Otter Woman facts for kids

Otter Woman was a Shoshone woman born around 1786 to 1788. She was the wife of a man named Smoked Lodge. Otter Woman was likely taken from her family by the Hidatsa people. Later, she became part of the household of Toussaint Charbonneau.

Charbonneau is well-known as the husband of Sacagawea. Sacagawea also joined Charbonneau's household after being taken from her family. Otter Woman was already living with Charbonneau when Sacagawea arrived. Charbonneau and Sacagawea became famous for their role in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This important journey was supported by the Corps of Discovery.

What Happened to Otter Woman?

On November 4, 1804, Toussaint Charbonneau visited the camp of the Corps of Discovery. The camp was located on the banks of the Missouri River. Charbonneau was working as an interpreter for the Hidatsa people at the time.

He had left a hunting trip to learn about a meeting. This meeting was between the leaders of the Corps and local Native American tribes. More importantly, Charbonneau wanted a job. He hoped to become an interpreter for the Corps. He told the captains that he spoke Hidatsa. He also mentioned that his two wives spoke Shoshone.

A diary from the Corps of Discovery mentions Otter Woman. It says: "today the wives of Charbono [sic] came to the Fort (Fort Mandan) bringing gifts of buffalo robes." This is the only time Otter Woman is mentioned by the expedition's official records. After this, she disappears from all written history. We only know about her through oral stories passed down by people.

During the winter of 1803–1804, the Corps stayed with the Mandan and Hidatsa people. The expedition's journal keepers clearly stated that Charbonneau had two wives who spoke Shoshone.

Four years after the Corps returned to St. Louis, Captain William Clark worked with Nicholas Biddle. Biddle was editing the expedition's journals for publication. Clark noted that one of Charbonneau's Shoshone wives was lighter-skinned. She was from the Northern Shoshone. The other wife, from "more Southern Indians," was darker-skinned.

Sacagawea was the young woman who joined the expedition. She served as the Corps' only Shoshone interpreter. There is no further mention of Charbonneau's first wife, Otter Woman, in the journals. Otter Woman did not go on the Lewis and Clark expedition with Charbonneau and Sacagawea.

See also

• List of kidnappings
• List of people who disappeared