Date: Mar 11, 2009

Hofstra University Cultural Center and the Department of Anthropology Presents a Free Lecture: "Sacajawea: The Most Honored Woman in America"

Wednesday, March 18, 8 p.m.; Guthart Cultural Center Theater, South Campus

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … Sacajawea, the young Shoshone interpreter who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition into the American West in 1804, is considered one of the most honored women in America, yet the details of her life and death are a mystery. On Wednesday, March 18, 2009, at 8 p.m. the Hofstra Cultural Center and the Department of Anthropology will present a free lecture titled “Sacajawea: The Most Honored Woman in America.”

The lecture will take place at the Guthart Cultural Center Theater, located on the first floor of the Axinn Library, South Campus. For more information call the Hofstra Cultural Center at (516) 463-5669.

The lecture will be presented by Sands Point resident Alfred Jay Bollet, M.D., a former clinical professor of medicine at Yale University School of Medicine and a member of the Archaeological Institute of America/ Long Island Society.

Dr. Bollet first became interested in Sacajawea several years ago when reading a novel about her. After further research he found conflicting information on her life following her involvement with Lewis and Clark. There are two schools of thought: Some say that Sacajawea died at an early age in 1812. William Clark himself recorded this information. Then there is other evidence that she lived well into her 90s. Indeed, there are two burial monuments in her honor: one in South Dakota that claims she passed away at the age of 22 and one in Wyoming that says she lived to be 96.

The latter is what Dr. Bollet believes after reading more contemporary research and memoirs written by some who say they met an elderly Sacajawea in the 1880s. Dr. Bollet says Clark may have been misinformed about Sacajawea’s death and that his records contained other misinformation, including that two other members of the famous expedition died and - at that time - they were also still alive.

Remarkably, the records of the Lewis and Clark expedition were not published until the 1890s and it was not until the early 1900s that the story of Sacajawea became famous. Those persons who claimed to have met her in the 1880s said the information this woman shared with them about the travels west contained details that only those on the expedition would have known. This is what Dr. Bollet will explore during his lecture.

The legacy of Sacajawea includes the naming - in her honor - of three lakes, one river, four mountains, 24 statues, 12 granite/bronze markers, one movie, six paintings, numerous state parks, historic sites, museums, schools, a plant and gold dollar.

For information on other Hofstra Cultural Center events visit hofstra.edu/culture.

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