Customer Reviews

Life of Black Hawk (Native American)

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During the War of 1812, Black Hawk (1767-1838), a chief among the Sauk and Fox Indians, fought on the side of the British. In 1823, after signing a treaty with the United States, the Sauk and Fox were compelled to leave their lands in present-day Illinois, and move west of the Mississippi River. In April 1832, after Black Hawk had received what he considered to be too many affronts, he led a large following back to the disputed land, beginning what was later known as the Black Hawk War (April-August 1832). After his surrender, Black Hawk was given a tour of the expanding United States, and he decided that he wished to have recorded his life's story, so that the people of the United States could understand him and his reasons for going to war. This is the Black Hawk's life story.

This book was originally published in 1833, and was supposedly dictated by Black Hawk to his translator, Antoine Leclair. There is some speculation as to how much of this work is actually Black Hawk's own words, and how much is Leclair's ghost writing. But, I must admit that I did not bother much with this controversy. I found the book to be a fascinating look into Black Hawk's mind and how he saw the European-American settlement of the United States.

First of all, the hero of this story is no sugar-coated Disney character. His story is filled with battle and plunder and the taking of scalps. A true warrior, steeped in his culture's ideals, he lived and fought in what he considered an honorable and logical manner, and could not understand the way that the white people lived and fought. This is no politically correct paean to the Native-Americans, but a clear-eyed explanation of who Black Hawk was, and why he did what he did.

So, if you are interested in American history, and want a view of the Indian Wars from the Native-American side, then I highly recommend this book to you.

This is an easy to read, valuable piece of near-primary source material - which fills in the gaps that I find in most collections of the last 400 years of American history. Like adding Howard Zinn material to your study of US history, the words of Black Hawk balance the traditional textbook summary of native Indian history and culture.

Black Hawk speaks in a narrative storyline that deserves our attention and understanding. He was without the benefit of support, and thus was unable to confirm the more than substantial memory at his grasp. The editorial notations added within the text that at times confirm or counter Black Hawk's telling, though intended to clarify the historical record, will thus serve to mildly frustrate the reading.

And although this is an "autobiography" of his life, there are significant questions as to the caliber of translation of Black Hawk's words. Just enough so that I imagined him actually telling of his life in his native tongue to one truly fluent in the language and how much richer the story would be.

I found myself marveling most the sections where Black Hawk speaks of the power of nature and it's interwoven influence on the lives of the native tribes, as well as their deep respect and understanding for the impact living things have on one another. By contrasting his culture with the encroaching white settler culture, he is prescient of what is to come. Through the eyes and words of this sincere man, we hear of the habit of deception and the power of greed of a dominating culture which will eventually strip away most all valuable material things from these people, while at the same moment speaking faithlessly of highest ideals and principles.

The book is a top read for anyone curious to hear a more authentic, first-hand narrative of the realities of life in the 1800's for a wise but slowly disappearing culture.