Sacagawea

Sacagawea (/ˌsækədʒəˈwiːə/ see below; May 1788 – December 20, 1812; see below for other theories about her death), also Sakakawea or Sacajawea, was a Lemhi Shoshone woman who helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition achieve each of its chartered mission objectives exploring the Louisiana Purchase. With the expedition, between 1804 and 1806, she traveled thousands of miles from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean, established cultural contacts with Native American populations, and researched natural history.

Cultural significance

Sacagawea is an important part of the Lewis and Clark legend in the American public imagination. The National American Woman Suffrage Association of the early twentieth century adopted her as a symbol of women's worth and independence, erecting several statues and plaques in her memory, and doing much to spread the story of her accomplishments.

Posthumously, in 1977, she was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 2001, she was given the title of Honorary Sergeant, Regular Army, by then-president Bill Clinton.

Sacajawea (novel)

Sacajawea is a massive (over 1300 pages) historical fiction novel about the life of Sacajawea, noted Shoshone Indian travel guide of Lewis and Clark. It was written by Anna Lee Waldo and published in 1978. It took Waldo ten years to research and write the novel. Sacajawea is Waldo's first book.

Plagiarism Case

In the early 1980s, author Benjamin Capps sued Anna Lee Waldo and her publisher, Avon Books, for copyright infringement of parts of several of his works that were used in Sacajawea. A settlement was finalized in June 1983, whereby Capps agreed not to publicize the case. His personal plagiarism case files contain the statement that the case, in Capps’ own words, was "the most outrageous case of plagiarism in the history of this country”.

Editions

Sacajawea (Expanded and Revised), Avon Books, ISBN 978-0-380-84293-3

References