Sacajawea: Guide and Interpreter of Lewis and Clark

by Grace Raymond Hebard

This remarkable study rescues from undeserved obscurity the name and reputation of Sacajawea — a true Native American heroine. The volume also unravels the tangled threads of her family life and traces the career of her son Baptiste (the "papoose" of the Lewis and Clark expedition). It also describes her personal traits, the significant services she rendered during the expedition and while she acted as counselor to her own people, discloses the true meaning of her name and describes her "lost years" among the Comanches. The text is enhanced with 21 illustrations, including a map, and 6 appendices containing testimonies by Indian agents, missionaries, teachers, and Shoshone tribespeople.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2002

Reviews

[Rick Rapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hebard's work, originally published in 1932, includes a good number of signed testimonies of neighbors and relatives of Sacajawea. These testimonies disprove the theories that she died as a young woman shortly after the Lewis and Clark expedition, and they help to fill in gaps in her story. Her role in that journey is well-known. Less well-known is her (long) life after leaving Charboneau (her abusive French trader husband). Hebard's book traces her life among the Mandans, the Shoshones, and the Comanches. Sacajawea was an independent, strong-willed woman who moved freely among various tribes and in towns and settlements among whites. I have had this book for years and wish that I had read it earlier when I was teaching about the Lewis and Clark expedition and the fates of those who took part in that journey. One observation of the book is the disturbing practice of white people to ignore or revise accepted names and events of the lives of native people. (Every time the word "half-breed" is used I cringed.) But given that it was a product of its time, Hebard does history a great service by actually recording events and descendants of this amazing woman.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is extremely engaging for anyone studying the Corps of Discovery, L&C Expedition, and/or Sacajawea herself. And although I find Sacajawea endlessly fascinating, I’m equally fascinated that Hebard spent 30 years researching the subject. If nothing else, Hebard was committed and dedicated. And, her arguments in support of her case for Sacajawea living past 1812 are convincing. …until you continue your own research and begin studying Hebard’s critics, one of whom played stenographer to Hebard for a short period of time. I’ll leave it up to you to continue on in your own research, as I don’t want to dissuade anyone from gleaning entertainment from this book. But just know that some of this book, I’m convinced, is just that - entertainment.

[Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I went into this book a little skeptical. It is a pretty well known "fact" after all that Sacagawea died not too many years after the expedition. Despite the issues with some of the author's leaps to suppositions, I find myself very drawn to the author's conclusion that Sacagawea left Charbonneau and ended up with the Shoshone people on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. What convinced me were the records and multiple statements from clergy, Indian agents, and the many supporting statements of the Native American people who were in contact with Sacagawea (Porivo), Bazil, and Baptiste.

[James Hegge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Met some Lewis and Clark followers in Montana this fall, They suggested this book on SACAJAWEA guide and Interpreter of Lewis and Clark. This lady played and important role of making this trip a success. Also in helping to bring peace to the western United States after the trip of discovery. I don’t think the boys would of made it without her. The story of her life is most interesting, all the things that she survived is amazing. If you like history this is a good book for you.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half-plus of the book is about the men she traveled with and other stories from that time period. Rather discouraging when I was expecting to read about her life and contributions. The appendices were much more informative with real connection to Sacajawea. The research Grace did appeared very thorough, but alas, not much was added to make this book interesting.

[Susan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of primary sources and interviews of descendants, this is a must read for the Corp of Discovery history buff. She was only a teenager and took her newborn son with her. Sacajawea is a true heroine and the reason for the success of Lewis and Clark.

[Larry Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched for its time (1933). Interesting perspective on the "Indian woman" Sa-ca-gar-wea who became an important member of the Lewis & Clark expedition.

[Keith Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great detail historical book about Sacajawea guide for Lewis and Clark expedition.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author conducted a remarkable amount of research to prove that the Shoshone woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark across the Rocky Mountains in 1805 actually lived a very full life thereafter, as the mother of many children, first with the Comanches in Oklahoma, then with the Shoshones on the Wind River reservation in Wyoming, and not another wife of Charonneau who died soon after the expedition. The problem with the book is that the testimony is bloodless (and repetitive) and gives hardly any indication of the character of a person who, to judge by what is said, must have impressed all who met her. Writing to the author, Alfred Alexander Taylor, who had been at Fort Bridger in 1868 and was later governor of Tennessee, adds some life to the narrative (in a footnote):
"My dear young lady, if I had known that it would have made the great difference that it apparently has made in several instances where I could have testified, I would have paid attention, of course. But how was I to know? I was only seventeen years old, and it was a great lark for me, and I was more interested in collecting Indian ponies, shooting antelope, and hunting for moss agates than in any history-in-the-making." (p. 264)
So although Hebard has done an extraordinary thing in assembling what she has, the sad fact remains that, because she was a woman and an Indian -- a squaw -- she was largely ignored. Clark, her great admirer, repaid her by educating her son, but at the cost of separating the two for years. From this narrative you can conclude that she loved her children, would never on any account eat horse or dog meat, and that the great event of the expedition was seeing a beached whale in Oregon. There must have been more.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of slow and reads a little like a textbook, but if you enjoy reading about Sacajawea, and how she saved a bunch of white guy's butts over and over again, then you'll enjoy it.