The Sac And Fox Nation Of Oklahoma

The Sac And Fox Nation Of Oklahoma. There are many First Nations tribes scattered all over North America one of them being the Sac and Fox Nation but where exactly are they located? Who are they? Let us explore the ways of this nation.

Known as the “Sac and Fox Tribe of Indians of the Mississippi River in Oklahoma,” Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized and commonly known as the Sac and Fox Nation.

The name “Sac and Fox” is a historical accident, a combination of “Sac” (Sauk), or Thâkîwaki (“people coming forth [from the outlet],” i.e., “from the water”), and “Fox,” or Meskwâki (“people of the red earth”) that was misapplied by the U.S. government during treaty negotiations in 1804.

Closely historically associated and related by language and culture, the two peoples have always remained geographically and politically different. The Meskwaki have lived on the Meskwaki Settlement in central Iowa since 1856, and the Thakiwaki (Sauk) in central Oklahoma since the 1870s. The Sac and Fox population in Oklahoma claim to be predominantly of Thakiwaki decent and typically refer to themselves as both Sauk and “Sac and Fox”

The Sac and Fox Culture

The Sac and Fox culture is based upon respect for the life within themselves, their families, their communities, and all of creation. The Creator gave this way of life to the Sac and Fox people. Culture is the way things are done in relation to each other and all of creation. The Sac and Fox way of life is spiritually-based.

They seek the guidance of the Creator in how to live. The oldest continuing religious practices are ceremonies like clan feasts, namings, adoptions, and burials. More recent religious practices include the Drum Dance, the Native American Church, and Christianity.

Language is the Sac and Fox expression of how they see the world. The languages of the Sac and Fox contain the accumulated knowledge of all their ancestors. Although the punishment for speaking their native language at the Sac and Fox Agency School meant a loss of identity for several generations of the tribe, the language and culture continue. Several efforts are currently underway to enliven the identity of the Sac and Fox as peoples.

The Sac and Fox continue to express the teachings of their ancestors at work and at play. The creative arts and crafts, sports and games, the ceremonial and traditional ways are a strong and natural part of their everyday life. The community comes together as families, clans, and social groups often and with enthusiasm.

The Sac And Fox Langauge

Fox, or Meskwaki, is an Algonquian language spoken by about 1,000 Fox (Meskwaki), Sauk (oθaakiiwaki) and Kickapoo (Kiikaapoa / Kiikaapoi) people in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa in the USA. The three dialects are Fox, Sauk, and Kickapoo, which some consider being closely related though separate languages.

Fox is also known as Mesquakie, Meskwaki or Meshkwahkihaki. The native name is Meskwakiatoweni. Sauk is also known as Sac, and the native name is Thâkiwâtowêweni. The native name of Kickapoo is Kikapú.

Most of the of Fox speakers are elderly or middle-aged, There is a bilingual education program in the tribal school in the Meskwaki Settlement in Iowa.

Black Hawk War of 1832

The most notable conflict involving the Thakiwaki is the three-month-long Black Hawk War of 1832. That battle occurred shortly after their removal. It was a series of skirmishes between the United States and a dissident band of 1000 that included 500 warriors led by Chief Black Hawk. Although Black Hawk survived, the battle ended tragically with the slaughter of unarmed Thakiwaki people coming across the Mississippi River. Afterward, only 150 to 200 of the original 1000 dissidents rejoined their compliant counterparts on the Iowa side of the river. Black Hawk managed to escape, he was turned over to the Americans by people he thought were his allies.

Chief Black Hawk

Did you know that Chief Black Hawk was not actually a real chief?

Because Black Hawk was one of the reasons behind the Black Hawk War in 1832, Americans assumed that he must be powerful and rule over the Sauk and Fox tribes. In reality, Black Hawk was a strong and influential warrior, but never a chief.

Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, Also Known as Black Hawk was born 1767 at Saukenuk (Which is now in Rock Island, Illinois) and died October 3, 1838, at a village on the Des Moines River of respiratory disease.

A member of the thunder clan, Black Hawk came from a long line of Sauk warriors. Fighting and warfare were normal in Sauk and Fox culture, so there were plenty of opportunities for Black Hawk to establish himself as a young warrior. At just 15 years old, he was already fighting in battles.

It was pretty common for men to have more than one wife in Sauk culture. But Black Hawk married only one woman. He and his wife, Singing Bird, had a total of five kids, 2 girls, and 3 boys. Around the year 1820, two of Black Hawk and Singing Bird’s children died. According to Sauk tradition, Black Hawk spent two years of his life mourning the loss of his kids by living alone and fasting.

In 1832 Black Hawk and his followers fought against the giving of 50 million acres (20 million hectares) of territory that had supposedly been granted to the United States by tribal spokesmen in the Treaty of St. Louis in 1804. He decided to defy the government and attempt to claim back tribal lands along the Rock River in Illinois that resulted in the brief but tragic Black Hawk War of 1832.  Black Hawk earned his status as a war chief by his actions.

Members of Thakiwaki Society

Members of Thakiwaki society have historically belonged to 1 of 2 groups– the shkasha or kîshkôha–as well as to a clan that has harbored both familial importance as a name group and ceremonial significance as a ritual unit. These memberships have served important functions in the continued practice of culture, including adoption, naming, and burial ceremonies, a seasonal cycle of clan feasts, and various dances. Members have also been involved in the religious practices of the Native American Church, Christianity, and The Drum Society.

Jim Thorpe

Wa-Tho-Huk “Bright Path”, James Francis Thorpe, Also known as Jim Thorpe born May 28, 1888, near Prague, Indian Territory (now in Oklahoma), and died of a heart attack on March 28, 1953, Lomita, California, One of the most accomplished all-around athletes in history, was a member of the Sauk and Fox Nation of Oklahoma.

From the Sauk and Fox descent, Jim Thorpe attended Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas, and Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania. While playing football for Carlisle, he was chosen as a halfback on Walter Camp’s All-America teams in 1911 and 1912.

A marvel of speed, power, kicking, and all-around ability Thorpe also in 1912 won the decathlon and the pentathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, but in 1913 an investigation by the Amateur Athletic Union showed that he had played semiprofessional baseball in 1909 and 1910, which should have disqualified him from Olympic competition. He got his gold medals taken away.

From 1913 through 1919, Thorpe was an outfielder for the Cincinnati, New York, and Boston baseball teams in the National League. He was more successful as one of the early stars of American professional football from 1919 through 1926. He spent 1922–23 with the Oorang Indians, whose owner attracted crowds by having Thorpe and his teammates dress up and perform “Indian” tricks before games and at halftime. In 1920–21 he served as the first president of the American Professional Football Association (later the NFL). He also excelled in more sports such as basketball, boxing, lacrosse, swimming, and hockey.

In 1954, after his death, the communities of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, merged to form the borough of Jim Thorpe. From 1955 the Jim Thorpe Trophy was awarded annually to the most valuable player in the NFL. In 1973 the Amateur Athletic Union restored his amateur status, but the International Olympic Committee did not recognize his amateur status until 1982. Thorpe was subsequently restored as a “cowinner” of the decathlon and pentathlon of the 1912 Olympic Games (along with the second-place finishers in those events). His Olympic gold medals were restored to his family in 1983.

The Sac and Fox Nation Annuel Powwow

Every year the Sac and Fox Nation is Host to their Annual Powwow, Tribes from all over North America travel to go this celebration to go enjoy, the food, culture, songs, dance and to be in the home reserve of the famous Jim Thorpe.

If we have left out other info that you think should be in this blog please let us know and we will put it in here, If you want to find out more about the Sac and Fox people here is a link for their Youtube page and also their website.