She was twelve years of age as she was forcefully separated from her family. Before her capture, she had awoken and, looking toward the heavens, had admired the clearness of the sky, and the beauty of the clouds. There was no place as beautiful as where she was born––a dreamer, still living in her childhood fantasies, where a world of innocence, power, and domination did not exist. The mountains, the trails and the territory where she lived were her home, and she knew them almost as good as her brother. Had she not roamed through the caves, even though she was verging on the brink of maturity to become a woman?
She was away from the camp with her girlfriends as she heard mighty noises that awaken her curiosity. Women screaming, grunts coming from men who were caught unaware, and children crying as their mothers lay lifeless beside them. Something was wrong. Suddenly a rope, thrown over her head entwined her body, and she was caught in a grip that burned through her tender skin.
- How do you deal with involuntary imprisonment?
- How do you react to being snatched away from the only existence you had ever known?
- How do you rationalize going from freedom to slavery within a matter of hours?
- How do you cope with the death of your mother, father, sister and brother and all of your friends?
Overnight, the twelve year old was no longer a playful innocence little girl, she had become a slave and was expected to serve her masters, and do what she was told. She no longer had the right to be married to one of her tribesman; she no longer had the privileges that were awarded to the women of her own tribe.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With God as our father
Sisters all are we.
Let me walk with my sister
In perfect harmony.[1]
At the age of fifteen, the time had come. From nobility to a slave, to a bet in a poker game, this teenage girl was given away to the man who won the game. One didn't think at all about her feelings. She was not asked. Choice did not find its way into her life. On her wedding night, there were no complaints about having a headache or not feeling well. Fear of being touched was a luxury that was not awarded to her, and so the young girl became the bride out of obedience and fear.
- What would you have done if you were forced to marry someone who had won you in a poker game?
- How would you have reacted to the insensitivity that her body must have tolerated as she lay there waiting for every thing to be over with soon?
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
With peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
And let it begin with me[2].
She was seventeen when the baby came. Believing she would never see her tribe again; believing all of her family had been killed, she did what most women would have done––made the best of a situation in which she had no control.
She had no idea that she had not yet met her destiny. If someone would have told her she would see her brother again; if someone would have explained to her she would become the first woman Ambassador for a group of men who were on a mission to discover the Northwest Passage; if someone had told her, at the age of twelve, she would be the person who made the difference, the person who would practically guarantee the success of the mission, this young girl would not have believed them. Her head was filled with dreams, dreams of bringing a great warrior in the world. The seed that would make her an Ambassador laid in incubation, deep within her soul.
Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.
With every step I take
Let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.[3]
She was the pioneer, the boat pusher, the Ambassador. Captain William Clark wrote in his journal, "The Indian woman confirmed those people of our friendly intentions, as no woman ever accompanies a war party of Indians in this quarter," and, "the wife of Shabono our interpeter we find reconsiles all the Indians, as to our friendly intentions. A woman with a party of men is a token of peace."[4]
It was the year of 1812, and a fever had broken out in the fort. The Ambassador took ill.
She was now twenty-five years old and had given life to a little girl who was a little more than a year old, and the putrid fever spreading in the fort sucked away her energy. The Ambassador was tired. It was time for her to Walk On.
Because she was a squaw there was no record of her birth, and no official recording was made of her death. Some say she died of the fever, others that she recovered and moved on. Tales circulate, but no knows for sure.
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth
The peace that was meant to be.
With god as our father
Sisters all are we.
Let me walk with my sister
In perfect harmony.[5]
The woman who had accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their journey to discover the Northwest Passage; the woman who had been enslaved at the age of twelve and deported far away from her own people, her own native language; the woman who was named Sacagawea, meaning the boat pusher, and had been waged as a bet in a poker game, the woman who had been designated as the Ambassador Walked On!
Sacagawea Walked On, I say, She Walked On!
She laid down her mantel and took her flight. The first woman who saw the Northwest Passage and negotiated agreements with the Indians on Lewis and Clark's famous expedition Walked On!
Walk On, My Sisters,
Wherever you may be,
Whatever you may be facing,
Walk On, I say, Walk On!
Ciao,
Pat Garcia
Song- Walk On by Kellie Coffey - Link below. Sit back and enjoy!
- 01 Walk On (Permission requested) http://www.kelliecoffey.com/index.asp
[1] Vince Gill. 1993. MCA Nashville Records. http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/v/vince_gill/let_there_be_peace_on_earth.html
[2] Vince Gill, 1993. MCA Nashville Records. http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/v/vince_gill/let_there_be_peace_on_earth.html
[3] Vince Gill, 1993. MCA Nashville Records. http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/v/vince_gill/let_there_be_peace_on_earth.html
[4] Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacagawea (English Language from Clark left as it was written)
[5] Vince Gill. 1993. MCA Nashville. http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/v/vince_gill/let_there_be_peace_on_earth.html
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