Who Are the Sac and Fox?
The Sac and Fox (Sauk and Meskwaki) are now divided among three federally recognized tribes: the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma (~4,000 members), Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska (~500), and Meskwaki Nation (Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, ~1,400). The Sauk ("Osakiwug"—Yellow Earth People) and Meskwaki ("Meshkwahkihaki"—Red Earth People) were distinct nations who allied closely after European contact. They speak closely related Algonquian languages; Meskwaki has several hundred speakers. Famous for Black Hawk's War (1832), they represent significant resistance to American expansion in the Midwest.
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War (1832) marked the end of armed resistance east of the Mississippi. Black Hawk (Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak), a Sauk leader, attempted to return to ancestral lands in Illinois that had been ceded in a disputed 1804 treaty. His band—mostly Sauk but including some Meskwaki and other allies—was pursued by militia and federal troops. The Bad Axe Massacre (August 1832) killed hundreds of fleeing Sauk, including women and children. Black Hawk's capture ended significant armed resistance in the region. The war accelerated removal of all Indians from the upper Midwest.
Meskwaki Return
The Meskwaki achieved something rare: returning to their homeland through their own efforts. After removal to Kansas, Meskwaki purchased land in Iowa starting in 1857—using their own funds to buy back territory taken from them. The Meskwaki Settlement (not a reservation) near Tama, Iowa, represents indigenous land ownership through purchase rather than treaty. This community maintained stronger cultural continuity than most removed tribes; Meskwaki language and traditions remained relatively vital. The ability to return reflected Meskwaki determination and the different legal status of purchased versus reserved land.
Contemporary Sac and Fox
Modern Sac and Fox navigate division among three communities. The Oklahoma nation, largest, operates gaming near Shawnee. The Missouri nation straddles the Kansas-Nebraska border. The Meskwaki Settlement in Iowa maintains the strongest traditional practices and has more language speakers. Jim Thorpe, widely considered the greatest athlete of the 20th century, was Sac and Fox (and Potawatomi). How the three communities coordinate cultural preservation while operating as separate nations, and whether Meskwaki language vitality can be maintained, shapes this Black Hawk people's future.
References
- Hagan, W. T. (1958). The Sac and Fox Indians
- Jung, P. J. (2007). The Black Hawk War of 1832
- Gearing, F. O. (1970). The Face of the Fox