Sacajawea

by Harold P. Howard, Joseph Bruchac (Introduction)

In the saga of early western exploration a young Shoshoni Indian girl named Sacajawea is famed as a guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition to the Far Northwest between 1804 and 1806. Her fame rests upon her contributions to the expedition. In guiding them through the wilderness, in gathering wild foods, and, above all, in serving as an ambassadress to Indian tribes along the way she helped to assure the success of the expedition. This book retraces Sacajawea’s path across the Northwest, from the Mandan Indian villages in present-day South Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, and back. On the journey Sacajawea was accompanied by her ne’er-do-well French-Canadian husband, Toussaint Charboneau, and her infant son, Baptiste, who became a favorite of the members of the expedition, especially Captain William Clark. The author presents a colorful account of Sacajawea’s journeys with Lewis and Clark and an objective evaluation of the controversial accounts of her later years.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Native Americans

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

Reviews

[Peter Mayeux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I found this book interesting to read, it really did not focus directly on Sacajawea and her role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. There are books with more complete coverage of this adventure, but this one offered an easy-to-read narrative of the Corps of Discovery --their trials and triumphs.

One big problem: lack of source material. Lewis and Clark and some of the men on the journey kept diaries and made entries about what they did and what they saw. Sacajawea did not/could not provide this type of information. Only oral histories were available.

The last section of the book provided some notion about what happened to Sacajawea and her family; unfortunately, it is presented as a research paper and not a smooth narrative as done earlier in the book. The author did exert energy to find evidence of Sacajawea and when and where she died.

The bibliography is satisfactory. I wish the author had been more consistent when citing sources used in the book -- sometimes specific page numbers are given and sometimes not.

The book is a quick-read. It would be useful as a brief introduction to the Lewis and Clark experience. I would suggest reading another book to get a more complete profile of Sacajawea.

[Carol McCasland]

more about the Lewis & Clark Expedition than about Sacajawea, but nevertheless a great read. A new appreciation of Sacajawea and the hardships she endured, and the suprising value that William Clark placed on her as a person. Can you imagine being captured by a rival tribe at age 10 or so, being transported far away from your home and family, being bought by a French trapper/explorer as a teen, and bearing his child? And yet she rightly earned a place in American history as a valued woman. A great story.

[Revellee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Howard makes use of various primary documents to stitch together a narrative about the life of Sacajawea. She didn't keep a journal herself, so none of it is from her perspective. However, after concluding the summary of events of the Lewis and Clark expedition, Howard does offer the reader the Shoshoni version of her story and the complementing versions of a couple of researchers who published their reports on Sacajawea during the early 1900's. The writing is simple and easy to follow. The footnotes are interesting. Howard is careful throughout most of the book to clearly state that the information he's presenting is from the perspective of white men and that a lot of it cannot be completely verified.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sacajawea by Harold Howard is straight to the point account of the famous woman’s life drawn from the dairies of the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The young teenage wife of a fur trapper she would be reunited with her birth drive that she was kidnapped from on the journey to the Pacific. Her determination, “industriousness” and intelligence were evident on the drive to Pacific and the exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. Her presence undoubtedly made the progress easier since most war parties would not travel with a woman and definitely a newborn baby. This book is succinct and does not waiver from its focus on the main person of interest. The author does a nice job of weaving sources and making logical conclusions where possible and pointing out where others may have gone to far.

[Jen Klaas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly, this book was not about Sacajawea. It was mostly about the men in her life: Lewis and Clark, her husband brother and son. You could take the sentences actually about Sacajawea and put them on three pages.

That being said, if this book was titled “Lewis and Clark” I would give it a solid 4 stars

[mama just wants to read · Rating 4 out of 5]

My goal was to learn and that I did! I am local to Sacajawea’s supposed burial site even though I think I’m team “she died after the birth of Lizette.” Docked a star because this was a lot more about Lewis and Clark than it was Sacajawea. I was expecting more of a narrative and it was more of a log.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. The only chapters about Sacajawea come at the end of the book and they're extremely brief. More of a cursory overview of the expedition than a book about Sacajawea. Her name is on it to sell copies, I'm sure.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good summary of the Lewis and Clark expedition, but it comes up short as a biography of Sacajawea.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize how old this book was - just picked it up from a Little Free Library in our neighborhood. More about Lewis & Clark than Sacagawea. Still interesting, though.