Saracen (Quapaw chief)

Saracen, also known as Sarazin, Sarasen and Sarasin,[1] was a French-Quapaw historical figure known to some as an honorary "chief" during the 1800s. A hero to white settlers, Saracen witnessed the removal of his people from traditional land in Arkansas. Because of his mixed-blood,[2] he had no hereditary right to the role of chief, Anglo-Americans came to consider him so due to his deeds. Morris S. Arnold, a historian of colonial Arkansas, notes that while the white neighbors considered him a hero, he "did not fare nearly so well among many of the Quapaws"[3][4] and he felt that he was a "person in between" cultures.[4]

Saracen
Personal details
Bornc. 1763
Arkansas Post, Arkansas, U.S.
Diedc. 1832
Jefferson County, Arkansas, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Biography
Saracen's grave at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Saracen was born at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, around 1763. His father, François, was Quapaw, and his mother, Marie Lepine, was French. Other spellings of Saracen's name include Sarazin, Sarasen and Sarasin.[5] Another account and sources note that his father was the French man, and soldier at Arkansas Post, François Sarazin, who was recorded as living among settlers at the Arkansas Post, and that his mother was Quapaw.[1][3]

Saracen was considered a hero to local white settlers for having saved two white children abducted by Chickasaws from a family of trappers near Pine Bluff.[5][6] Saracen rowed down the Arkansas River the night of the abduction and located a Chickasaw camp near Arkansas Post, where Saracen "lifted up his tomahawk and gave the Quapaw war cry". The Chickasaw's fled, leaving the abducted children behind. For his bravery, Saracen was presented the Presidential Medal by James Miller, governor of the Arkansas Territory.[7]

As Quapaw chief, Saracen was one of two signators to a treaty in 1824 in which the Quapaw were pressured to cede land in Arkansas to the United States government in exchange for land with the Caddo People on the Red River in northeastern Louisiana.[5][7][8] The Quapaw moved there in early 1826, where floods destroyed their crops and starvation killed 60 people, including Saracen's wife. Saracen then led one-fourth of the Quapaw back to land reserved for them on the Arkansas River, arriving in 1827.[7]

In a letter dated January 10, 1827, written by territorial governor, George Izard to William H. Keating a geologist affiliated with the American Philosophical Society, Izard states that Saracen was:

a half-breed...who is the most distinguished of their warriors. This hero, poet and musician ranks as a Chief in some respects; he is permitted to wear medals and assist at their Councils, but his honours are altogether personal and will not descend to his eldest son, as is the case with the other Chiefs whose blood is purely Indian.[1]

During this time, the Quapaw were being treated harshly by the American government, and they splintered into two assemblies, those who were led by chief Heckaton, the traditional leader, and those who were grouped with Sarasen by the governor of the Arkansas Territory, James Miller who assigned him to the position of chief.[3]

In 1833, Saracen was a signator to a treaty in which the Quapaw agreed to move to the northeastern corner of the Indian Territory. Sarasin did not go to the new reservation, and instead led 300 Quapaw back to the Red River in Louisiana. Saracen then returned to Arkansas and lived in Jefferson County until his death.[7]

Saracen's gravestone at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Pine Bluff is inscribed, "Friend of the Missionaries. Rescuer of captive children."[7] It also inaccurately states he died in 1832, though he lived beyond that year.[5]

Legacy

Lake Pine Bluff, a 500 acres (200 ha) lake in downtown Pine Bluff, was renamed Lake Saracen in 2007.[9]

A public art display in Pine Bluff includes a mural by Robert Dafford dedicated to "Quapaw Chief Saracen, rescuer of the stolen children and legendary hero of Jefferson County".[10]

Saracen Casino Resort in Pine bluff, opened in 2019, is named in Saracen's honor.[5][11]

References
  1. "Who Was Saracen?". Quapaw Nation. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. "Treaty with the Quapaw, November 15, 1824: Article 7". United States of America and Quapaw Nation of Indians. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  3. Dillard, Tom (20 October 2019). "Quapaw chief Saracen a tragic but heroic man". Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. Morris, Arnold (2007). The Rumble of a Distant Drum: The Quapaws and Old World Newcomers, 1673–1804. University of Arkansas Press. p. 148. ISBN 9781610753579. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  5. Matheson, Luke (August 13, 2019). "Who Was Chief Saracen of the Quapaw Tribe?". Pine Bluff Commercial.
  6. Johnson, Larry G. (2009). Tar Creek: A History of the Quapaw Indians, the World's Largest Lead and Zinc Discovery, and the Tar Creek Superfund Site. Tate. p. 64. ISBN 9781606965559.
  7. Key, Joseph Patrick (September 19, 2008). "Sarasin (?–1832?)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas.
  8. Dillard, Tom; Reed, Roy (2010). Statesmen, Scoundrels, and Eccentrics: A Gallery of Amazing Arkansans. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 9781557289278. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. "Lake Pine Bluff Renamed After American Indian Chief". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. March 23, 2007.
  10. "Pine Bluff City of Murals". Arkansas Land of Legends Travel Association. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  11. Cushman, Paige; Carroll, Scott (September 15, 2020). "Wagers Down Over $1.4B at Arkansas Casinos". KTBS.
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