Sac and Fox Nation
Encyclopedia
The Sac and Fox Nation is the largest of three federally recognized tribes of Sac and Meskwaki (Fox)
Native Americans
. They are located in Oklahoma
and are predominantly Sac.
The other two 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 tribes were always closely allied and speak very similar Algonquian language
s, sometimes considered two dialects, instead of two languages. The Sac call themselves Thakiwaki, which means "people coming forth from the water."
, and their tribal jurisdictional area covers Lincoln
, Payne
, and Pottawatomie Counties
. Their Principal Chief is George Thurman. Five elected officials, each elected for a four-year term, govern the tribe. Elections are held in odd-numbered years in August.
The tribe's housing authority is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma
. They issue their own vehicle tags and operate twelve smoke shops and two casinos, the Sac and Fox Nation Casino Shawnee and the Sac and Fox Nation Casino Stroud. The Stroud casino features the Center Sky Stage, a live entertainment venue.
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 480000 acres (1,942.5 km²). These tribal land holdings were broken into individual allotments under the Dawes Act
, which was to encourage the Indians to assimilate to European-American cultural ways, with a June 12, 1890 agreement with the Cherokee Commission
. Under the 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. In 1937, they organized as a federally recognized tribe under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
of 1934. They allowed tribal membership to everyone listed on the tribal Dawes Rolls
and their descendants, as long as individuals had a minimum blood quantum of one-eighth Sac and Fox blood (equivalent to one great-grandparent).
In 1983 the tribal government established its own system for registering vehicles and issuing license plates for tribal members. The state of Oklahoma sued the tribe but the US Supreme Court ruled in the tribe's favor on May 17, 1993, allowing other tribes to follow suit. May 17 is now celebrated by the Sac and Fox Nation as "Victory Day."
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. They are located in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and are predominantly Sac.
The other two Sac and Fox tribes are the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa
The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is one of three federally recognized Native American tribe of Sac and Meskwaki peoples. Their name for themselves is Meshwaki. They are Algonquian peoples and Eastern Woodland culture....
and the Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska is one of three federally recognized Native American tribe of Sac and Meskwaki peoples. Their name for themselves is Nemahahaki and they are an Algonquian people and Eastern Woodland culture....
. The tribes were always closely allied and speak very similar Algonquian language
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
s, sometimes considered two dialects, instead of two languages. The Sac call themselves Thakiwaki, which means "people coming forth from the water."
Government and economic development
The Sac and Fox Nation is headquartered in Stroud, OklahomaStroud, Oklahoma
Stroud is a city in Creek and Lincoln counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 2,758 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Stroud is located at ....
, and their tribal jurisdictional area covers Lincoln
Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2010 was 34,273. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.Its county seat is Chandler....
, Payne
Payne County, Oklahoma
Payne County is a county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2010 was 77,350. Its county seat is Stillwater, and the county is named for Capt. David L. Payne...
, and Pottawatomie Counties
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 65,521 as of the 2000 census. Its county seat is Shawnee...
. Their Principal Chief is George Thurman. Five elected officials, each elected for a four-year term, govern the tribe. Elections are held in odd-numbered years in August.
The tribe's housing authority is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical...
. They issue their own vehicle tags and operate twelve smoke shops and two casinos, the Sac and Fox Nation Casino Shawnee and the Sac and Fox Nation Casino Stroud. The Stroud casino features the Center Sky Stage, a live entertainment venue.
History
The Sac or Thakiwaki lived near Lake HuronLake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
and Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
at the time of European contact. In 1832 they participated in the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
against the United States. Military leader Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
remains a cultural hero today, as does the Sac diplomat Keokuk
Keokuk (Sauk chief)
Keokuk was a chief of the Sauk or Sac tribe in central North America noted for his policy of cooperation with the U.S. government which led to conflict with Black Hawk, who led part of their band into the Black Hawk War...
. After the war, the tribe relocated several times from Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
to Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, and finally Indian Territory
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
in the 1870s.
Their current lands were part of the larger, historical Sac and Fox Reservation of 1867-1891, which was 480000 acres (1,942.5 km²). These tribal land holdings were broken into individual allotments under the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
, which was to encourage the Indians to assimilate to European-American cultural ways, with a June 12, 1890 agreement with the Cherokee Commission
Cherokee Commission
The Cherokee Commission, was a three-person bi-partisan body created by President Benjamin Harrison to operate under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, as empowered by Section 14 of the Indian Appropriations Act of March 2, 1889. Section 15 of the same Act empowered the President to...
. Under the 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. In 1937, they organized as a federally recognized tribe under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act
The Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act of 1936, also known as the Thomas-Rogers Act, is a United States federal law that extended the US Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It sought to return some form of tribal government to the many tribes in former Indian Territory...
of 1934. They allowed tribal membership to everyone listed on the tribal Dawes Rolls
Dawes Rolls
The Dawes Rolls were created by the Dawes Commission. The Commission, authorized by United States Congress in 1893, was required to negotiate with the Five Civilized Tribes to convince them to agree to an allotment plan and dissolution of the reservation system...
and their descendants, as long as individuals had a minimum blood quantum of one-eighth Sac and Fox blood (equivalent to one great-grandparent).
In 1983 the tribal government established its own system for registering vehicles and issuing license plates for tribal members. The state of Oklahoma sued the tribe but the US Supreme Court ruled in the tribe's favor on May 17, 1993, allowing other tribes to follow suit. May 17 is now celebrated by the Sac and Fox Nation as "Victory Day."
External links
- Sac and Fox Nation, official website