Women and Pants

Women Wearing Pants

Author

gholea

In the Western world, Historically, in that part of the world, women have worn dresses and skirt-like garments while men have worn pants (trousers). During the late 1800s, women started to wear pants for industrial work. During World War II, women wore their husband's pants while they took on jobs, and in the 1970s, pants became especially fashionable for women. Today, pants are worn far more often than skirts by women, and many women wear pants almost all the time.

Although trousers for women in western countries did not become fashion items until the later 20th century, women began wearing men's trousers (suitably altered) for outdoor work a hundred years earlier.

The Wigan pit brow girls scandalized Victorian society by wearing trousers for their dangerous work in the coal mines. They wore skirts over their trousers and rolled them up to their waist to keep them out of the way.

Wigan Pit Row Lass

Women working the ranches of the 19th century American West also wore trousers for riding, and in the early 20th century aviatrices and other working women often wore trousers. Actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn were often photographed in trousers from the 1930s and helped make trousers acceptable for women.

Katherine Hepburn

During World War II, women working in factories and doing other forms of "men's work" on war service wore trousers when the work demanded it, and in the post-war era trousers became acceptable casual wear for gardening, the beach, and other leisure pursuits.

In Britain during the Second World War, because of the rationing of clothing, many women took to wearing their husbands' civilian clothes, including their trousers, to work while their husbands were away in the armed forces. This was partly because they were seen as practical garments of workwear, and partly to allow women to keep their clothing allowance for other uses. As this practice of wearing trousers became more widespread and as the men's clothes wore out, replacements were needed, so that by the summer of 1944 it was reported that sales of women's trousers were five times more than in the previous year.

1960's

In the 1960s, Andre Courreges introduced long trousers for women as a fashion item, leading to the era of the pantsuit and designer jeans and the gradual eroding of the prohibitions against girls and women wearing trousers in schools, the workplace, and fine restaurants.

Source:http://www.cheaponsale.com/

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Sui Liu and Wu Yan - Ugly Concubines

Su Liu 

In the period of Qi there was a girl who was born with a tumor in her neck. Her name was Su Liu and this tumor made her slightly disfigured. This caused everyone in her village to stay away and isolate her. Once King Min went on a tour around his kingdom and visited Su Liu's village. All the villagers crowded round the king and stopped their work but Su Liu continued picking mulberry leaves and ignored the crowds. 

The King's men saw this and thought ignoring the king was insulting behavior, so she was dragged in front of King Min. The king asked her to explain her actions. She told him that she had learned to concentrate on her task 100 percentage, no matter how small or unimportant that task might seem. The king Min thought that she was a remarkable woman and took her to his court where she proved her worth time and time again. Later in her life the King Min married her and she assisted in the governing of the country and helped to bring peace and prosperity to many of the people in china. 

Wu Yan 

During the spring and Autumn Period when China was not united there was a girl name Wu Yan. Many describe her as being very ugly with eyes that sank into her face, a flat nose and very dark skin. She was named after the place she was born, Wu Yan.She lived in the Qi state, one of the many reason why the Qi state grow so strong was because any person no matter where that started out in live could be promoted to a position of power and money. As Wu Yan was viewed to be so ugly she lived alone until she was 40. 

During her life there were many wars with the other states and any civilian were encouraged to come and offer advice and help their country. Wu Yan summoned up her courage and went to see the king of Qi. When she was permitted into the kings audience she told King Xuan " Our country is in grave danger". King Xuan was shocked at these words as he was unaware of any danger to his country and didn't understand how a lowly peasant would know of these dangers when he was unaware. Wu Yan continued and said that the states of Qin and Chu and both progress and their armies are getting stronger. Our state is on a knife's edge, one side is life and the other is death but you are unaware of it, as you are stuck in your luxurious life style. 

King Xuan was dumb struck as this words and dismissed her. However he continued to review her words and took her advice. He withdrew from his sheltered and luxurious life style and concentrate on improving the state of Qi. He looked for Wu Yan and offered her to be his concubine and so she is famously known as the "ugly Concubine". 

 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Gajewski

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The Most Hated Woman in Mexico by Colin Falconer

Author Colin Falconer is back to share a post about a fascinating Mexican woman of history depicted in his best-selling novel, Aztec. If you haven't had a chance to read this book, you must. It's a definite page turner with plenty of shock and awe to rivet you to the end. Following is the guest post. Oh, and there's a link to a previous post contained within. When you get to it, check it out. You'll laugh till you hurt!

