Meskwaki Settlement, Iowa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meskwaki Settlement, Iowa
|
|
|---|---|
Water tower, Meskwaki Settlement
|
|
| Nickname(s):
Meskwakiinaki
|
|
 Meskwaki Settlement, Iowa
Location in Iowa
|
|
| Tribe | Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa |
| Country | United States |
| State | Iowa |
| County | Tama |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.34 sq mi (26.8 km2) |
| • Land | 10.34 sq mi (26.8 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 1,142 |
| • Density | 110.5/sq mi (42.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code(s) | 641 |
"Mesquakie Indians responsible for the establishment of the Mesquakie Settlement," 1857 photograph.
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Enrolled members: 1300 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States Iowa |
|
| Languages | |
| English, Meskwaki | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional religion (incl. syncretistic forms) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Sac, Kickapoo |
Meskwakiinaki, also known as the Meskwaki Settlement, is a special community in Tama County, Iowa, USA. It's not officially a city, but it's where the Meskwaki Nation lives. This land belongs to the Meskwaki Nation, which is officially called the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa. There are three Sac and Fox tribes in the United States, and this is one of them. The other two tribes live in Oklahoma and Kansas. The Meskwaki (also called Fox) are an Algonquian people. This settlement is in their traditional homeland. The Meskwaki people started this settlement in 1857. They bought back a small part of their land. They had lost this land in a treaty signed in 1842.
Contents
History of the Meskwaki Settlement
The Meskwaki people used to trade with French settlers. But they were forced to move west. This happened because of competition in the fur trade in the 1700s. Later, the United States also put pressure on them to move. In the early 1800s, the Meskwaki and Sac tribes had to give up their land in Iowa. They were forced to move west of the Missouri River. This all ended with the Sac and Fox treaty of 1842.
Some Meskwaki people did not want to leave their homes. They tried to buy land back. But they couldn't at first because Iowa law did not see them as citizens. In 1856, Iowa passed a law. This law allowed the Meskwaki to live in Tama County. So, in 1857, the Meskwaki people began to buy land. The state governor helped them by acting as a legal trustee.
Over the next 150 years, the Meskwaki kept buying more land. This helped their settlement grow. In 1896, their lands became part of a federal trust. This means the US government holds the land for the tribe. The settlement was never made into an official city. So, it didn't have a formal name. People often called it "Indian Town" or "Indian Village." Today, the Meskwaki tribal government calls all the land owned by the tribe "Meskwakiinaki."
There are two other Sac and Fox tribes that are officially recognized by the US government. They have their own lands and governments. These tribes live in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
Where is Meskwakiinaki?
The Meskwaki Nation owns over 8,600 acres of land. This land is spread across different parts of Tama County, Iowa. The settlement did not start as a typical Indian reservation. This is because the Meskwaki people bought the land themselves. It was not set aside by a treaty or federal law. However, part of the area did become a federal reservation after 1896.
In 2020, about 9.97 square miles of the Meskwaki Settlement were official reservation land. An extra 0.37 square miles were trust land not on the main reservation. Together, the reservation and trust land cover 10.34 square miles. All of this area is land, with no water.
People Living in the Settlement
The census of 2020 counted the people living in Meskwaki Settlement. This includes both the reservation and trust lands. The total population was 1,142 people. There were about 110 people per square mile.
Most of the people living there are Native American, about 85.9%. There are also people who identify as White (2.9%), Asian (0.3%), and Black or African American (0.2%). About 10.5% of the people are from two or more races. Also, 8.8% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.
Education for Kids
The community is part of the South Tama County Community School District.
There is also a special school run by the Sac and Fox Tribe. It is called the Meskwaki Settlement School (MSS). This school teaches students from preschool through 12th grade. It started in 1938 when two Native American day schools joined together. Students from the settlement usually go to the tribal school or South Tama County High School.
Famous Meskwaki People
- Ray Young Bear, a well-known writer
