Saracen

Saracen (; ), also known as Sarazen, was a 19th-century Quapaw leader who rendered an important service to a trapper family living in present-day Jefferson County, Arkansas, by restoring to them two of their children, which had been taken captive by the Chickasaw.

Early life Saracen was born around 1735 at Arkansas Post, Louisiana. His father, François Sazarin (c. 1720s–1763), was an interpreter at Arkansas Post and the son of Nicholas and Anne (née Rolland) Sazarin, who resided there. François married or had a common-law union with a Quapaw woman, who was Saracen's mother. As such, Saracen was a member of the Quapaw Nation. François married Marie Lepine, a Frenchwoman, in 1752; but it is not known how long she lived. The Pine Bluff Commercial credited her in a 2019 article as Saracen's mother, but this does not seem likely. The Quapaw moved there in early 1826. After floods destroyed their crops, 60 people died of starvation, including Saracen's wife. Saracen led one-fourth of the Quapaw back to land reserved for them on the Arkansas River, which they reached in 1827. he had no rights to the role of hereditary chief. He was considered a war chief and headman of the Quapaw and Anglo-Americans considered him a chief because of his deeds.

In a letter dated January 10, 1827, written by Arkansas Territorial Governor George Izard, to William H. Keating, a geologist affiliated with the American Philosophical Society, Izard said 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. 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 fled, leaving the children behind. For his action, Saracen was presented a presidential medal by James Miller, Governor of the Arkansas Territory.

Honors In 1888, a memorial window was placed in St. Joseph's Church, Pine Bluff, to the honor of Saracen. In 2007, Lake Pine Bluff, a lake in downtown Pine Bluff, was renamed Lake Saracen. 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". In 2019, Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff was named after him.