THE MOST HATED WOMAN IN MEXICO

Hernan Cortes  was probably one of the greatest of the conquistadores – which is a back handed compliment in a way, like being the best of the Nazis or being named Terrorist of the Year. He was a man of ruthless genius, a Christian crusader possessed of unparalleled greed, even for those times – but his achievements were breath-taking.

He won a land of almost limitless resource for Spain with an army of less than five hundred Spaniards, not all of them soldiers and not all of them loyal, while ostensibly on a simple scouting mission from Cuba.

He did not defeat the Aztecs with Spanish force of arms – he was five hundred men against a nation of a million – but with an astonishing bluff. He took the pot and the game with nothing in his hand. Through good fortune, steely determination, and the help of a Mexican slave girl he achieved what would otherwise have been considered impossible. 

It is one of the great stories of history, a triumph of human endurance and determination, notwithstanding that Cortes’s eventual success was an unmitigated disaster for the indigenous population and resulted in unimaginable misery for hundreds of thousands of people.

The story of Hernan Cortes is the story of a woman named Malinali. Her exact origins are unclear –she was thought to have been a Mayan princess by some – but her place in Mexican history is unparalleled. For without her, Cortes would have got no further than the beach.

Her name was corrupted by history to Malinche; even today the word malinchista is shouted across the floor of the Mexican parliament as a deadly insult – it means a traitor to the Mexican people.

Yet was she the monster that the Mexicans make her out to be? 

There is only one person who ever knew the truth and that was Malinali Tenepal herself – La Malinche. Both concubine and translator to Cortes, her motives and what she said and how she said it will always be a matter of debate - it is what makes hers such a gripping and intriguing story. It is not about the battles but the love affair, one of the most extraordinary pairings in all history.

Not everyone in Mexico agrees with me on my interpretation of  Malinali – but then they don’t agree with each other either. As with  all history, there will always be a thousand versions, and no one can ever say which one is the true one.

But what is certain is that in almost every contemporary drawing and painting she is at Cortes' side, whispering in his ear. She was the only one who ever knew what was being said by both sides, the only one who spoke both Spanish and nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. She was the only one who could have made the bluff work.

She was also the only one to share Cortes' bed. Did she love him? No one can say. Did he use her for his own purposes and then cast her aside? Of course he did. He was only ever interested in gold and glory.

Fittingly perhaps, Cortes' life after the conquest was one of frustration and humiliation. History has not been kind to him either. I spent the better part of an afternoon trying to track him down. I finally found him not far from the Plaza Major in the Church of Jesus Navareno. He is walled up in a casket by the altar and you have to peer very hard to make out the plaque let alone the inscription. That's how much they think of him now. 

He crumbles to dust in the place where he first met the Aztec emperor Motecuhzoma. And Malinali? 

No one knows what became of her. It is believed she died an old woman in Spain. Cortes showed her his gratitude by marrying her off to someone else.  Her name is still reviled in Mexico. Foreign authors who dare write her story still get assaulted with man bags (Click here - This is the link - read it for a belly laugh!).)

But for all that, her tale, and that of the conquistadores, remains one of the most intriguing and tragic sagas in history. I still believe she could not have foreseen the terrible cataclysm she unwittingly engineered. But if you're ever in Mexico City, don't quote me on that.

If you do, watch out for man bags.

  Website

http://www.colinfalconer.net

   BLOG

http://colin-falconer.blogspot.com

Twitter

http://twitter.com/@colin_falconer

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Wang Zhaojun and Cai Wenji

Wang Zhaojun

In 33Bc during the Han dynasty there was a policy of diplomacy with the Huns, making sure that the Han dynasty and the Huns were on friendly term. This policy involves marring high class Chinese ladies with the Hun nobility so to cement the relationship of the 2 parties. Many women were forced to marry the Hun nobility but only one saw it as a positive opportunity and openly offered herself to this exchange. Her name was Wang Zhaojun and was described as one of the "Four greatest beauties" in Chinese history. The Khan of the Huns personally came to Chang an city the then capital city and asked for a court lady. Wang Zhaojun offered herself when all the other court ladies refuse because it meant leaving the known, their family and a pleasant life at court.

 However unlike the Han dynasty the wife of the Kahn had a great influence and Wang Zhaojun managed to use this influence to continue the good relations between the Han dynasty and Huns. During her life the Hans and the Huns never had a war.

