Keokuk (circa 1780–June 1848) was a leader of the
Sauk tribe in central
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, and for decades was one of the most recognized Native American leaders and noted for his accommodation with the U.S. government. Keokuk moved his tribe several times and always acted as an ardent friend of the
Americans
Americans are the citizens and nationals of the United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many dual citizens, expatriates, and permanent residents could also legally claim Ame ...
.
Appleton's Cyclopedia Appleton's or Appletons may refer to several publications published by D. Appleton & Company, New York, including:
*''Appletons' Journal'' (1869–1881)
*''Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'' (1887–1889)
*''Appleton's Magazine'' (1905 ...
(1892) vol. III p. 523 His policies were contrary to fellow Sauk leader
Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to:
Animals
* Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856
* Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus''
* Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii''
* Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...
, who led part of their band to defeat in the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", cross ...
, was later returned by U.S. forces to Keokuk's custody, and who died a decade before Keokuk.
Early and family life
Keokuk was born around 1780 on the
Rock River in what soon became
Illinois Territory to a Sauk warrior of the Fox clan and his wife of mixed lineage.
He lived in a village near what became
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Ce ...
on the
Illinois River
The Illinois River ( mia, Inoka Siipiiwi) is a principal tributary of the Mississippi River and is approximately long. Located in the U.S. state of Illinois, it has a drainage basin of . The Illinois River begins at the confluence of the ...
, and although not of the traditional ruling elite, was elected to the tribal council as a young man. He had a wife, who may be buried in
Schuyler County, Missouri
Schuyler County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, its population was 4,032, making it the fourth-least populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Lancaster. The county ...
.
Career
During the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...
, Keokuk convinced fellow tribal members not to leave their principal village,
Saukenuk, and also not to fight for the British and war chief Black Hawk. However, many warriors had already left to do so, so Keokuk was also elected a war chief and successfully protected his village through oratory. In 1824, he visited Washington, D.C. with other Native American leaders, including Chief
Wapello also of the
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki (sometimes spelled Mesquaki), also known by the European exonyms Fox Indians or the Fox, are a Native American people. They have been closely linked to the Sauk people of the same language family. In the Meskwaki language, th ...
people (sometimes called the Fox tribe).
Keokuk was noted for his personal bravery as well as oratorical skill. On several occasions, he persuaded tribal assemblies, although before he spoke every member but himself had been firmly determined to the contrary. At one time, in May 1832, Keokuk broke in upon a war dance that his band was holding preparatory to uniting with Black Hawk against the whites, and convinced the warriors in the heat of their fury that such would be suicidal and must not be undertaken.
Keokuk moved his tribe across the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...
to a site on the
Iowa River
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and ...
by 1828,
and the following year
Caleb Atwater met him:
In July 1830, Keokuk was one of several native leaders who entered into the
Fourth Treaty of Prairie du Chien with Indian Agent
William Clark
William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Miss ...
. This ceded territory including Saukenuk (Black Hawk's home village) to the United States (and white settlers). When Black Hawk returned from a foray (or attempted settlement in Iowa) and found white settlers in his ancestral village, he took up arms, and solicited general co-operation from his tribe.
However, Keokuk succeeded in keeping the majority of the band at peace, and he became one of three "money chiefs" who distributed payments under this and other treaties. Keokuk took every opportunity to attempt to persuade Black Hawk to withdraw from his aggressive position before it was too late, but the U.S. Army and Illinois militia soon defeated Black Hawk's warriors. A four hundred square mile strip surrounding Keokuk's village in Iowa was exempted from the 1832
Black Hawk Purchase, a treaty which ended the war and which was negotiated at
Fort Armstrong, Illinois (near
Rock Island) in September 1832,. In August 1833, U. S. authorities formally delivered Black Hawk (who had been taken as a captive to
Washington, D.C. and eastern cities), to the custody of Keokuk, who had been officially recognized as the principal chief of the Sauks and Foxes in that treaty.
In 1837, with several of his nation's village chiefs, Keokuk visited Washington, where a peace was arranged between his people and their old-time adversaries, the
Sioux
The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...
