Sacagawea was a crucial part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. At first she was just their translator's 15 year old pregnant wife, but turned out to be much more. She was a very good icon for the natives that they were encountering. The natives saw a young native woman that had a young child and knew they were not in any danger. (pg 164) There were also many times when they didn't have any food and Sacagawea picked the right roots and berries to keep them from starvation. She was mostly noted for saving precious instruments, gathered food, recognized important geographical signposts, and interpreted on numerous occasions. (pg 165) Unfortunately the diaries that were kept by the others on the journey do not talk about her personality or her opinions on many things. In other hostile situations Sacagawea's presence calmed the men and seeing the woman was like a sign of peace. She was also very important because she knew her way around and was very useful as a navigator.
             Sacagawea was never really acknowledged by the party because, in my opinion, the diaries that were kept were never accurate when describing her. She was not in a lot of them or only talked about as a translator's wife. I don't think she was ever compensated because she was a young woman and a part of a different culture. During that period of time, women were not as respected as men, unfortunately. I think if she was European and male, she would have gotten a ton more appreciation, but then if she was a man, she couldn't have done some of the things that she did.
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