 Cai Wenji

A famous musician with great knowledge and elegancy, Cai Wenji was famous in the eastern Han dynasty for her musical talent and skill in calligraphy. She broke out of the conformed role of the female in ancient china and managed to get status and riches. Her life changed one night at the age of 6 when she was woken up by her father, who also was a musician, playing music. She listen intently as her father,Cai Yong, played a stringed instrument. Suddenly the music stopped with a awful sound, as one of her father's strings broke. Cai Wenji went to her father and proclaimed that the second string must have been broken. Cai Yong was shocked to see his daughter up and the late hour but also to see her guessing correctly at the string that was broken. Her Father first thought that she must have been lucky, so he broke another string and tested her again. 

Again Cai Wenji told her father which string was broken. Her father gathered all the instruments in their house and spent the rest of the night testing her musical talent. In the morning Cai Yong made a decision to teach Cai Wenji everything he knew about music. Due to her great talent and her father's training Cai Wenji went on to become a famous musician. 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Gajewski Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4974889

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Lucky 7 Meme

Lisa Yarde, also known as The Brooklyn Scribbler, a favourite author whose work I have admired for years, has tagged me in a cute contest that will let me give my readers a sneak peak of my latest novel in progress. I've chosen an excerpt from my Orphan of the Olive Tree which is scheduled for release summer/fall 2012.

The contest rules are:


The contest rules are:

1.  Go to page 77 of your current work in progress.

2.  Go to line 7.

3.  Copy the next 7 lines or sentences as written and post them onto your blog or website.

4.  Tag 7 other authors.

5.  Let them know they've been tagged.

Here is my latest work which is one chapter away from completion. It is called Orphan of the Olive Tree. The story is a family saga about one a woman who gives away one of her newborn twin daughters based on superstition and fear and the consequences of her dark act on two families. 

Without another word, Cosma placed the unwanted babe in her basket and tucked cloths all around it to prevent her from being tossed about. The child stirred a little, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Cosma covered the basket with a plain linen cloth and left the room. She closed the door behind her and heaved a heavy sigh. At the bottom of the stairs, Carlo limped while he paced, anxiety etched in his every feature. He ran toward her. "What news?”

Cosma shifted the basket away from him. "Your wife is well. She delivered a beautiful daughter, signore, but she must never bear a child again.” Her heart thundered in her chest lest his baby in the basket should awake and cry. She tried to walk on, but Carlo blocked her way. Cosma held the basket to the side to keep it steady.


I've tagged 7 of my favourite authors whose work I read and love. They may or may not be able to participate based on their current work schedules, but I'm curious to see what they are working on next. I hope they'll be able to take the time to add their contribution and give us all a sneak peak.  Check out their blogs for their latest posts and updates:

Colin Falconer
Anne Brear

Ginger Simpson

Sheila Lamb

Jeanne Tomlin

V.R. Christensen
Bailey Bristol

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Esther

Why Esther is One of the Great Women of the Bible

Author

Jo Ann LeQuang

In the modern world, we often feel that we are on the vanguard of the emerging role of women in business, economics, and politics. But powerful women have always been a part of history. In fact, the Bible tells the story of a woman who played world politics and outfoxed a dangerous rival in the Book of Esther.

Esther became a queen by a series of unexpected events. Theologians will tell you that the book of Esther was written in part to demonstrate the fact that there are no coincidences, because a divine hand guides all events.

Here, Esther was a orphaned Jewish girl who was growing up in the care of her older cousin and guardian, Mordecai, who despite his Jewish faith held a prominent position at the king's court. These were the days of the Jewish exile when Jews had been dispersed to different parts of the world. Persia was a rich and powerful nation, but one that had its share of Antisemitism.

There is no evidence that Esther and Mordecai were particularly devout Jews. In fact, when Esther was selected to be placed in the king's harem, her cousin advised her to conceal the fact that she was Jew. She must have been very successful at it because no one guessed her ancestry or faith.

Esther was part of a large round-up of pretty young girls for the king's harem. The harem at the palace in Susa was a special sumptuous area of the palace where the women at court resided. Young virginal girls lived in the first harem, where they were groomed (literally) for many months in preparation for their night with the king.

Once a woman had been with the king, she was moved into the second harem. After that, she was only brought out again if she was summoned to the king by name. With hundreds of women in the harem, many women lived out long, lonely lives in the isolation of the second harem with no real husband, no children, and no companionship apart from the other females.

After six months of preparation, Esther had her turn with the king. He was so taken with her, he married her (elevating her from a concubine to queen). But after a while, he forgot about Esther and did not summon her very often.

