By Mary E. YoungBear
“Our ancestors always thought about us with every decision they made.”
In the fall of 1901 till the spring of 1902, our ancestors had to deal with the Smallpox epidemic. The entire population of the Settlement was placed on mandatory quarantine that lasted for five months.
We lost over 40 people.
At the end of the quarantine, it was decided that all of our wikiups along with our possessions would be burned to the ground in order to insure the health of the people.
The Meskwaki people survived.
Prior to the burning, it is said that sacred bundles were buried in order to survive.
Meskwaki “Na Na Wa Che” (b.1862) beside wickiup at Meskwaki Settlement. Tama County, Iowa. ca August 1905. Duren H. Ward Meskwaki Collection. State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City
Our ancestors always thought about us with every decision they made.
I believe we are going to be alright.
For further information, please click this link to view historian Eric Zimmer’s talk on this difficult period in Meskwaki history:
