Sac and Fox Customs
The Sacs and Foxes had many peculiar customs, one being that each male
child was marked at birth with either white or black color, the Indian
mother alternating the colors so that the nation was evenly divided
between black and white. This distinction was kept alive during life, the
object being to create rivalry and a spirit of emulation between the
members of the tribe. Thus black was the competitor of white in their
games and social customs, and each side tried to outdo the other, and in
war to take more scalps. Black Hawk belonged to the "Black" party and
Keokuk to the " White" party.
Marriage among the Sacs and Foxes required only the consent of the parties
and their parents. The husband could at any time divorce his wife or add
another if he deemed best, and although the marriage ties were not strong,
the ties of consanguinity were rigidly preserved. Hereditary rights were
traced through the female line. This was accomplished by means of the
Totem, an' institution or emblem which served as a distinction for the
different clans or families. The family surname was represented by some
bird or animal, such as Eagle, Hawk, Heron, Deer, Bear, etc. Each Indian
was proud of his Totem-- in fact it represented a fraternity or secret
society. As the different members of a clan were connected by ties of
kindred, they were prohibited from intermarriage. A Bear might not marry a
Bear, but could marry an Eagle, Hawk. or member of any other clan. This
Totem system furnished the means of tracing family lineage through all
their years of wandering and preserved their hereditary rights.
The Sacs and Foxes had from the early part of the eighteenth century
occupied the banks of the Mississippi between the mouth of the Missouri
and the Wisconsin, the Sacs occupying the eastern side of the river, and
the Foxes its western banks.
The Sac and Fox Indians of Illinois
Source: Historic Rock Island County, pub. Kramer & Company, Rock Island, Illinois, 1908