Melanated People

3 년

Black Sparrow Hawk was a great Warrior military tactician & Medicine Man of Sauk Nation, who is best known for the war that bears his name, as the last Native American-Euro war fought east of the Mississippi. It was his defeat signaled the end untimely of 200 years of armed resistance against European colonization on Turtle Island.

Black Sparrow Hawk (Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak) was born into the Thunder Clan of Sauk Nation around 1767 & was a member of the Warrior Class. He was the son of a highly respected Medicine Man and would go on to inherit his father's Medicine Bags after he was killed in battle. Though polygamous, had only 1 wife. They had 5 children. They later lost their eldest son & youngest daughter within the same year. Black Hawk mourned the deaths of his children for 2 years - in Sauk tradition.

At age 15 he wounded his first enemy in battle, which initiated him into the Warrior Class & earned him the right to paint his face and wear feathers. From then on he continued to bravery & tactitcal skills on the battlefield. During the War of 1812, Black Hawk's warriors fought alongside the Shawnee on the side of the British Army against the U.S. colonies. Despite the misnomer given by the Europeans, Black Hawk was NOT a chief, he was highly respected & influential leader of a political faction within the Sauk nation that believed in preserving the traditional ways of life before European invasion.

In 1804, five Sauk and Meskwaki chiefs were tricked into signing a treaty with the U.S government selling nearly 51 million acres of tribal lands in Illinois, Missouri, and Wisconsin in exchange for various goods & a $1,000 yearly annuity to be paid to the nations. Despite this blatantly illegal act, the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty. The treaty stipulated that the Indians could remain on the ceded lands as long as that land was not wanted for white settlement. As more colonizers invaded Saukenuk territories, tensions rose. To avoid anymore bloodshed, the Sauk and Meskwaki moved to the west side of the Mississippi. However, Black Hawk and his followers refused to give up their lands & remained in Saukenuk. When tensions peaked, the Governor of Illinois dispatched military troops to force out the remaining Sauk and Meskwaki. Black Hawk led his followers across the river out of Illinois & into Iowa during the night.

This spurred Black Hawk to wage the war so named after him, against the U.S. to reclaim their ancestral lands. He led about 1500 followers across to the eastern bank of the Mississippi. This threw the entire frontier into a panic. The Black Hawk War went on for 15 weeks, ending the Battle of Bad Axe in Wisconsin. At its end, starvation, deprivation, & exhaustion killed off 2/3 of his followers. Though he along with 5 of his closest companions, including his eldest son, escaped before the Battle, they were captured 6 weeks later & imprisoned. They were released into the custody team of a Sauk leader named, Keokuck - Black Hawk's arch political rival - & was directed to follow his counsel and advice. From then on, Black Hawk was no longer recognized as the political leader of the Sauk. In the end, Black Hawk lost more than 1,000 folders to the War & more Sauk- Meskwaki territories were taken as war reparations.

Black Hawk would go on to dictate his autobiography to an interpreter. "The Life of Black Hawk" was published in 1833. Despite his dishonor & shame among the Sauk, Black Hawk had ironically achieved fame and great admiration among his former enemies.

After his death, Black Hawk was buried sitting upright inside a small mausoleum of logs. Soon after, his grave was desecrated by grave robbers. His remains were eventually deposited in a museum in Burlington, Iowa which burned down in 1855.

As one of the most feared, yet respected First Nations leaders in history, at the core of his legacy - despite defeat- was his hard-fought battle to preserve the ancestral homelands of his people & preserve their traditional ways of life in the growing shadow of European colonization.

“I am a Sauk…I am a Warrior.” - Black Hawk's final proclamation.

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