Pursuant to the Indian Removal Act, the government of the United States endeavored to sweep all native tribes onto reservation lands west of the Mississippi River--in a new country called Indian Territory. In just under a decade, countless thousands were ushered westward by armed federal troops. While a majority of the tribes in the northwest and southwest region of the continent resigned themselves to the prospect of forging a new life and relocated peacefully, some managed to put up a determined resistance. In 1832, several bands forged a union under the leadership of a Sauk and Fox chief named Black Hawk. Black Hawk’s War, as this armed resistance would be called, would prove to be the last major Indian war in the northwest.
The Fox
The Sauk and Fox are actually two separate tribes of Northwest Indians that shared a common language--Algonquin. As they had so much in common, the two merged into a united league and eventually occupied the same geographic region. The Sauk and Fox thrived on agriculture in the centuries prior to the arrival of Europeans. The Fox originated in the western Great Lakes but eventually emigrated to Wisconsin in the early 1600s. Their ancestral name, Meskwaki, means “red earth people.” Early French traders mistakenly referred to them as Fox, most likely due a misunderstanding of Algonquin. During the struggle to take possession of North America, the Meskwaki proved themselves to be fierce opponents of the French. In 1734, they forged an alliance with another Algonquin-speaking tribe located in Wisconsin, the Fox. Together, the two tribes increased their sphere of influence and expanded their territory. In 1769, they invaded Illinois and displaced the tribes that had previously occupied the region. As the American nation began to expand, the Meskwaki strengthened their ties with the Fox.
The Sauk
The Sauk also originated along the banks of the western Great Lakes before migrating to Wisconsin in the early 1600s. Sharing a common language with the Meskwaki, the Sauk easily forged an alliance that provided both nations a mutual security. Their native name, Asakiwaki, means “yellow earth people.” Like the Meskwaki, the Asakiwaki established their villages along the banks of rivers and created a strong agricultural base. By the arrival of Europeans, the Asakiwaki and the Meskwaki had forged such a close bond that they were often thought of as a cohesive nation rather than a union. It is understandable that outsiders would made such a mistake, as both nations occupied the same territories, established their villages in proximity to one another, and would often fight a common foe. When the United States gained independence and sought to expand, the encountered heavy resistance from the Asakiwaki and the Meskwaki.
Sources:
Mark M. Boatner III, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. (Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1994).
Mark C Carnes, Ed. U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1998).
Peter Matthiessen, ed. George Catlin: North American Indians. (New York: Penguin Group, 1989).
Marilyn Miller and Martin Faux, American History Desk Reference. (New York: MacMillan, 1997).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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