Anyone who has spent time in the Quad-Cities has no doubt seen the images and name of Black Hawk, the legendary Sauk chief.
Most know him as a local American Indian chief and fighter in the famous 1830 Black Hawk War. Black Hawk’s legacy, however, extends beyond that of chief and warrior; he was was one of the most important writers to come out of the area.
In 1833, Black Hawk narrated the story of his life to interpreter Antoine LeClaire and editor J.B. Patterson, and later that year the story was published as "The Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak," or Black Hawk.
Only the second American Indian to publish his story, Black Hawk was the first to criticize how white people treated native peoples. As Black Hawk explained, his people were “forced into war by being deceived” by white settlers.
Near the end of his autobiography, Black Hawk shared his hopes for the future:
“It has always been our custom to receive all strangers that come to our village or camps, in time of peace, to share with them the best provisions we have, and give them all the assistance in our power. If on a journey, or lost, to put them on the right trail, and if in want of moccasins, to supply them.
"I feel grateful to the whites for the kind manner they treated me and my party, whilst travelling among them — and from my heart I assure them, that the white man will always be welcome in our village or camps, as a brother. The tomahawk is buried forever!”
This spring, Augustana College introduced a program called Peer Recovery Support to make mental health care more accessible to students. Students seeking support are paired with other students who are trained and can share their own lived experiences.
The women, gender, and sexuality studies program has announced the winners of this year’s campus-wide contests that recognize excellence in poetry, creative expression and analytical writing.
Both Gaia Splendore and Leroy Gawu-Mensah were surprised and honored to learn they had won the Nils Hasselmo Award for Academic Pursuit. Inspired by the impact of his own Augustana experience, Dr. Nils Hasselmo '57 created the award to help future educators access professional opportunities.
