commission “might have Auburn, California, about thirty miles suggestions as to how the local or northeast of Sacramento. According to county committees could take over a newspaper account published in the marking of this grave.” The second let- Auburn PlacerHerald, Baptiste had ter is addressed to Mr. Kirt Skinner, passed through there early in 1866 on then owner of the ranch where the his way to Silver City, Idaho, bound grave is located. It notes that: “It is eventually for the Montana gold fields. hoped that perhaps through Mrs. The same account, which was first Beacon’s efforts we will be able to do uncovered by Clyde H. Porter of Taos, something about marking the grave on New Mexico, explained that Baptiste the Ruby Ranch.” There is a handwrit- had died before reaching Silver City. ten note added to this letter that reads: His death at age 61, variously reported “Dear Mrs. Beacon: Thank you again to be from “mountain fever” (Auburn for taking time to come talk to us about Placer Herald) or pneumonia (Silver this-if the grave is what it is purported City Avalanche), occurred on May 16, to be perhaps this will get something 1866, at Jordan Valley, in a remote cor- begun on marking it. Thank you ner of southeastern of Oregon. He was again.” buried at what was then the Inskip It would not be until August 6, Stage Coach Station. 1971, twelve years since Ruth Beacon Two letters in the Strongs’ (Strong) had helped bring it to public Sacagawea-Baptiste file attest to the attention and 105 years after Baptiste’s involvement of Ruth Beacon (Strong) death, that ceremonies dedicating the in early efforts to locate, memorialize Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Gravesite and protect Baptiste’s gravesite. Both were held. Her role in its recognition letters are dated June 18, 1959, written and placement on the National by Kenneth W. Duckett, Librarian, Register of Historic Places may have Oregon Historical Society. One letter is largely faded from memory, except for addressed to Mr. Michael Haggerty, the contents of the file she had assem- Assistant State Coordinator, Oregon bled, and which is preserved in the Centennial Commission. The letter Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center’s opens with: “Recently it was our pleas- collections. ure to discuss with Mrs. Ruth Beacon

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