How is the Sac and Fox Indian nation organized?
There are three Sac and Fox tribes today. Like most Native American tribes in the United States, the Sac and Fox live on reservations or trust land. A reservation is land that belongs to the tribe and is under their control. Each Sac and Fox tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. But the Sac and Fox are also US citizens and must obey American law. In the past, the Meskwaki and Sauk tribes were each ruled by two chiefs. The peace chief, who inherited the position from his father, was in charge of diplomatic and domestic affairs. The war chief, who was elected by the other warriors, was in charge of military and police affairs. Today each Sac and Fox tribe is governed by a council that is elected by all the tribal members. What language do the Fox and Sauks speak? Most Sac and Fox people speak English today. Some older people also speak their native Meskwaki-Sauk language. If you’d like to know an easy Meskwaki-Sauk word, “ho” (pronounced lik