. They also visited
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
, where Keokuk's speeches attracted attention. Black Hawk was with the party, as Keokuk feared leaving him to scheme during his own absence.
Black Hawk died the following year. In August 1842, Keokuk and several tribal members (including wives), visited
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo ( ; from the ) is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States, on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa. The population of Nauvoo was 950 at the 2020 census. Nauvoo attracts visitors for its historic importance and it ...
, and he soon negotiated the sale of the tribe's land across the river in Iowa (his friend Chief Wapello having died in March).
Thus, in 1845, despite the land reservation in the 1832 treaty, Keokuk's band was moved further west into Kansas.
Death and legacy
Keokuk and his people arrived at their new reservation near
Ottawa, Kansas in 1845, and Keokuk there died in June 1848. Alternate sources describe the cause of his death as
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
,
alcoholism,
or poison administered by a disaffected surviving member of the Black Hawk band who was soon executed.
His son Moses Keokuk succeeded him as chief, and would later move the tribe to
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as t ...
.
Keokuk County, Iowa
Keokuk County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 10,033. The county seat is Sigourney.
History
Keokuk County was formed in 1837. It was named for the eponymous chief of the S ...
and the town of
Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...
are named after him, although chief Keokuk had never visited the town before it was incorporated in 1834. Pursuant to the efforts of Iowa judge Caleb Davis, a collector of Native American relics, Chief Keokuk was reburied in Keokuk in 1883, although modern forensics have determined that the remains thus interred were of a much younger man.
Nonetheless, the Chief Keokuk Statue, designed by
Nellie Walker
Nellie Verne Walker (December 8, 1874 – July 10, 1973), was an American sculptor best known for her statue of James Harlan formerly in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol, Washington D.C.
Early years
Nellie Ve ...
and erected in 1913, continues to stand today in Keokuk's Rand Park, as erected by the Keokuk chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence.
A non-profit group, they promote ...
.
In May 1832 Scottish traveller William Richard Grahame, facilitated by his acquaintance with Governor Coles of Illinois whom he had met on board a steamer, was able to observe two conferences between Governor Clark and Keokuk in St. Louis and records his impressions in his diary: "Keokuk, the fine looking man..., whom I spoke of yesterday, was the principal speaker.... They all spoke without embarrassment, and fluently, but I thought Keokuk was an orator. His countenance was really noble, intellectual and firm, occasionally relaxing with grace, and altogether commanding. ... He was five feet eleven, erect and stout, with a stately step and free. ... His voice was manly and full volumed as he spoke, and his utterance peculiarly distinct and rapid. His eyes and whole face were calm as he spoke, inspiring respect." ... Last evening Keokuk...went up the river in a steamboat. ... (he) had a long weapon...a spear...he...vociferated...His gestures and the tones of his voice were those of defiance and menace: to me it was a splendid piece of pantomime and rhapsody, but to his companions it appeared from the cheers to be a splendid piece of eloquence. ... I have been told that (Keokuk said that the Americans have been helpful and friendly to the Indians) and that by deeds as well as words he and his tribe would prove their gratitude to the Americans.... (The) interpreter tells me that Keokuk's speeches are more easily translated than those of any other of his tribe...that he is not rash, but is willing to take advice and consults.... In the last war he took the part of the British and killed four Americans with his own hand.... Keokuk is not a head chief having rank by inheritance, but a warrior chief which rank is attained by prowess. ... He has three sisters for wives and I was told he has a fourth from a different family. He is a prudent fellow and came over to the Americans before the war ended, when he saw the British losing ground."
[Pages 30-36, The diary of William Richard Grahame in the United States and Canada: 1831-1833. Edited by Fred B Grahame, Dundas, Ont., Magra Pub., 1989.]
Further reading
*''Iowa: A Guide to the Hawkeye State'', Compiled and Written by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Iowa, The Viking Press, New York, 1938
* "Goodbye My Keokuk Lady" by Raymond E. Garrison, Hamilton, IL: Hamilton Press,1962.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keokuk
1780 births
1848 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Sac and Fox people
Native American leaders
Native Americans of the Black Hawk War
Native American history of Iowa
18th-century Native Americans
19th-century Native Americans