NEW BOOK: IT'S HER STORY: SACAJAWEA

Ever since she was young, Fort Hall woman Randy'L Teton has been sharing stories about Sacajawea to all who would hear.

First as a museum attendant at the Fort Hall Museum at the age of 14, where she would teach tourists about the Lemhi Shoshone woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark Expedition through hundreds of miles of terrain.

Then it was during tours after she was selected as the model for the Sacajawea U.S. dollar coin, where she had the opportunity to travel across the country with the United States Mint and tell many people about the woman's life.

Now, Teton will be sharing Sacajawea's story once more and this time in written form with her graphic novel, It's Her Story: Sacajawea, which is published by Sunbird Books, illustrated by Aly McKnight and available for purchase on Amazon now.

This has actually been a dream of mine to have a children's book from an indigenous perspective, said Teton, an enrolled member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall. The book is from a tribal perspective and it's the first children's book that is actually written by the perspective of one, with the illustrations also by a tribal illustrator.

 

The novel, which is aimed at children ages seven through ten, focuses on Sacajawea's story in a way that will captivate young audiences, but one of the unique aspects of the novel is that it was written by an author who'd learned about the woman through oral storytellers in her tribe.

I would really like for the school districts to pick up the book and start including it in their fourth grade curriculum, she said.

It's Her Story: Sacajawea is Teton's first novel, but her experiences of being the model for the Shoshone woman and telling her history is something that she'd like to share in a memoir one day.

I do hope to have a memoir on my experience of being selected as the model because I was able to experience a lot of amazing things and meet a lot of amazing people, said Teton, who was also the youngest and only living model for U.S. currency. I traveled with the United States Mint for two years. That experience alone is very unique because they never had a living model on a coin…But I was given her voice on her behalf as a young tribal girl and (with) her story there's just so many different misunderstandings about her history and I'm hoping with this book it gives some truth to what she experienced as a young girl who was taken from her people.

For more information, or to order, see:
It's Her Story Sacajawea A Graphic Novel Hardcover – September 19, 2023 (https://www.amazon.com/Its-Story-Sacajawea-Graphic-Novel/dp/1503765792)

To read the complete article, see:
Randy L'Teton writes graphic children's novel about Sacajawea's life (https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/randy-l-teton-writes-graphic-childrens-novel-about-sacajawea-s-life/article_3c4fb2f4-4c27-11ee-81f2-7f0cec759a8d.html)

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