Cameahwait was the brother of

Sacagawea Sacagawea ( or ; also spelled Sakakawea or Sacajawea; May – December 20, 1812 or April 9, 1884)Sacagawea
...

, and a

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

chief. He was the head of the first group of inhabitants of modern-day Idaho who were encountered by Europeans. Cameahwait met

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

and three other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on August 13, 1805. He then accompanied Lewis across the Lemhi Pass to meet

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educat ...

. Sacagawea was with Clark's party and recognized Cameahwait as her brother. To the Shoshoni Cameahwait and Sacagawea were brother and sister. However, in Shoshoni language cousin and brother are the same word, indicating the tribe thinks of them as the same. Consequently, during the translation, when Sacagawea cried out that she recognized Cameahwait as her brother, that is what she meant, but whether they actually had the same father, let alone the same mother, is unclear. Cameahwait donated horses to Lewis and Clark to repay them for reuniting him with his long-lost sister. She and her friend Otter Woman had been kidnapped by the Hidatsa Indians when Sacagawea was twelve years old and used as slaves for the Hidatsas. They were then sold to Toussaint Charbonneau, a French-Canadian trapper. Charbonneau and Sacagawea both accompanied Lewis and Clark on their western expedition in 1805. Earlier in the year in February, she gave birth to

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (February 11, 1805 – May 16, 1866) was a Native American-French Canadian explorer, guide, fur trapper, trader, military scout during the Mexican–American War, ''alcalde'' (mayor) of Mission San Luis Rey de Franc ...

(Pompy) at Fort Mandan in present-day North Dakota.

Death

Cameahwait was killed during a battle with the Blackfeet at Bloody Creek in Montana, at an uncertain date. It is believed he was buried on a butte between the towns of Lemhi and Tendoy, Idaho.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameahwait Native American leaders Lewis and Clark Expedition people Pre-statehood history of Idaho Sacagawea Shoshone people 19th-century Native Americans