The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-02-14
''Sakakawea,'' Lewis
and Clark Guide
Killed During
Battle
CONTINUED from rage u

CONTINUED from rage u
ia:,ship, swearing that Charbonneau,
their father was dead, when it is
known that he was living.
Wyoming Claims
DR.. Grace Hebard of Wyoming,
claims an old woman, Sacajawe, of
the Shoshoni tribe died at the agency
ut Fort Hall in April 1884, and in
sists this is the Sakakawea. Doane
Robinson, himself, joins with Major
WEIGH in refuting this connection.
Charles E. Slower of Thunderhawk,
S. ID. is authority for the statement
that while connected with the U. S.
Indian service, he issued rations to
Sakakawea at the Lomhi agency in
idaho. Stauer claims to have known
her personally and asserts she died
at the Fort Hall agency in southern
Idaho in 1882 at the age of IS.
All of these stories are but theory,
according to the story of Major A.
B. Welch, and his new tale concern
ing the tragic death of the historic
woman is that as told him in open
council by Bulls Eye, the Gros Ven
ire, who is the only known living re-
lative of Sakakawea, the son Of Of
ter Woman, who was the daughter Of
CharbOnneau and Sakakawea. The
story of Major Welch follows:
81 had been invited by the three
tribes on the Fort Berthold reserva-
ton to make Memorial Day address
and, after the ceremonies at the
graves Of old U. S. scouts and "A. E..
+. soldiers at Shell Village of the
eros Ventres, together with Bulls
Eye and about ten old men of the
Gros Ventres tribe, sat down in
the ceremonial lodge where we were
served with meat and bareback by
the woman. After we had eaten Of
the food, Bulls Eye, a scout and
grandson of Sakakawea told his
story-the stilted sentences are
typically Indian, markings too, the
interpreters aid, Bulls Eye said: ,
81 want to talk with you now. We
have heard about some white men
who wrote about my grandmother.
Her name was Ssakakawea. These
white men came along here about 100
years ago. They made a mistake
with the interpreter. He could not
speak the Indian well and told it
wrong. He could not talk English
either. He talked French. 1t has
been wrong ever since that time.
Sakakawea was not Shoshoni, she
was Hidatsa. I tell you now
Heard The Story
81 sensed a good story and told
him l would be glad to listen to it,"
says Major Welch, "but that it was
an important story and there should
be many people to listen when he
told it to me. If he made mistake,
he should be corrected by some man;
if he forgot anything, they should
bring it to his attention. wanted
q regular council called. So "Birds
Bill chief of the Old Scouts Society
gave instruction to the village her
aid, who went out and called
around the camp circle of lodges.
Soon most of the old men were pre-
sent and Bulls Eye began his story.
This is the story:
"'My name is Bulls Eye. Lam of
he Hidatsa (Gros Ventres) l have
seen SO winters. was a scout at
he mouth of the Yellowstone river.
I was at Fort Abraham Lincoln too,
when Il was young. My fathers
name was Lean Bull. He was Hidat-
va, he was a brave man. Ny moth
cr's name was Otter Woman. She
was Hidatsa.
"I was four years old when she
was killed by an enemy. She died
sitting up against wagon wheel.
Ny grandmother died of wound in
her side.
"'The name of my mothers moth
er was Sakakawea. She was my
grandmother. The father of my
grandmother was Smoked Lodge. He
was Hidatsa. He signed the treaty
Of 1925. The mother Of my grand
mother was Otter Woman. She
was Hidatsa too. My grandmother
Sakakawea had brother whose name
was CHEEKY Necklace. He lived with
our relatives, the Crows, in Mon
tana. They are sometimes called
Absarakas, but they are Hidatsa.
They went away from US long time
ago. My grandmother had a half
brother whose name was One Buffalo.
Given To White Man
"'When my grandmother. was II
years old, her father gave her to q
white man. She married this white
man, who was my grandfather. His
name was Sharbonish. He lived
among the Mandans and Hidatsa
then. That was at the villages Of
the Knife River. This white man
and Sakakawea had several children,
the first one was man child. The
second was a woman child. They
named her Otter Woman. She was
my mother (the birthsign was given
by Bulls Eye here). The third child
was a woman child too, the fourth
child was a woman child. They nam
ed them Cedar Woman and Different
Breast. The father of all these chill
dren was Sharbonish. You. have
called it little different, but it is
the same man. None of these de-
scendants are alive now except my
self. They are all dead from the
enemy or the sickness.
"'The same year when my grand
father took Sakakawea away from
the Lodge, they went far away some.
where. They went toward the west
and were gone for long time and
travelled far. They went so far they
were among people who sometimes
went to the ocean out beyond there,
Th;c wae m the other eide Of the