Examining Pocahontas and Sacagawea’s ties to Sierra

“Western history can be brutal,” said author Cyndi Spindell Berck.

Last month Berck spent a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon at the Mariposa County Library. She spoke about her new book, “Pocahontas and Sacagawea – Interwoven Legacies in American History.”

“The greatness of American Expansion is one part (of our nation’s history), and the struggle, brutality and even genocide is the other,” she continued.

Berck’s college major was history, but she loves writing as well. She spent nearly a decade researching in her spare time. Besides her respect for the two Native American women, whose roles in American history were so significant, she wanted to separate myths from fact.

Multiple sources were used in learning about the women, including the writings of their Euro-American friends.

“I relied more on written records to identify the bare facts,” Berck said, “and more on Indian traditions for perspectives on the meanings of these experiences for native peoples.”

Berck can’t say for sure if Pocahontas really did save John Smith’s life. He might have fabricated or exaggerated that piece of the story. But she did help him form a valuable alliance between the English and Native Americans.

Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, emperor of the Virginian Indians at the time of the Jamestown settlement. She also served as adviser among her people. It was customary for women to determine the fate of captives, so it is possible she saved Smith from death.

The two became close friends, but Pocahontas married the Englishman John Rolfe. Upon her acceptance of Christianity and baptism, she became known as Lady Rebecca Rolfe. She and her husband moved to England, and she died within a year. But not before developing a close friendship with the king and queen. Her only son lived with relatives in England, eventually moved to Virginia, married and had eight children.

Two historic Western mines bear her name in Northern California and Colorado.

Because Pocahontas held a position of influence in her community, Berck believes if she had seen the size of the future immigration or the danger involved, she probably wouldn’t have been so welcoming.

In the case of Sacagawea, William Clark recorded much about their relationship. Sacagawea and her husband were hired as interpreters for the western expedition led by Clark and Meriwether Lewis.

Sacagawea was kidnapped at the age of 12. She married a fur trapper and trader – the French-Canadian, Toussaint Charbonneau. Their ability to speak multiple languages was of key importance in trading horses between the Native Americans and Clark and Lewis.

Yes, a baby traveled on Sacagawea’s back. Having a woman and child among the group signified peaceful intentions and opened dialogue and trade between cultures.

The baby, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, was nicknamed “Pomp” by Clark, who developed a strong love for the boy, and became a type of surrogate father.

After accompanying the expedition, in 1812 at the age of 7, Jean-Baptiste moved to Missouri with Clark to be educated. His mother died the same year.

As an adult he, too, became an explorer and trapper/trader, as well as a military scout during the Mexican-American War. He spent several years in Europe, and later became the mayor of Mission San Luis Rey de Francia (Oceanside).

Jean-Baptiste moved to the Sierra Nevada region known today as Placer County. There he lived for almost 20 years, prospecting for gold and operating a hotel. After the gold ran out he moved to Oregon. His grave site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other well-known historic figures appear in Berck’s tale: John Beckwourth, Daniel Boone, Gen. Stephen Kearny and Cameahwait, a Shoshone chief and Sacagawea’s brother.

This fascinating work, in Berck’s words, is “a tale of adventure and personalities: scrupulously accurate, yet written to hold the reader’s interest.”

The book is available for purchase at the Mariposa Museum and History Center and online, www.commonwealthbooks.org/products/pocahontas-and-sacagawea-internwoven-legacies-in-american-history.

Although some of America’s past cross-cultural relationships deteriorated into national conflict, genuine friendships have been cultivated between the races.

Berck concluded, “We can’t make intelligent decisions about current issues without knowing how we got here. It is possible for people to care about each other, work together, and love each other across cultures, and for new cultures to arise from these meetings. ... We are all Americans.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Examining Pocahontas and Sacagawea’s ties to Sierra."