Sacagawea: A Crucial Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Sacagawea: A Crucial Member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

By George C
Grade 4

Do you think you could’ve jumped into a river during a storm? Sacagawea, a famous Native American who helped complete an expedition with famous explores Lewis and Clark, did this to save tools that would have been valuable to the adventure. This adventure was to discover more land. In this article, I will tell you about Sacagawea’s journey with Lewis and Clark. The qualities Sacagawea possessed were her bravery, knowledge and resourcefulness that made her very important to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In the beginning, she was brave to go on the expedition. They were traveling in uncharted places. She exemplified her bravery when the canoe they were using tipped over during a big storm. Everybody was desperate to get the canoe upright. In the text Sacagawea’s Journey Into History, it says, “Sacagawea calmly went into the water. Her baby was strapped to her back. She saved the notebooks and tools that would have floated away.” She was the only person who could get the tools because everybody else was occupied getting the canoe upright. In summary, Sacagawea was brave to go into the water with her baby strapped to her back. 

Another quality that Sacagawea showed was her knowledge because she grew up with the Shoshone tribe and understood the land. Because she knew how to speak Shoshone, she could ask them for horses. In the text, it also says, “She also helped buy horses from her fellow Shoshone. This was one of many times Sacagawea’s knowledge of the Shoshone ways would prove useful.” As you can see, her knowledge helped Lewis and Clark. “In May 1806, a few months after they had started their journey home, the travelers met a group of Nez Perce Indians. Sacagawea helped the two groups speak to each other.”

In the end, she was also extremely resourceful. This helped Lewis and Clark’s journey because she also knew how to speak Shoshone and helped them speak with the Nez Perce Indians. In the text, it says, “In May 1806, a few months after they had started their journey home, the travelers met a group of Nez Perce Indians. Sacagawea helped the two groups speak to each other.” Charbonneau and Sacagawea translate the Nez Perce Indian chiefs to help them communicate. In summary, Sacagawea was very resourceful because Sacagawea memorized paths through the mountains. In the text, it says, “One important trail was a gap that led them to the Yellowstone River.” As you can see, Sacagawea was very resourceful because she helped lead them through a gap between two mountains to Yellowstone River.

In conclusion, Sacagawea experience was crucial to the expedition. The expedition could not have succeeded without Sacagawea’s help because all of the tools would have been lost without Sacagawea’s bravery. Also without Sacagawea’s knowledge, they would not have been able to get horses from the Shoshone tribe or talk to the Nez Perse Indians. Lastly, they would not have been able to talk to the Nez Perce Indians without her resourcefulness. Do you think you could have been as brave as Sacagawea was?