The Sac tribe, also known as the Sauk, is a Native American Indian tribe originally from eastern Michigan. They migrated south and west due to encroaching civilization and fought in the Blackhawk War. Today, the federally recognized Sac and Fox Nation operates casinos, smoke shops, and has its own police force and judicial system. Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe was a member of the tribe.
The Sac tribe, also known as the Sauk, is a Native American Indian tribe, whose name is pronounced “sacco” and means “people of the yellow earth”. The tribe is originally from eastern Michigan and, along with the Fox tribe, is currently found on reservations in Oklahoma, Iowa, and Kansas. The Sac tribe’s name comes from the yellow clay soil along the St. Lawrence River where they originally settled. Agriculture and hunting were the main occupations of the tribe. The men hunted deer and buffalo, while the women grew corn and other vegetables. The tribe had two chiefs, a peace chief for domestic and diplomatic matters and a war chief for police and military matters.
As civilization began encroaching on their lands, the Sac migrated south into northern Illinois and Wisconsin. After a war with the French, a related tribe known as the Meskwaki or Fox Indians took refuge with the Sac tribe. Fearing an attack by the French themselves, the Sac moved westward into Iowa and Kansas. Though the Indians continued to migrate, their lands continued to shrink, and in 1832, led by the warrior Blackhawk, the tribe held out and fought against US forces. This conflict, known as the Blackhawk War, resulted in the tribe’s defeat. This was the last Indian War to take place east of the Mississippi River.
In the 1800s the tribe split into two groups. The smaller group settled in Kansas and Nebraska in 1832, and the larger group merged with Fox and moved to an Oklahoma reservation in 1869. Once on the reservation, an appointed tribal council took over the traditional leadership of the clan and modern agricultural methods were introduced.
The current Sac Tribe is a federally recognized tribe known as The Sac and Fox Nation. Headquartered in Stroud, Oklahoma, it operates two casinos, a dozen smoke shops and has a system for issuing vehicle license plates for tribal members. The tribe also has its own police force and judicial system. The tribe also had some influence: the name of Saginaw Bay in Michigan, which means “place of the Sauk” comes from the Sac tribe. It also has some modern-day famous members: Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe (1888-1953) was a member of the Sac Tribe and grew up on the Sac and Fox Reservation in Oklahoma.
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