Life of Black Hawk

Conflicts between Britain and the US continued for a short period after the War of 1812 in which Black Hawk and his war party participated. Even though he claimed his intentions were to refrain from war, continual hostilities against the Indigenous tribes soon led him to rejoin the battles. However, after the final peacemaking between the US and Britain, he restated his intention to not make war against the white people again. The Sauk were required to present themselves to the American authorities to confirm the end of the battles as they also had to settle their differences with neighboring tribes.

Peace remained fragile as violent confrontations between the Indigenous people and the settlers continued. Black Hawk recounts instances of white people attacking and murdering Indigenous hunters. Even though Black Hawk met the American officials to confirm the peace, he still distrusted them and claimed he had not ceded his homeland to them. The theme of Colonialism and Black Hawk’s Physical and Literary Resistance recurs as Black Hawk was made to sign a treaty without realizing its terms. He states: “I touched the goose quill to the treaty—not knowing, however, that, by that act, I consented to give away my village. Had that been explained to me, I should have opposed it” (44). Thus, the politics of colonial expansion further disturbed the peace and reinforced the conflict between the Indigenous tribes and the white settlers. Simultaneously, the theme of Indigenous Versus White Values and Mindset emerges, as Black Hawk comments on the “standard of right and wrong” (44). Black Hawk criticizes the ethics of white Americans and emphasizes that the Sauk strive to do right all their lives while whites may do wrong throughout their lives and easily forget in a moment. The construction of a new American fort, Fort Armstrong, in Sauk land worried Black Hawk who viewed those activities as hostile and threatening to the Sauk as they contrasted with the spirit of peace. Throughout his account of the treaty processes, Black Hawk explains how the Sauk code of ethics differed from the white code of ethics. He states that white people were willing to mislead and exploit in the name of individualism, whereas the Sauk pursued good throughout their entire lives, trying to pay respect to people and land.

As European settlement advanced further into the Sauk homeland, Black Hawk recounts the tribe’s traditional way of life. This point in the narrative connects with the theme of The Loss of Traditional Life and the Preservation of Indigenous Identity. Black Hawk emphasizes how the land provided the Sauk with the necessary foods and the “children never cried with hunger, nor [the] people were never in want” (45). He stresses that the Sauk were the “undisputed possessors” of the Mississippi valley. The tribe used to have a happy life until the settlers arrived. His detailed description of traditional aspects of Sauk life is culturally significant as it preserves part of the tribe’s cultural past. His account also highlights his religious beliefs and reverence for the “Great Spirit.” Black Hawk notes that even though the traditional way of life belongs to the past he has “no faith in [the white men’s] paths” (49). His narration of the myth about the origin of corn demonstrates his memory and persistence of Indigenous identity. Despite the loss of tradition due to colonialism, Black Hawk passes on the history of Sauk culture through his account. His emphasis on the hunting ways of the Sauk and the centrality of the land for nutrition shows the impact of colonialism in the tribe’s self-sufficiency.