FOX

an Algonquian-speaking tribe of North American Indians who called themselves Meshkwakihug, or Mesquakie (Red-Earth People). When they first met Europeans in 1667, they lived in the forest zone of what is now northeastern Wisconsin. Their permanent villagesnear fields in which women cultivated corn (maize), beans, and squashwere occupied in summer; most Fox left the villages after the harvest to participate in communal winter bison hunts on the prairies. A peace chief and council of elders administered tribal affairs; important issues were discussed by the entire tribe until decisions were reached. War parties rallied about men whose skill and reputation made them leaders. Families were grouped into clans that were mainly ceremonial organizations with members tracing their descent from a mythical founder through the male line. A major religious organization was the Midewiwin, or Grand Medicine Society, a secret society whose members were believed to be able to heal the sick and to enlist supernatural aid to ensure tribal welfare. Many ceremonies involved the use of sacred medicine bundles, which were collections of magical objects. Beginning about the 18th century the Fox joined with the Sauk (Sac) to war against the French and then the English and, though unconquered, retreated to Illinois and then Iowa. They moved to Kansas in 1842, but in 1857 they returned to Iowa, where they purchased land in Tama county and where they reside today. The Fox have maintained their traditional community: clan and ceremonial organizations survive, and the Fox language is spoken in the home. They hold their land as a tribe, with an elected business council to handle funds and relations with the government.