Sacagawea, whose name translated into Bird Woman and Grass Woman depending on the tribe, was stolen from the Lemhi Shoshone when she was about 10 years old. She became a slave with the Minataree (Hidatsa). She was then sold or lost in a gambling game to a French trapper who took her as wife. When Lewis and Clark hired the trapper to travel with them they recognized the value Sacagawea could add to their travels and allowed her, along with her infant son, to travel with them. Primarily as interpreter, she became an integral part of the trip to the Pacific Ocean. This all happened in the early 1800's in what we would call a wild and primitive environment.
As a woman, I have tremendous respect for the resilience, tenacity, flexibility and strength this young girl possessed to be able to weather the various scenarios she faced. There are no photographs of Sacagawea, so my work, representing her, is my invention. And it is my reward to have discovered this powerful woman, to have been emersed in the process of working with her.
This fictional portrait of Sacagawea is presented in a stylized, whimsical format. To the Minnetarees she was known as Tsakakawia, Bird Woman. To her people, the Shoshone Snakes, she was Bo-o'-naiv, Grass Woman, hence the inclusion of grasses and mountain blue birds.
Sacagawea, whose name translated into Bird Woman and Grass Woman depending on the tribe, was stolen from the Lemhi Shoshone when she was about 10 years old. She became a slave with the Minataree (Hidatsa). She was then sold or lost in a gambling game to a French trapper who took her as wife. When Lewis and Clark hired the trapper to travel with them they recognized the value Sacagawea could add to their travels and allowed her, along with her infant son, to travel with them. Primarily as interpreter, she became an integral part of the trip to the Pacific Ocean. This all happened in the early 1800's in what we would call a wild and primitive environment.
As a woman, I have tremendous respect for the resilience, tenacity, flexibility and strength this young girl possessed to be able to weather the various scenarios she faced. There are no photographs of Sacagawea, so my work, representing her, is my invention. And it is my reward to have discovered this powerful woman, to have been emersed in the process of working with her.
This fictional portrait of Sacagawea is presented in a stylized, whimsical format. To the Minnetarees she was known as Tsakakawia, Bird Woman. To her people, the Shoshone Snakes, she was Bo-o'-naiv, Grass Woman, hence the inclusion of grasses and mountain blue birds.