Description
The Sauk or Sac are a group of Native Americans of the Eastern Woodlands culture group, who lived primarily in the region of what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin, when first encountered by the French in 1667. Today they have three federally recognized tribes, together with the Meskwaki (Fox), located in Iowa, Oklahoma and Kansas. The Sauk, are believed to have developed as a people along the St. Lawrence River, which is now northern New York. They had been driven west by pressure from other tribes, especially the powerful Iroquois League or Haudenosaunee, which sought control over hunting grounds in the area.
Language
Meskwaki-Sauk language
Culture
The Sauk lived in villages of rectangular lodges covered with elm bark. The villages were located near fields where women raised corn, squash, and beans. After the harvest the village separated into family groups that built winter houses called wickiups (or wigwams), which were small, dome-shaped structures covered with reed mats. During this period the tribe gathered to hunt bison (buffalo). The Sauk were governed by a tribal council and hereditary chiefs. When war broke out, these chiefs were temporarily replaced by war chiefs chosen for their military ability.