The Sauk and Mesquakie lived in this area from 1750 to 1831 as separate tribes with close historical ties. The Mesquakie, called “Renards” by the French, and the Sauk occupied several villages along the Mississippi, with their main village, Saukenuk, near the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi Rivers. During this period, the forests, rivers, and rich soil provided them an excellent living. Through a series of treaties and the Black Hawk War, they lost all local lands and were ultimately removed to a reservation in northeast Kansas in 1845. Some Mesquakie remained hidden in Iowa, and in 1856 the State of Iowa enacted a law allowing them to stay. Sauk and Mesquakie artistic traditions created between 1830 and 1890 included beadwork, ribbon appliqués, woven bags and rugs, and paintings on hide. In Mesquakie tradition, the turtle represents the earth and ground of the American continent, and a legend tells how, after a flood covered the whole continent, the turtle repeatedly dove to the bottom of the sea to bring up soil until the ground rose above the water. The circle represents the cycle of life and the seasons.