interesting Indian autobiographies, Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, or Black Hawk (1834).
Early Life
Black Hawk (or Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak) was the adopted brother of a chief of the Foxes and was brought up by the Sauk (Sacs)—“Sac” was the original French spelling. The Sauk and Foxes were small tribes which formed an alliance, sometimes including the Potawatomi and Winnebago, to defend themselves against larger neighboring nations. Black Hawk was already a warrior and a leader among his people at the age of fifteen. In his autobiography he described how he became chief at the death of his father when they were fighting together against the Cherokee near the Meramec River, a short distance below modern St. Louis. Black Hawk fell heir to the chieftainship but was obliged to mourn, pray, and fast for five years in what he called a “civil capacity,” hunting and fishing. When he was twenty-one he became head chief of the Sauk and Foxes. The two tribes were united and lived together as a single group.
Black Hawk’s early years were spent in warfare against neighbors, primarily the Osage, Kaskaskia (a member of the Illinois Confederacy), and Chippewa. According to Black Hawk, there were two major reasons for warfare among the …show more content…
His adopted son was murdered by white American settlers. He liked the British. He was on good terms with a British trader and with Robert Dixon, British agent in the War of 1812, during which Black Hawk took an active role against the Americans. Most of Black Hawk’s life prior to his capture in 1832 was marked by his dislike of Americans. The experience that contributed to this attitude more than any other was the St. Louis treaty of 1804, which Black Hawk rejected. In his own words, “It has been the origin of all our
Early Life
Black Hawk (or Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak) was the adopted brother of a chief of the Foxes and was brought up by the Sauk (Sacs)—“Sac” was the original French spelling. The Sauk and Foxes were small tribes which formed an alliance, sometimes including the Potawatomi and Winnebago, to defend themselves against larger neighboring nations. Black Hawk was already a warrior and a leader among his people at the age of fifteen. In his autobiography he described how he became chief at the death of his father when they were fighting together against the Cherokee near the Meramec River, a short distance below modern St. Louis. Black Hawk fell heir to the chieftainship but was obliged to mourn, pray, and fast for five years in what he called a “civil capacity,” hunting and fishing. When he was twenty-one he became head chief of the Sauk and Foxes. The two tribes were united and lived together as a single group.
Black Hawk’s early years were spent in warfare against neighbors, primarily the Osage, Kaskaskia (a member of the Illinois Confederacy), and Chippewa. According to Black Hawk, there were two major reasons for warfare among the …show more content…
His adopted son was murdered by white American settlers. He liked the British. He was on good terms with a British trader and with Robert Dixon, British agent in the War of 1812, during which Black Hawk took an active role against the Americans. Most of Black Hawk’s life prior to his capture in 1832 was marked by his dislike of Americans. The experience that contributed to this attitude more than any other was the St. Louis treaty of 1804, which Black Hawk rejected. In his own words, “It has been the origin of all our