Shoshone

[Dude A Bydes]

The girl wasn't the leader but she led.

She did not speak for her group, yet her voice guided their destiny.

Though she didn't walk the point, her opinion directed those in charge.

Her tools were courage, commitment, resourcefulness, and clear vision.

While some lacked confidence, her resolve blazed a path to the "new world."

...Then again she might just be another coin in your pocket.

[Dude A Bydes]

Teresa/Wild Bill/Gita/Jamie- Thanks to you all! I needed a great example of "peer leadership" for a work shop I was helping with--Sacagawea was perfect. Just a young girl from another culture, in tow on an epic journey... what character she must have possessed! Those kind of leaders-from-the-middle have shaped history at places like Thermopolae, Gettysburg, and Verdun, but also in our local governments, schools, and churches. We need to honor and acknowledge the work of  these "quiet leaders" too. -Dude

[Jamie Hogan]

Nothing but a bunch of truth, there.

[Gita]

Much deserved praise and well written.

[Teresa]

Wikipedia is quick to note that she wasn't so much a guide for Lewis and Clark as a sign of peace to other tribes they encountered.  Pfft...  This woman saved the journals and records of Lewis and Clark that had fallen from a capsized boat.  She saved the expedition from starvation when she found camas root and cooked it for all of them.  Married to a white man at 13, one of two wives, won gambling.  Jeez.  Dead at 25?  Thank you for honoring her.  Sadly, I only knew of Lewis and Clark.  How typical. 

[Mike Handley]

Sacagawea ... Haven't thought about her since elementary school. Nice tribute, Dude.

[Stephen Torelli]

Was that Lewis and Clark? Nice write.

[Angela]

Hers is a life that is remarkable to consider.  Nice six.