"There is a dispute about Sakakawea's tribe: Was she Hidatsa or Shoshone? And Sakakawea herself is said to be buried in at least three places. If Lewis and Clark had documented their guide with more than a passing mention, the simple facts of who she is and where she is buried wouldn't be in question.Today, though, the waters of Lake Oahe in South Dakota have receded and left the site of Fort Manual Lisa exposed. This may be the chance to put to rest the questions of Sakakawea's identity and grave, for she is said to have been buried at the fort.

We have the technology and DNA methods to discover a person's identity. Sakakawea was such a significant person in the Corps of Discovery that it would seem these methods now could be used to find her grave.

It would be nice to put a stone on her final resting place, end the dispute over where she is buried and determine, once and for all, whether she was Lemhi-Shoshone."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: Let's find Sakakawea's grave (The Grand Forks Herald 10/12)

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