Since 1990, November has been a month dedicated to Native American Heritage, celebrating the history, culture, and achievements of the indigenous community of the United States. The month came into creation through decades of attempts to establish time out of the year to highlight the many cultures and complex histories of indigenous people all over the United States.
A piece of the complex history of Indigenous peoples can be found right here in the State of Iowa with the Sac and Fox Tribes of the Mississippi River in Iowa, otherwise known as Meskwaki Nation. The history of the Meskwaki People does not actually begin in Iowa. According to legend it begins in the St. Lawrence River Valley, along the border with Canada. From there they would travel to Massachusetts Bay, then across the Great Lakes, which is when historical accounts begin for Meskwaki History.
In 1804, a delegation of Sauk and Fox tribal leaders met with representatives of the United States to negotiate for the release of Sauk hunters who murdered US settlers who entered Sauk land at a time of tribal and border conflicts between the Sauk and Fox, Osage tribe, and the United States. However, the United States coerced the delegation to cede over tribal land east of the Mississippi River for far less than the land was worth, this was also despite the fact the delegation was not authorized to cede the land by either tribes. Nevertheless the US used the treaty ceding the land was made and was used as basis for US claims over the area of land. This controversial treaty led to resentment from both tribes towards the United States, leading some in the tribes to side with the British and Tecumseh’s Confederacy in the War of 1812 against the United States.
The War of 1812 would see the rise of Sauk War Chief, Black Hawk. Black Hawk would then lead a War band of Sauk, Fox, and Kickapoo warriors against the United States over the terms of the Treaty of St. Louis in 1832. The war began to look well for the war band as it won earlier battles against regiments in the Illinois Militia, however the tides of the war turned when US federal forces entered the war and with the US utilizing aggressive tactics of attacking tribal encampments and killing women and children, leading to the war band surrendering to the United States.
Following the defeat, the remnants of the warband would be relocated to Eastern Iowa. Soon the United States would attempt to relocate them once again, this time to reservations in Kansas, but before this could happen the people of the Sauk and Fox tribes would purchase 80 acres of land in Tama County, Iowa in 1857. Since then, that land and tribes would grow to form Meskwaki Nation as it is known now, becoming Iowa’s only federally recognized tribe of Native Americans.
To learn more about Iowa’s rich Native American Heritage, make the drive to Tama County to the Meskwaki Nation Settlement for a great, enriching, and educational experience. Look more into tribal history and learn more about native culture at the Meskwaki Culture Center & Museum. Also visiting the settlement during the summer can lead to you experiencing the Meskwaki Nation’s Proclamation Day Powwow on July 13th, or the Meskwaki Annual Powwow in early August.
However, if you are looking to learn more about Iowan Native American history nearby exhibitions can be found in the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines, and The Iowa Gold Star Military Museum, which has an exhibition highlighting Native American military history in the United States Armed Forces. There is also the Native American & Indigenous Peoples Collection at Iowa State University, a permanent exhibition showcasing Native artwork and other cultural artifacts. Why even here at the high school, Southeast Polk’s very own Culture Club will be having an event for Native American Heritage later this month, so look for any updates that may be posted on social media, or across the high school through the TV announcements or through any promotional posters hung by the club this month.
No matter what you decide to do this month, taking time to learn about Native Heritage and History allows the opportunity to connect with Indigenous culture, learn more about the various tribes across the United States, as well as see the current affairs of Native life right now. So if you are curious about the Indigenous people of the United States, take time out of this month to learn about them and to explore the beauty and complexity of Native American Heritage.
