492 michelson: notes on the fox Indians 



narily involves a considerable loss in population ; but in 1 849 

 the combined Sauk and Fox of the Mississippi is given as 3000; 

 but it is officially known that one-half the Sauk and Fox of the 

 Missouri had joined them. In 1851 three hundred perished by 

 cholera; in 1852 three hundred died of smallpox. According to 

 the report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for 1853 there 

 were 2173 Sauk and Fox of the Mississippi; in the report for 1857 

 'we learn the Sauk and Fox of the Mississippi in 1853 was 1748: 

 but no explanation of the discrepancy is given. In 1857 the 

 population of the Sauk and Fox of the Mississippi is given as 

 1367, and those of the Missouri as 350. The probable inter- 

 pretation of this is that the Sauk and Fox of the Missouri who 

 had joined those of the Mississippi had rejoined their own body. 

 From this time on the population diminished slowly but surely; 

 and the details can be readily found in the reports of the Com- 

 missioner of Indian Affairs. What is more important to us is 

 that the Foxes (at least a majority of them) eventually left 

 Kansas for Iowa, where they purchased land. Their popula- 

 tion eventually reached to about 400 when an epidemic of small- 

 pox swept many away. To-day they are 350 in round numbers. 

 Officially they are cahed "Sauk and Fox;" but in language they 

 are Foxes; and also in ethnology. Even the government in its 

 treaties recognized the Foxes as distinct as late as 1859 so that 

 the much heralded amalgamation with the Sauks is shown to 

 be a myth. It may be noted that there are some Sauks among 

 "Sauk and Fox" near Tama, Iowa; and many others have Sauk 

 blood; still others have French, EngHsh Potawatomi, or Winne- 

 bago blood ; and some are hopeless mixtures. Briefly, I doubt if 

 there are still (19 18) any Foxes living who are absolutely free from 

 foreign mixture. Another point may here be taken up. Offi- 

 cially the number of full-blooded Indians is very high ; but this 

 is an exaggeration, as I know from personal field work. In 

 closing it may be said that there are some Foxes among the 

 "Sauk and Fox" (who are mainly Sauks) of Oklahoma, and 