By the way, the king in the Bible story is Xerxes, a figure well known to ancient historians. The book of Esther is set around the time that King Xerxes planned an invasion of Greece (which failed miserably).

According to the book of Esther, an ambitious Antisemite at court got mad at her cousin Mordecai and tricked the king into signing an edict to kill of the Jews. Although troubled by the genocidal edict, it seems Esther at first did not really know what to do. Some theologians wonder if she might have thought she could escape, since no one knew she was Jewish in the first place. However, her cousin Mordecai urged her to go to the king (which could have gotten her into terrible trouble, even had her executed) and arrange a way to save the Jews.

When Esther finally made the tough decision to act rather than observe in history, she vowed to leave the harem to approach the king. By law, anyone approaching the king without a specific invitation could be executed on the spot. However, Esther could not wait in the harem until the king called for her again. She had to take the risk.

Mordecai suggested this was her destiny, saying that she was called to the kingdom "for such a time as this."

Esther resolved to risk perfunctory execution with her very famous line. Saying she would go to the king, she told Mordecai, "And if I perish, I perish!"

The story is a lot more complicated than it first appears. The law in Persia at that time expressly forbade a royal edict from being reversed, even by the king himself. In a clever series of moves involving a couple of banquets and an appeal to her enemy's enormous ego and personal pride, Esther exposed the plot to her husband who then has Haman executed.

Esther revealed that she was Jewish. Most important of all, Queen Esther had worked out a very clever way that the edict could stand and yet the Jewish nation would survive. She dispatched her enemy and won the admiration of her husband, the king, all while saving her people.

The great beauty of the book of Esther is that she progresses from a terrified teenager to a world political figure in a series of carefully executed moves.

Like many other historical figures (men and women), Esther always capitalized on the fact that her enemies underestimated her.

But far from being a fiendish mastermind, Esther was actually a gracious woman. She was kind to her husband, even when he acted like a dolt. She was an astute observer of human nature, which is why she knew how effective flattery would be on her enemy, Haman. She also studied life at court, which is why her banquets were the perfect backdrop for her plan.

Most of all, Esther was brave, even more courageous than her husband who led the Persian army on many battlefields. After having dutifully concealed her Jewish heritage for years, Esther chose to reveal it to her husband and enemy at the very moment when it was most dangerous to her personally but most effective to help the Jewish people.

In Esther, we see how an ordinary girl, propelled by God and fate into extraordinary circumstances, emerged victorious by taking a series of difficult steps.

Some theologians have trouble with the book of Esther because it is the only book of the Bible that fails to mention God. There is no direct mention of Him, not even once. Yet commentators argue that the genius of the book of Esther is that God does not have to be mentioned to be evident and obvious. In a stunning series of coincidences and chance encounters, God's plan and intervention are clear.

The story of Esther is celebrated by Jewish people in the holiday known as Purim, which occurs in the spring.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/why-esther-is-one-of-the-great-women-of-the-bible-475734.html

About the Author

For more resources on one of the Bible's great stories about a heroic woman, visit http://www.EstheroftheBible.com .

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The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

The Lifeboat is a page turning novel of hard choices and survival!

Back Cover Summary:

Grace Winter, 22, is both a newlywed and a widow. She is also on trial for her life. In the summer of 1914, the elegant ocean liner carrying her and her husband Henry across the Atlantic suffers a mysterious explosion. Setting aside his own safety, Henry secures Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the survivors quickly realize is over capacity. For any to live, some must die. As the castaways battle the elements, and each other, Grace recollects the unorthodox way she and Henry met, and the new life of privilege she thought she'd found. Will she pay any price to keep it? 

The Lifeboat is a page-turning novel of hard choices and survival, narrated by a woman as unforgettable and complex as the events she describes.

Review:

An explosion on a luxury liner sends passengers scrambling for lifeboats. Grace and several other passengers overcrowd a lifeboat where they remain adrift for many days. Treacherous ocean storms, death, hunger, and thirst plague them, forcing life and death decisions and sacrifices. And after all the bittersweet, life and death situations ended, Grace ultimately finds herself on trial for her life, sending the reader swirling into conflict once more. 

With highly detailed, fast paced writing, the author literally made me feel as if I was on that boat. I suffered through the poignant moments, the desperation, and the unfailing determination to survive by the heroine. The Lifeboat had scenes that were so poignant, so tragic, it gripped me from start to finish. This is a story that will make you feel as anguished as the passengers. An unusual, fascinating novel of historical fiction. Absolutely enjoyable!

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

A page turning novel of hard choices and survival!

