“In the beginning of all things, wisdom and knowledge were with the animals, for Tirawa, the One Above, did not speak directly to man. He sent certain animals to tell men that he showed himself through the beast, and that from them, and from the stars and the sun and moon should man learn...all things tell of Tirawa.
All things in the world are two. In our minds we are two, good and evil. With our eyes we see two things, things that are fair and things that are ugly.... We have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and we have the left hand full of kindness, near the heart. One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good. So are all things two, all two.”
Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) Pawnee
If an alien dropped from the sky and learned everything it knew about our species by watching the news, it would be horrified by what it learned. War, famine, fire, death, destruction – it would seem a wonder that any of us survive. Television and newspapers do not tell the whole story of humanity. The same can be said of what is written about Quashquame.
In Quashquame it is easy to find the villain if you are Native American, or the buffoon if you are not of Native ancestry. Black Hawk, in carefully muted tones, spoke of Quashquame’s role in the treaty of 1804 in his autobiography. Without casting blame, he stated plainly that Quashquame was the man who signed the treaty ceding their village and a vast tract of land, and accused him of being drunk most of the time while he was away. Black Hawk states,
“I found by that treaty, that all of the country east of the Mississippi, and south of Jeffreon was ceded to the United States for one thousand dollars a year. I will leave it to the people of the United States to say whether our nation was properly represented in this treaty? Or whether we received a fair compensation for the extent of country ceded by these four individuals?
I could say much more respecting this treaty, but I will not at this time. It has been the origin of all our serious difficulties with the whites.”Yet clearly, Black Hawk held some measure of respect for Quashquame, writing:
“[...] after questioning Quashquame about the sale of our lands, he assured me that he "never had consented to the sale of our village."This, apparently, Black Hawk believed, or wanted to believe. It is also clear that whatever differences the two men shared, they did not become enemies. Black Hawk went on to talk with some amusement about Quashquame’s role during the war of 1812.
“... all the children and old men and women belonging to the warriors who had joined the British were left with them to provide for. A council had been called which agreed that Quashquame, the Lance, and other chiefs, with the old men, women and children, and such others as chose to accompany them, should descend the Mississippi to St. Louis, and place themselves under the American chief stationed there. They accordingly went down to St. Louis, were received as the friendly band of our nation, were sent up the Missouri and provided for, while their friends were assisting the British!”Black Hawk was amused at what he considered a subterfuge against the Americans, convincing them through Quashquame’s actions to protect the women, children and elderly of his tribe while he went off to fight against the very same Americans. The effect, however, was to preserve peaceful relations with the Americans for as many Native Sauk as possible, even when engaged in War with the tribe. This would not have been possible were it not for Quashquame.
I have read much, and concluded that Quashquame was at heart a man of peace. John F. Kennedy once spoke the words, “War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.” I myself do not condemn fighting for a just cause. I do not condemn the actions of the Indian warrior in defending his home, or his people. But at the same time, I celebrate the men and women of peace in the world, because the battle they fight is just as fraught with danger.
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| Map of important locations in Quashquame's life. 1:Saukenuk Village, 2: Montrose Village, 3. Nauvoo Village, 4.Fort Madison, 5. village near Rocheport, 6. Saint Louis, 7. burial site opposite Clarksville. |
In 1806, Quashquame was the leader of a band of Sauk, Meskwaki and Ioway in a village near the Missouri River west of St Louis. In the spring of 1809, several Sauk fighters, believed to be led by Black Hawk, attacked Fort Madison, possibly with the intent of taking control of the Fort. They were held at bay by canon fire. The next day Quashquame and two other Sauk leaders attempted to restore relations with the United States Army, telling the commander, Alpha Kingsley, that the offending parties were acting on their own and had left the region.
Quashquame attended several more meetings with the U.S. Army at Fort Madison during the turbulent period leading up to the war of 1812, at one time attempting to placate Gen. William Clark during a meeting in 1810 or 1811 in St. Louis. He told Clark, "My father, I left my home to see my great-grandfather, the president of the United States, but as I cannot proceed to see him, I give you my hand as to himself. I have no father to whom I have paid any attention but yourself. If you hear anything, I hope that you will let me know, and I will do the same. I have been advised several times to raise the tomahawk. Since the last war we have looked upon the Americans as friends, and I shall hold you fast by the hand. The Great Spirit has not put us on the earth to war with the whites. We have never struck a white man. If we go to war it is with the red flesh. Other nations send belts among us, and urge us to war. They say that if we do not, the Americans will encroach upon us, and drive us off our lands."
Quashquame and his band remained neutral during the war of 1812, and was considered by the Whites a trusted representative of the Sauk Nation in the aftermath of that war. Quashquame signed several more treaties with the Americans, in which he denounced Black Hawk’s actions during the War of 1812 and affirmed the split between his band and the Rock River Sauks. This further cemented his status as a traitor among the Sauk. The effect, however was that he and his band were allowed to live in peace among the Settlers.
He continued being a negotiator for peace, at one time helping to mediate retribution for the murder of a Sauk by a white trader near Bear Creek in 1818. He continued to live his live as an Indian, among Indians, until the time of his death around 1830 or 1831.
"There are many ways to fight for peace, and there are many kinds of peace to fight for. There are those who try to prevent a battle from starting. There are those who, in the midst of battle, will seek to find ways to end the hostility. There are those who, after the fighting has ended, will fight popular opinion to honestly chronicle the events, giving all sides their say and perspective."
T. Jansen
(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)
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