2-3 Hauberg Museum - Black Hawk Historic Site

February 15, 2014

Rock Island, IL

Hauberg Museum

In the Hauberg Indian Museum, I stood in perhaps the only place in the world where it is possible to see even a glimpse of what life may have looked like to the Sauk people living in Saukenuk.  While tribute is paid to Black Hawk, with prominent central displays of artifacts once used by the warrior and even a life-cast, the museum features displays telling about the people with plaques and maps that tell the story of the Sauk and Meskwaki Tribes as a whole.

Sauk and Meskwaki origins, began 12,000 years ago in the north-eastern corner of the country, in what is now Maine and nearby parts of eastern Canada. Oral traditions of the Meskwaki tribe tells of an invasion of Iroquois Indians about 1000 years ago, forcing them out of the region and westward, across the Adirondack Mountains, and after several hundred years ending in southern Michigan. It was there in 1640 when the tribes first encountered Missionaries who wrote of their existence, and somewhat of their past. War, however, continued to follow the essentially peaceful tribes, and they continued westward, ending up in the Green Bay Wisconsin area by the year 1669, where the Meskwaki picked up the name ‘Fox Indians’ as given by the whites in the area.

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They were not alone, however, and over the next 30 years, competition for hunting grounds and other scarce resources let to intertribal warfare and a breakdown of traditional patterns of life. Warriors became elevated in social standing, and warfare became a way of life for the Meskwaki. The Meskwaki tribe featured prominently in the French-Indian Wars of the early 1700s, and in 1728 was nearly exterminated in a massacre. Of the once-proud tribe of several thousand Indians, only about 150 remained alive. They sought and received protection among the Sauk people, cementing a permanent bond between the already allied nations. Later, in 1733, the French and their Indian allies arrived at the Sauk village and demanded the surrender of the remaining Meskwaki. Another battle ensued, and several French fighters were killed. Once again, the Sauk took flight, avoiding battle where they could and remaining true to the idea of a free and peaceful community. They sought sanctuary from the Ioway tribe, which was granted, and they finally convinced the French of the futility of further pursuit. By 1740, the Sauk and remaining Meskwaki had established a home near the mouth of the Rock River in what would later be called Saukenuk.

Bark House Interior

Summer House Interior

Traditional Construction

Dug Out Canoe

Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak – can you feel my spirit?  Can you hear my heart beating in time with yours?  The winds are calling me – it’s time to move on.  I thank the Grandfathers of the North for helping me start my journey.  I thank the Grandfathers of the East for telling me about the part of myself that is Indian, and teaching me how to listen.  I thank the Grandfathers of the South, who worked hard and provided for me, and taught me how to work hard and provide for myself.  I thank the Grandfathers of the West who have given me knowledge, and shown me the right ways to seek truth.  I thank the Grandfathers - who call to me with wisdom that can only be gained through experience and an open heart.  I thank Mother Earth, and Father Sky for giving me light and life.  Ah-ho.

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(Key Terms: Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak, Black Sparrow Hawk, Black Hawk, 1767, Saukenuk, Pyesa, Rock Island, Black Hawk’s Watch Tower, Black Hawk State Historic Site, Hauberg Museum, Sauk, Sac, Meskwaki, Fox, Rock River, Sinnissippi River, Mississippi River, War of 1812, British Band, Great Britain, Treaty of 1804, Treaties, Ceded Land, William Henry Harrison, Quashquame, Keokuk, Fort Armstrong, Samuel Whiteside, Black Hawk War of 1832, Black Hawk Conflict, Scalp, Great Sauk Trail, Black Hawk Trail, Prophetstown, Wabokieshiek, White Cloud, The Winnebago Prophet, Ne-o-po-pe, Dixon’s Ferry, Isaiah Stillman, The Battle of Stillman’s Run, Old Man’s Creek, Sycamore Creek, Abraham Lincoln, Chief Shabbona, Felix St. Vrain, Lake Koshkonong, Fort Koshkonong, Fort Atkinson, Henry Atkinson, Andrew Jackson, Lewis Cass, Winfield Scott, Chief Black Wolf, Henry Dodge, James Henry, White Crow, Rock River Rapids, The Four Lakes, Battle of Wisconsin Heights, Benjamin Franklin Smith, Wisconsin River, Kickapoo River, Soldier’s Grove, Steamboat Warrior, Steamship Warrior, Fort Crawford, Battle of Bad Axe, Bad Axe Massacre, Joseph M. Street, Antoine LeClaire, Native American, Indian, Michigan Territory, Indiana Territory, Louisiana Territory, Osage, Souix, Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Ottawa, Ho-Chunk)