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Corps of Discovery

Was Sacagawea (Sakakawea) Shoshone or Hidatsa?

Sakakawea's village near Knife River - Sitting Rabbit pictograph
Sacagawea (Sakakawea) was thought to have been born to the Lehmi Shoshone tribe in western Montana. A member of the Shoshonean-speaking group, she was apparently captured by enemies on a raid and subsequently ended up at the Hidatsa villages on the Missouri River in present-day North Dakota. There, as was the custom of many tribes, the Hidatsa adopted her into their culture. Therefore, it is accurate to say she was both Shoshone and Hidatsa: Shoshone by birth and Hidatsa by culture.

Corps of Discovery FAQ's

Lewis & Clark Relations / Mandan, Hidatsa & York / William Clark After the Expedition / Meriwether Lewis After the Expedition / Lewis's Unfinished Journals / Lewis: Murder or Suicide / Sakakawea Spelling / Sakakawea Reunited with Brother