Sacajawea? Sacagawea? Sakakawea?
"What do you want me to call you?" -The character Coyote, a Dakota teenager, asks Sacajawea in the play Crossing Mnisose.
One of the things Crossing Mnisose addresses is the many pronunciations that have been used for Sacajawea's name throughout history. As part of playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle's research for this play, she traveled to Fort Hall, Idaho to visit the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, where she was able to meet and speak with some of Sacajawea's descendants on this topic. We asked Nagle to write a quick explanation of how she landed on the spelling and pronunciation of Sacajawea for her script:
As a Cherokee playwright, I am no expert on how to pronounce a Shoshone woman's name. However, I can say that some of Sacajawea's descendants have informed me that "Sacajawea" is a transformation of her actual Shoshone name, "Sacatzahweyah," which in Shoshone means a burden, or something that must be pulled or carried. As to the version of her name that most Americans know, "Sacajawea," I have heard some Shoshone folks refer to her as "Sack-uh-juh-wee-uh" while I have heard some Hidatsa folks refer to her as "Sa-cock-uh-way-uh," and of course the lake within the Fort Berthold Reservation is known as Lake Sakakawea. And, on the other hand, some white Ph.D. historians prefer what two white guys, Lewis and Clark, wrote in their journals: "Su-cog-uh-wea." More often than that, Native people are more than what is reflected in a white man's account.
This video features the primary pronunciation of Sacajawea used in the play. The play also uses "Sacatzahweyah" and “Sacagawea.”
More about Crossing Mnisose:
Timeline of Historical Events: "Crossing Mnisose"
Explore the historical timeline involved in Crossing Mnisose.
An Interview with Mary Kathryn Nagle
The playwright discusses deconstructing the mythology of Lewis and Clark, learning the truth about Sacajawea, and how her experiences at the Standing Rock protests and as a lawyer fighting for Indigenous rights informed the writing of Crossing Mnisose.
Why I Wrote This Play
In her own words: Mary Kathryn Nagle on her journey to restore the forgotten narrative of Sacajawea, connect her story to those of modern Native women survivors, and place the mythology of Manifest Destiny in the context of recent history.
"Crossing Mnisose" Cast & Creative Team
Meet the exciting cast and creative team behind Crossing Mnisose.
An Interview with Mary Kathryn Nagle
The playwright discusses deconstructing the mythology of Lewis and Clark, learning the truth about Sacajawea, and how her experiences at the Standing Rock protests and as a lawyer fighting for Indigenous rights informed the writing of Crossing Mnisose.
Why I Wrote This Play
In her own words: Mary Kathryn Nagle on her journey to restore the forgotten narrative of Sacajawea, connect her story to those of modern Native women survivors, and place the mythology of Manifest Destiny in the context of recent history.
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