Shoshone Bird Woman

"Shoshone Bird Woman"


Long time past
1799 summer when berries are ripe
My mother, only twelve winters old,
Was stolen by Hidatsa tribe
From the Shoshone People,
The Snake Indians.

During this long time past
Mother lived among her captors.
French-Canadian fur trader, my father,
Won her in a gambling game.
Trapper Toussaint Charbonneau
Married his prize.

Long time past
1804 winter when the moon is cold
Fort Mandan on the Missouri River,
A pregnant teen, Sacagawea,
And her husband joined an expedition
Formed by President Thomas Jefferson.
Merriwether Lewis and William Clark
Were assigned to lead The Corps of Discovery.
The famous duo and crew first left Mississippi River
On the Muddy Missouri by keel boat and pirogues
Destined West to finish their journey on land
Through mountains to the shores of Pacific Ocean.

Long time past
Lewis and Clark bonded with Bird Woman
And me as a wee child riding on her back,
My mother, who served as guide and translator
For the expedition, trekking uncharted territory;
Land explored, maps made, journals kept,
Studies of terrain and records written
With drawings of fauna, wildlife, and tribal living.

As a self-declared adopted uncle, William Clark
Nicknamed my mother as Janey, and me as Pomp.
Sacagawea, Bird Woman, was also hailed
Through many winters past as a peacemaker.
Spirited; in tune with nature and humankind.






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