The Bird-Woman of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Part 7

SACAJAWEA FINDS ROOTS AND SEEDS.

Far up on the Missouri, Sacajawea knew the plants that were good to eat.

The captains and soldiers were glad that she did.

They had only a little corn left, and there were not many animals near.

Sacajawea told Captain Clark all about the yamp plant, as her tribe knew it.

It grew in wet ground.

It had one stem and deeply cut leaves.

Its stem and leaves were dark green.

It had an umbrella of white flowers at the top of the stem.

The Indian women watched the yamp until the stem dried up.

Then they dug for the roots.

The yamp root is white and hard.

The Indians eat it fresh or dried.

When it is dry, they pound it into a fine white powder.

The Indian women make the yamp powder into a mush.

Indian children like yamp mush as much as white children like candy.

It tastes like our anise seed.

The soldiers liked the yamp mush that Sacajawea made.

Sacajawea also made a sunflower mush.

She roasted sunflower seeds.

Then she pounded them into a powder and made a mush with hot water.

She made a good drink of the sunflower powder and cold water.

She mixed the sunflower powder with bear grease and roasted it on hot rocks.

This made a bread the soldiers liked very much.

Without Sacajawea the soldiers would have been hungry.

They did not know the plants.

Some plants would kill them.

But Sacajawea knew those good to eat.

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SACAJAWEA'S PEOPLE.

One day near the head of the Missouri, Sacajawea stopped short as she walked.

She looked hard to the West.

She saw far away some Indians on horseback.

She began to dance and jump.

She waved her arms.

She laughed and called out.

She turned to Captain Clark and sucked her fingers.

This showed that these Indians were her own people.

She ran ahead to meet them.

After a time a woman from the Indians ran out to meet Sacajawea.

When they came together, they put their arms around each other.

They danced together.

They cried together.

This woman had been Sacajawea's friend from the time when they were babies.

She had been taken East by the same Indians that took Sacajawea.

On the way East she got away from these Indians.

She found her way home.

She had been afraid she would never see Sacajawea again.

Now they were happy to meet.

They danced and sang and cried and laughed with their arms around each other.

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SACAJAWEA'S BROTHER.

The party went with Sacajawea's people to their camp.

Captain Clark was taken to the chief's house.

The house was made of a ring of willows.

The chief put his arms about Captain Clark.

He made him sit on a white skin.

He tied in his hair six sh.e.l.ls.

Each one then took off his moccasins.

Then they smoked without talking.

When they wanted to talk, they sent for Sacajawea.

She came into the house and sat down.

She looked at the chief.

She saw that he was her brother.

She jumped up and ran to him.

She threw her blanket over his head.

She cried aloud in joy.

He was glad to see her.

He did not cry nor jump.

He did not like to show that he was glad.

Sacajawea told him about the white men.

She said they wanted to go across the Rocky Mountains to the Big Water in the West.

She did not know the way across the mountains.

The Indians could help them.

They could sell them horses and show them the way across the steep mountain tops.

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Sacajawea said the white men had many things the Indians would like.

If they found a good way over the mountains, the white men would send these things to the Indians each summer.

Sacajawea said the white men were kind to her and her baby.

If they had not taken care of her when she was ill, she would not have seen her brother again.

Her brother said he was glad that the white men had been kind to her.

He would help them over the mountains.