<P> The Sauks were divided about whether to resist implementation of the disputed 1804 treaty . Most Sauks decided to relocate west of the Mississippi rather than become involved in a confrontation with the United States . The leader of this group was Keokuk, who had helped defend Saukenuk against the Americans during the War of 1812 . Keokuk was not a chief, but as a skilled orator, he often spoke on behalf of the Sauk civil chiefs in negotiations with the Americans . Keokuk regarded the 1804 treaty as a fraud, but after having seen the size of American cities on the east coast in 1824, he did not think the Sauks could successfully oppose the United States . </P> <P> Although the majority of the tribe decided to follow Keokuk's lead, about 800 Sauks--roughly one - sixth of the tribe--chose instead to resist American expansion . Black Hawk, a war captain who had fought against the United States in the War of 1812 and was now in his 60s, emerged as the leader of this faction in 1829 . Like Keokuk, Black Hawk was not a civil chief, but he became Keokuk's primary rival for influence within the tribe . Black Hawk had actually signed a treaty in May 1816 that affirmed the disputed 1804 land cession, but he insisted that what had been written down was different from what had been spoken at the treaty conference . According to Black Hawk, the "whites were in the habit of saying one thing to the Indians and putting another thing down on paper ." </P> <P> Black Hawk was determined to hold onto Saukenuk, where he lived and had been born . When the Sauks returned to the village in 1829 after their annual winter hunt in the west, they found that it had been occupied by white squatters who were anticipating the sale of land . After months of clashes with the squatters, the Sauks left in September 1829 for the next winter hunt . Hoping to avoid further confrontations, Keokuk told Forsyth that he and his followers would not return to Saukenuk . </P> <P> Against the advice of Keokuk and Forsyth, Black Hawk's faction returned to Saukenuk in the spring of 1830 . This time, they were joined by more than 200 Kickapoos, a people who had often allied with the Sauks . Black Hawk and his followers became known as the "British Band" because they sometimes flew a British flag to defy claims of U.S. sovereignty, and because they hoped to gain the support of the British at Fort Malden in Canada . </P>

Where were the black hawks trying to return to in the black hawk war of 1832