Back Cover Summary:

Grace Winter, 22, is both a newlywed and a widow. She is also on trial for her life. In the summer of 1914, the elegant ocean liner carrying her and her husband Henry across the Atlantic suffers a mysterious explosion. Setting aside his own safety, Henry secures Grace a place in a lifeboat, which the survivors quickly realize is over capacity. For any to live, some must die. As the castaways battle the elements, and each other, Grace recollects the unorthodox way she and Henry met, and the new life of privilege she thought she'd found. Will she pay any price to keep it? 

The Lifeboat is a page-turning novel of hard choices and survival, narrated by a woman as unforgettable and complex as the events she describes.

Review:

An explosion on a luxury liner sends passengers scrambling for lifeboats. Grace and several other passengers overcrowd a lifeboat where they remain adrift for many days. Treacherous ocean storms, death, hunger, and thirst plague them, forcing life and death decisions and sacrifices. And after all the bittersweet, life and death situations ended, Grace ultimately finds herself on trial for her life, sending the reader swirling into conflict once more. 

With highly detailed, fast paced writing, the author literally made me feel as if I was on that boat. I suffered through the poignant moments, the desperation, and the unfailing determination to survive by the heroine. The Lifeboat had scenes that were so poignant, so tragic, it gripped me from start to finish. This is a story that will make you feel as anguished as the passengers. An unusual, fascinating novel of historical fiction. Absolutely enjoyable!

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Sacagawea (1788 - 1812)

Today, I find myself on vacation in Great Falls, Montana. We bought a condo there several years ago and enjoy coming down at every opportunity. Everywhere you go in this city, you encounter signs or street names honoring the Lewis and Clark expedition when they searched for a route through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800’s. And the woman who led that expedition was a woman named Sacagawea. As I walk the path along the shore of the Missouri River, I think about her and what her life might have been like. 

Here is her story, told in her own words as I imagine she would speak them to us:

Sacagawea

I was born the daughter of a proud Shoshone chief in the territory known as Idaho around the year 1788. Translated, my name means Bird Woman. My life was a happy one until I turned twelve. That was when everything I knew and loved was taken from me. A raiding party of Hidatsa Indians killed the men, women, and boys of our tribe, sparing only young women like me and my friend Naya Nuki. Terrified and grieving, they took us to their village in North Dakota where we lived in hardship as their slaves.

 A Hidatsa Indian Family

When I turned thirteen, they sold me to a French-Canadian fur trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau who lived in their village. Life with Toussaint was no better. He was a brutal man who fled Manitoba after being stabbed in the act of committing a rape upon a young woman. He already had another wife named Otter Woman, also purchased or won in a gambling match. Life with Toussaint continued to be difficult, if not impossible, but my yearning and hope to return home to my family, to those I knew, and a life where I had been happy, kept me going. One day, I vowed that I would return.

    

Toussaint Charbonneau

Soon I became pregnant with Toussaint’s child. It was during this time that I met Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark, men who belonged to the Corps of Discovery and who spent the winter of 1804 in our village. They needed interpreters for an expedition up the Missouri River which they had planned for once winter’s snow and ice melted. Aware they would encounter the Shoshone, they desperately needed an interpretor. When they found out that I could speak the language, they immediately hired me with Toussaint in tow. Otter Woman was to remain behind and wait for our return.

Lewis and Clark

Almost immediately we moved into their fort. As Clark got to know me, he nicknamed me Janey. While we waited for spring, I went into labour. I gave birth to a son on February 11, 1805. Toussaint named him Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.

Sacagawea with Jean-Baptiste

With the winter thaw, and our expedition ready with supplies, we headed up the Missouri River in flat bottomed boats called pirogues. It was an arduous as we rode against the current. In May, our boat capsized. I swam through the frigid waters rescuing what I could, including the journals and records of Lewis and Clark. For that I earned their respect and praise and named the Sacagawea River in my honor.

In the summer, we came upon a Shoshone tribe. Eager to converse with them to trade for horses which we would need to cross the Rocky Mountains, I was asked to interpret for the first time. Much to my surprise, as I approached, it was my own brother who was chief. Also, I learned one of the young girls who was kidnapped with me had managed to escape and found refuge with my brother’s tribe. Our reunion was bittersweet, for I longed to return to the folds of my family and the happy life I had once known. Instead, I remained trapped, a virtual slave to a callous husband and the importance of the white man’s mission. The need to be free kept burning in my soul. To repay Lewis and Clark for reuniting me to him, Cameahwait not only donated all the horses required, but he provided guides to lead our expedition over the bitter and desolate Rocky Mountains.

