Awash in myth and mystery, he does not know the correct spelling of Sacagawea's name or his correct birth date. His story has still been told many times throughout history. Not learning to read or write, she was well known for assisting the explorers Lewis and Clark on their expedition, surveying the land of the Louisiana Purchase. He became an invaluable guide for the expedition, acting as an interpreter between the tribes of his region. Without Sacagawea's help, Lewis and Clark could not have been as successful, but because of his efforts, this made it impossible for other countries to claim the new land for the United States. Sacagawea, also known as Bird Woman, was born to a Shoshone chief in 1788, in Salmon, Idaho. At the age of twelve, she was captured and sold to the French-Canadian fur trader, Toussaint Charbonneau, and became one of his many wives. Departing after the layout of the purchased land, Lewis and Clark approached the hired interpreter, Charbonneau and his unknown Native American wife. They were to serve as guides for the party. Being only sixteen years old, she and her husband accompanied Lewis and Clark, gently guiding them on the expedition. She later gave birth to a boy, Jean-Baptiste, nicknamed “Pompey,” in their fort. Since Clark had become deeply attached to the child, he offered to take him in, once he was weaned, to raise him as if he were his own son. Less than two months later, the expedition was to continue, and Sacagawea had her infant son strapped to her back sharing the hardships of the journey. Sacagawea posed as guide, spectator, and translator because she was familiar with geography, animals, and plants. As he traveled across the country, he calmed the fears of other Native American tribes because he served a… medium of paper… et al. vol. 4: Primary sources. Detroit: UXL, 2006. 146-161. US history in context. Press. November 17, 2013.McBeth, Sally. 2003. “Memory, History, and the Contested Past: Reinventing Sacagawea/Sacajawea.” Journal of American Indian Culture and Research 27, no. 1:1-32. Full text of Humanities (H.W. Wilson), EBSCOhost (accessed November 17, 2013). “Sacagawea.” Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Sons of Charles Scriber, 1936. United States History in Context. Press. September 25, 2013. Shoemaker, Nancy. “Native American Women in History.” OAH History Magazine, Vol. 9, no. 4, Native Americans (Summer 1995), pp. 10-14. November 17, 2013Vettel-Becker, Patricia. “Sacagawea and Son: The Visual Construction of the American Maternal Feminine.” American Studies (00263079) 50, no. 1/2 (Summer 2009 2009): 27-50. America: History and Life with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed November 17, 2013).