Blackhawk, Sauk Warrior & Author Black Hawk born sometime in the year 1767 and was the leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe. Historically he inherited a medicine bundle from his father, which was a bundle of medicine that was generally considered holy by the tribal community. Yet he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs. His status came from leading war parties as a young man, and from his leadership of a band of Sauks during the Black Hawk War of 1832. Yet despite all these facts about Blackhawk, historically he made a different impact. As the events that took place in his life showed a different side of American history that we might have never been able to see, if he wasn’t alive. The events in Blackhawks life challenged the story of American-Indian relations that most white Americans accepted at the time, offering a whole new spectrum viewed from the eyes of an Indian Warrior.
Throughout Blackhawks life there was no other event that was more significant than the Blackhawk War that really showed the relationship between the Whites and Indians. The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk himself. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos all known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River. It was easy to see that Black Hawk's motives were ambiguous, but like often he was hoping to avoid bloodshed while resettling on land that had been ceded to the United States in a disputed treaty. Yet American officials, begged
Page 2 to differ, hostilities began on May, when the militia opened fire on a delegation from the Native Americans. Black Hawk responded by attacking the militia force, and from here on out, the war was based on Black Hawk trying to escape from the militia. It was often mentioned in the book, that Blackhawk often viewed many things in the warrior’s way, and respected those who fought to the very end. He would often find himself taking pity on those that were sick or injured, and would refuse to attack the enemy if they weren’t up to par as he was. Not only did this show his commitment as a Native American warrior, but also showed that he wasn’t just a ruthless man who desired to seek vengeance by scalping every white American he saw.
Furthermore throughout the text it was easy to see that Blackhawk was an advocate and a strong activist for the Indian nations when they faced unjust treatment. Treaties deceitfully ceding land from the Indians and given to white settlers from the east repeatedly occurred, and Blackhawk was a formidable voice for the unfairly treated Indians. These treaties forced them to move westward onto inferior land compared to what the government took from them. He was also a family man, it was common for Natives to have many wives during his time, but he found himself committed to only have one, Assheqwqua or Singing Bird was