Cameahwait Reunion

No one could anticipate the hardships we were to endure. Our supplies dwindled and the cold set in with a vengeance. All we had to eat were tallow candles. It was either that, or die. We chose to live. Soon, we had crossed and began our descent to the other side. The weather warmed and I foraged for camas roots. The root looked like onions and could be eaten raw or boiled or baked, and the flavour was that of a sweet potato or pumpkin. I also preserved cooked or sun-dried bulbs by pressing them into cakes called pasheco. Sometimes I would make camas soup. In this way, we fought off starvation and regained our strength.

Camas root

Soon we arrived at the Columbia River near the Pacific coast. One of the Indians we encountered wore a beautiful robe made of 2 sea otter skins. Captain Lewis and Captain Clark wanted the robe to present as a gift to President Thomas Jefferson. I interpreted for them, but the owner did not wish to relinquish the robe. Finally, I offered the blue beaded belt at my waist in trade and he accepted. Once more, I had gained the white man’s admiration and respect.

Bartering Blue Beads

When we arrived at the Pacific Ocean, we voted to build our winter fort there. In the dead of winter, we learned of a whale’s carcass that washed up on shore on a beach south of our location. Soon, we came upon land familiar to me. I told Clark that I had been on these plains many times before and  

After the winter passed, it was time to return home. Once again, we collected our supplies and headed east to trek across the Rocky Mountains. When we approached the mountains, I recalled the plain where we stood. I had been there frequently with the tribe of my childhood. I knew of a gap in the mountains and led the expedition there (Gibsons Pass). From there I took them into the Yellowstone river basin (Bozeman Pass).

Although known as a guide and interpreter for Lewis and Clark’s expedition, in truth, I provided much more. My presence helped keep negotiations with Indian tribes we encountered peaceful, for women were never present in war parties. Had I not been on the expedition, the men would have died without my knowledge of the camas root.

At the end of our journey, Clark wrote this to Toussaint:

"You have been a long time with me and conducted your Self in Such a manner as to gain my friendship, your woman who accompanied you that long dangerous and fatigueing rout to the Pacific Ocian and back diserved a greater reward for her attention and services on that rout than we had in our power to give her at the Mandans. As to your little Son (my boy Pomp) you well know my fondness of him and my anxiety to take him and raise him as my own child...If you are desposed to accept either of my offers to you and will bring down you Son your famn [femme, woman] Janey had best come along with you to take care of the boy untill I get him....Wishing you and your family great success & with anxious expectations of seeing my little danceing boy Baptiest I shall remain your Friend, William Clark"

After the expedition, Toussaint and I lived once more among the Hidatsa. At Clark’s invitation, we moved to St. Louis Missouri in 1809. I was happy to do so, for Clark enrolled our son, Jean-Baptiste in a boarding school there. My son was to be educated like the white man, and I was proud.

A year later, a daughter Lizette was born to us, but soon, I became ill and weak and suffered a putrid fever. I longed to return home, my hope to be reunited with the Shoshone fading with each day.

Epilogue

Sacagawea died a year later at the age of 25. No one knows for certain the circumstances of her death. Some claim that she died in St. Louis in 1812 from unknown sickness, but Indian lore claims that she left Toussaint Charbonneau, re-married a chief of a Comanche tribe and finally died in her Shoshone tribe around 1814. That is the ending that I want to believe; that Sacagawea finally found love and happiness and returned to the life she had cherished. 

A few months later, fifteen men were killed in an Indian attack near the mouth of the Bighorn River. Sacagawea’s daughter Lizette, was among the few survivors.

Toussaint signed over formal custody of Jean-Baptiste, now ten, and Lizette, now one, to Clark who adopted the boy.

It is believed that Lizette died a short time later while still in her childhood.

Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, now famous as the infant who travelled with the explorers to the Pacific Ocean and back, met Duke Friedrich Paul Wilhelm of Württemberg, the nephew of King Freidrich I Wilhelm Karl of Württemberg. They became fast friends. The prince took him to Europe where Jean-Baptiste lived among royalty. There, he learned 4 languages and fathered a child with Anastasia Katharina Fries, a soldier's daughter. The baby, Anton Fries, died about three months after his birth. Jean-Baptiste returned to America where he lived as frontiersman, mined gold, worked as a hotel clerk, and led an expedition of Mormons to California. At 61 years of age, he travelled to Montana in search of gold, but died of pneumonia. 

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