Wisconsin magazine of history: Volume 29, number 1, September 1945

              black hawk rides again — a glimpse of the man by jay monaghan black hawk was born in 1767 at the mouth of rock river on the mississippi in the bark village of the sauk one of the largest indian settlements in the midlands.1 indian babies in saukenuk were strapped into papoose boards until they were big enough to walk in these little coffins they rode on their mothers backs facing the rear their big brown eyes gazed always upon a world that receded they could not look ahead black hawk never outgrew the outlook of his babyhood indian society at saukenuk did not have rousseau's simple idyllic outlines of man in a state of nature little black hawk had many confusing things to learn and to remember all people outside his immediate family he was told were divided into twelve great gentes or fires.2 these were named trout sturgeon bass fox wolf bear thunder great lynx bear-potato and the like black hawk's father belonged to the thunder fire — a spark off the old bolt sauk children as they grew up learned that all the fires were divided into two great phratries the kishko and the oskash little boys entered these orders at birth the first born to a family belonged to one phratry the second to the other and so on alternately members of the kishko wore a daub of white clay on their faces the oskash wore a daub of charcoal.3 jay monaghan has been the historical research editor for the illinois state historical library at springfield since 1939 and during the past year has been editing the library's black hawk war papers which will be its next volume of historical collections he is the author of diplomat in carpet slippers abraham lincoln deals with foreign affairs the above paper was read before the third annual convention of the state historical society at beloit on august 9 1944 1 thomas ford history of illinois chicago 1854 115 gives the population as six or seven thousand ford was in the village in 1831 frederick w hodge handbook of american indians washington 1912 2:479 gives the population of the entire tribe as 3,500 2 thomas l mckinney and james hall indian tribes of north america edinburgh 1934 2:123 hodge 2:478 states that there were fourteen gentes 3 hodge handbook 2:478 mckinney and hall indian tribes 2:125 43