The Asakiwaki (Sauk) and Meshkwahkihaki (Mesquakie/Fox) belong to the Woodland and Plains Cultures. They are are Algonquin-speaking peoples.

Asakiwaki means "people of the yellow earth" and Meshkwahkihawi means "people of the red earth." "Algonquin" comes from the word "alligewinenk" which means "come together from distant places."

The Sauk and Fox people believe that long ago the Great Spirit chose a fertile valley and the land around it to be their home. He commanded that the Sauk and Fox must think of themselves as brothers. But, each would have their own sacred things.

Oral history tells that the tribe originated near the Saint Lawrence Seaway in Canada. Following the settlement and invasion of Europeans on the east coast and pressures from other native nations, the Sauk moved from near Saginaw Bay in Michigan to Green Bay in the Wisconsin area.

The village of Saukenuk located at the convergence of the Rock and the Mississippi rivers was their home until they were forcibly removed to Iowa and Kansas.

The fight to keep the homeland at Saukenuk resulted in a war led by Chief Black Hawk. The Black Hawk war greatly reduced the band as members were killed by the American soldiers. Men, women, and children were shot as they tried to swim across the Mississippi River to safety. Some of those that got across were then killed by Sioux warriors who were old enemies of the Sauk.

Keok was the leader of another Sauk band. His peaceful leadership helped his band survive by cooperating with the Americans.

Due to contact with the white man the Native American population was reduced. The reason for this was diseases brought by the Europeans, warfare (both inter tribal and with white men), forced relocation and removal, and the destruction of traditional lifestyles.

The Europeans brought with them diseases such as smallpox, influenza, measles, bubonic plague, scarlet fever, mumps, and typhoid. These diseases were not present in the Western Hemisphere and the native people had no way of fighting them , so they died by the millions.

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