Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma
http://www.indigenouspeople.net/saukfox.htm
Black Hawk or
Makataimeshekiahiah
Iowa’s only federally recognized Indian tribe, the Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, is known as the Meskwaki Nation, or the “People of the Red Earth.” Our settlement is located in Tama, Iowa, and is comprised of more than 8,624 acres. We have more than 1,450 enrolled tribal members, and we’re the largest employer in Tama County, employing over 1,100 people. Through preservation, improved community services, and business opportunities, the people of the Meskwaki Nation are committed to protecting our inherent sovereignty, preserving and promoting our culture, and improving the quality of life for future generations.
The Sac and Fox Nation (Mesquakie language: Thakiwaki or Sa ki wa ki) is the largest of three federally recognized tribes of Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) Indian peoples. Originally from the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan area, they were forcibly relocated to Oklahoma in the 1870s and are predominantly Sauk.
The two other Sac and Fox tribes are the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska. The Sac and Fox tribes have historically been closely allied, and continue to be in the present day. They speak very similar Algonquian languages, which are sometimes considered to be two dialects of the same language, rather than separate languages. Thakiwaki and Sa ki wa ki mean “people coming forth from the water”.
The tribe’s housing authority is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma. They issue their own tribal vehicle tags and operate eleven smoke shops and two casinos, The Blackhawk Casino in Shawnee and the Sac and Fox Nation Casino in Stroud. The Stroud casino features the Center Sky Stage, a live entertainment venue.
The Sac or Thakiwaki lived near Lake Huron and Lake Michigan at the time of European contact. In 1832 they participated in the Black Hawk War against the United States. Military leader Black Hawk remains a cultural hero today, as does the Sac diplomat Keokuk. After the war, the tribe relocated several times from Illinois to Iowa, Kansas, and finally Indian Territory in the 1870s.
Their current lands were part of the larger, historical Sac and Fox Reservation of 1867–1891, which was 480,000 acres (1,900 km2) and established by the United States to provide land to the tribes. But by the late 19th century, US policy changed again. Under the Dawes Act of 1887, these tribal land holdings were divided into 160-acre allotments for individual households, intended to encourage the Indians to establish subsistence farming according to the European-American cultural ways. Not only did the act not recognize Native American culture, but in many places in this arid land, the allotments were too small to be farmed successfully. Their land was allotted under a June 12, 1890 agreement with the Cherokee Commission. (Individual commissions were set up to manage the allotment of lands of various tribes in Indian Territory. Land remaining after the allotments was declared “surplus” by the US and sold, primarily to non-Natives. Under the related Curtis Act of 1893, the tribal government and its institutions were dismantled.
The tribe was previously known as the Sac and Fox Tribe of Indians of the Mississippi River. The Sac and Fox tribe had historically occupied large portions of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri, which they gradually ceded to the US by treaties forced by European-American encroachment. By an October 11, 1842 treaty they removed out of the Midwest to a reservation in Kansas.
By 1889 519 of the tribe were located in Indian Territory, what is now central Oklahoma. On June 10, 1890, they ceded these Indian Territory lands to the federal government.
“How smooth must be the language of the whites,
when they can make right look like wrong, and wrong like right.”
The Sac and Fox Nation Homepage
Sac and Fox Culture and History Links
Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
Ray Young Bear, Mesquakie Poet
Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century – Jim Thorpe
NO RESERVATIONS
The Sac and Fox Nation is headquartered in Stroud, Oklahoma, and their tribal jurisdictional area covers Lincoln, Payne, and Pottawatomie counties. Their Principal Chief is Justin Wood. A council of five elected officials, each elected for a four-year term, govern the tribe. Elections are held in August in odd-numbered years.
Of the 3,794 enrolled tribal members, 2,557 live in Oklahoma. Membership in the tribe requires a minimum 1/8 blood quantum, with proven descent to ancestors on recognized rolls.
What clothes did the Fox tribe wear?
The picture of Kee-o-kuk depicts the type of clothing worn by the Fox warriors, the hairstyle and headdress, their decorations and some of their weapons. His hair is shaved to leave a scalp lock that was attached to a roach headdress that stood straight up from the head like a crest. The roach headdress was made of a stiff, thin strip of animal hair placed over the top of the head held open by comb-like object called a roach-spreader. The roach headdress was dyed red, and decorated with a feather. The Fox chief, like all warriors, wore war paint to intimidate their enemies. He wears a necklace of bear claws and his ears are pierced. His decorated collar displays his battle trophies in the form of small scalp locks taken from his enemies – refer to practise of Taking Scalps in Indian Warfare. His breech cloth is passed between his legs and attached to a cordage belt. He wears buckskin leggings and moccasins and caries a warm buffalo robe or blanket. His elaborate shield would have been used during horseback warfare and he carries a tomahawk that would have been used in hand-to-hand combat.
