![3280R Sac and Fox Meskwaki Settlement Locator Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/3280R_Sac_and_Fox_Meskwaki_Settlement_Locator_Map.svg)
The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is one of three
federally recognized
This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
Native American tribes of
Sac and
Meskwaki (Fox) peoples in the United States. The Fox call themselves ''Meskwaki'' and because they are the dominant people in this tribe, it is also simply called Meskwaki Nation ( sac, Meshkwahkîhaki, ''meaning: "People of the red earth"''), the Sauk people call themselves ''Êshkwîha'' (literally: "Fox people") or ''Yochikwîka'', both with the meaning "Northern Sauk". They are
Algonquian people
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. T ...
s, historically developed in the
Eastern Woodland
The Eastern Woodlands is a cultural area of the indigenous people of North America. The Eastern Woodlands extended roughly from the Atlantic Ocean to the eastern Great Plains, and from the Great Lakes region to the Gulf of Mexico, which is now p ...
culture.
["Tribal History"]
, ''Sac & Fox Casino.'' (retrieved 11 April 2010) The settlement is located in
a small community in
Tama County, Iowa
Tama County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,135. Its county seat is Toledo. The county was formed on February 17, 1843 and named for Taimah, a leader of the Meskwaki Indians.
Geogr ...
.
Government and economic development
The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is headquartered in
Tama, Iowa
Tama is a city in Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,130 at the time of the 2020 census.
Tama is situated two miles south of Toledo, the county seat. The two towns are close enough to have nearly grown together over the year ...
. They are governed by a seven-person council. They oversee more than of land, known as the
Meskwaki Settlement
The Meskwaki Settlement is an unincorporated community in Tama County, Iowa, United States, west of Tama. It encompasses the reservation lands of the Meskwaki Nation (federally recognized as the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa), one ...
, which the Meskwaki bought mostly in the 19th century. In 2005, they established a tribal court system and tribal law enforcement in 2006.
[
The tribe publishes the ''Meskwaki Nation Times'', a bi-monthly newspaper for enrolled tribal members. It is a member of the ]Native American Journalists Association
The Native American Journalists Association, based in Norman, Oklahoma, on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, is an organization dedicated to supporting Native Americans in journalism. The organization hosts the annual National Native Media ...
.
The tribe operates the Meskwaki Trading Post, Meskwaki Bingo Casino, Prime Cut Steakhouse, Full House Cafe, Food Arcade and the Jackpot Buffet, and the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel, with 400 guest rooms, all located outside Tama, Iowa."Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel."
''500 Nations.'' (retrieved 11 April 2010)
The current tribal council members are:
*Chairman: Dawson Davenport
*Vice-Chairman: Drayton Roberts
*Treasurer: Delonda Pushetonequa
*Council Member: Clinton Bear
*Council Member: Jarvis Bear
*Council Member: Eric R. Kapayou
*Council Member: Zane Oldbear
[
]
History
The tribe organized this form of government in 1934 under the federal Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...
.
See also
The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa holds the smallest amount of land of the three federally recognized tribes
This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
of the Sac and Fox peoples. The other two are:
* The Sac and Fox Nation
The Sac and Fox Nation ( ''Mesquakie'' language: ''Othâkîwaki / Thakiwaki'' or ''Sa ki wa ki'') is the largest of three federally recognized tribes of Sauk and Meskwaki (Fox) Indian peoples. Originally from the Lake Huron and Lake Michiga ...
(or ''Sakiwaki (variants: Thâkîwa; Othâkîwa)'') in Oklahoma (see Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area
Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Area is a statistical entity identified and delineated by federally recognized American Indian tribes in Oklahoma as part of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 Census and ongoing American Community Survey.
Many of these ...
)
* Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska
The Sac and Fox Nation of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska is one of three federally recognized Native American tribes of Sac and Meskwaki (Fox) peoples. Their name for themselves is Nemahahaki ( sac, Nîmahâhaki) and they are an Algonquian p ...
(or ''Nemahahaki (variants: Nîmahâha; Nemaha ountySauk)'') in Richardson County, Nebraska
Richardson County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,363. Its county seat is Falls City.
In the Nebraska license plate system, Richardson County is represented by the prefix 1 ...
and Brown County, Kansas
Brown County (county code BR) is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 9,508. Its county seat and most populous city is Hiawatha. Brown County is the location of ...
Notes
External links
Meskwaki Nation
official website
{{authority control
Sac and Fox
Native American tribes in Iowa
Great Lakes tribes
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Tama, Iowa