The Fox tribe spoke in a related dialect of the Algonquian language. The people belonged to different clans, based mainly on animals. The early French explorers and traders mistook one of the clan names, ‘Wagosh’ meaning fox, for that of the entire tribe and began mistakenly referring to them as the “Renard” the French for Fox, and the English and Americans continued the error in their own language. The Fox called themselves the ‘Meskwaki’ meaning “red earth people” in reference to their creation myth. They were known to their enemies the Chippewa, and other Algonquian tribes, as ‘Utugamig’ meaning “people of the other shore”.
Fox Leaders
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Waa-Top-E-Not or the Eagle’s Bed
Sauk & Fox Leaders
Tahcoloquoit
(Rising Cloud)
Taiomah
Wakechai Wakechai
(Croaching Eagle)
Wapella
The Fox (Meskwaki) tribe were a fierce, warlike people who originally inhabited territory in the western Great Lakes region and then in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Chief Kiala led the tribe in a series of conflicts against the French in the Fox Wars (1712 – 1733). The tribe was so feared that King Louis XV of France ordered the complete annihilation of the Fox people. In 1734, that the Fox (Meskwaki) joined in a lasting alliance with the neighboring Sauk (Sac) tribe and extended westward beyond the Mississippi.
There are three Sac and Fox tribes today. Like most Native American tribes in the United States, the Sac and Fox live on reservations or trust land. A reservation is land that belongs to the tribe and is under their control. Each Sac and Fox tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. But the Sac and Fox are also US citizens and must obey American law. In the past, the Meskwaki and Sauk tribes were each ruled by two chiefs. The peace chief, who inherited the position from his father, was in charge of diplomatic and domestic affairs. The war chief, who was elected by the other warriors, was in charge of military and police affairs. Today each Sac and Fox tribe is governed by a council that is elected by all the tribal members.
Most Sac and Fox people speak English today. Some older people also speak their native Meskwaki-Sauk language. If you’d like to know an easy Meskwaki-Sauk word, “ho” (pronounced like the English word “hoe”) is a friendly greeting. You can read a Meskwaki-Sauk picture glossary here. Today Meskwaki-Sauk is an endangered language because most children aren’t learning it anymore. However, some Sac and Fox people are working to keep their language alive.
The Fox tribe were farmers, hunter-gatherers and fishermen who made excellent use of their swift, lightweight birchbark canoes. Originally living along the western Great Lakes they extended their lands into Wisconsin and further west where they hunted buffalo. The powerful Meskwaki tribe gained control of the Fox River system in eastern and central Wisconsin. which was vital for the colonial New France fur trade. The Fox tribe were the only Algonquin speaking people to fight a war with the French, who they regarded as staunch enemies due to trading disputes. The Fox also regarded the Chippewa French allies as their mortal enemies.
The hostility between the Meskwaki and French erupted into a series of conflicts that became known as the Fox Wars (1712 – 1733) which were led by the Fox chief Chief Kiala. The violent conflict resulted in the lasting hatred of the French, who so feared the Fox tribe that King Louis XV of France ordered the complete destruction of the Meskwaki people. Their defeat in the Fox Wars led to the long standing alliance with the Sauk (Sac) tribe. Both the Fox and the Sauk people had a strong sense of tribal identity and each retained separate chiefs, customs and traditions. The Fox had three kinds of leader. The hereditary peace chief maintained peace within the tribe and was in charge at village council meetings. The ceremonial leader, or Shaman, was responsible for the spiritual well being of the people and for their religious ceremonies. The war chief was chosen for each military campaign based on his fighting skills and visions
The Fox became allies with the British during the French and Indian wars (1689 – 1763). The Fox tribe relocated southward from Wisconsin into Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. Following the American Revolution an alliance of many different tribes, called the Western Confederacy, was formed who aimed to keep the Ohio River as a boundary between Native Indian lands and the United States. The Fox subsequently fought in Little Turtle’s War (1785–1795), Tecumseh’s War (1811–1813) and the 1832 Black Hawk War. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 resulted in the Fox tribe being forcibly moved to reservations in Indian territory.
There were two types of dwellings which the Meskwakis and Sauks used in their villages: dome-shaped houses called wigwams, and rectangular lodges with bark covering. Here are some pictures of wigwams, lodges, and other Native American homes. Today, Native Americans only build a wigwam or lodge for ritual purposes. Most Sac and Fox people live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.
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TRIBAL CENTER
Address: 349 Meskwaki Road, Tama, IA 52339
Phone: (641) 484-4678
Toll Free: 1.800.944.9503
Fax: 641.484.5424
Sac and Fox Nation
Administration Building
920963 S. Hwy 99
Stroud, OK 74079
The Sac and Fox people have long been known for their cultural independence. Despite the many hardships that they have faced over the years, which included losing the majority of their land and people, they have remained a viable group who are proud of their ancestors and heritage.
The Sauk/Sac were called the ‘People of the Yellow Earth’ which distinguishes them from the Foxes who were called the ‘Red Earth People’. The Sac and Fox Nation are Algonquian speaking people and are of the Woodland culture. The Sac and Fox people lived in bark houses in small villages. The Sac social organization consisted of clans : Bear, Sturgeon, Thunder and Wolf.
The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri people and their ancestors have been historically located in Canada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The Sac and Fox of the Missouri band were finally settled to the northeast corner of Kansas.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 
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