Indiana State Awards
The Sagamore of the Wabash award was created during the term of Governor of Indiana Ralph F. Gates, who served from 1945 to 1949. Governor Gates was to attend a tri-state meeting in Louisville with officials from the states of Ohio and Kentucky. Aides to the governor discovered that the governor of Kentucky was preparing Kentucky Colonel certificates for Governor Gates and Senator Robert A. Taft, who was to represent the State of Ohio. The Hoosiers decided that Indiana should have an appropriate award to present in return.
The term "sagamore" was used by the American Indian Tribes of the northeastern United States to describe a lesser chief or a great man among the tribe to whom the true chief would look for wisdom and advice. Each governor since Gates has presented the certificates in their own way. It has been said that one governor even resorted to wearing full Indian headdress as he read the scrolls. The award is the highest honor that the Governor of Indiana bestows. It is a personal tribute usually given to those who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
Among these who have received Sagamores have been astronauts, presidents, ambassadors, artists, musicians, politicians, and ordinary citizens who have contributed greatly to Hoosier heritage. It should be noted that the Sagamores have been conferred upon both men and women. There is no record of the total number which have been presented, as each governor has kept his own roll; just as each has reserved the right to personally select the recipients. According to one estimate, more than 14,500 Sagamores were awarded.
Replacement of the Sagamore
On March 3, 2006, Governor Mitch Daniels replaced the Sagamore award with the Sachem award, which he said would be limited to one per year. The first recipients were fomer Purdue University basketball coach John Wooden (2005, retroactively) and former president of the University of Notre Dame Theodore Hesburgh (2006). Announcing the new award, Daniels stated:
True greatness is rare, and implies more than just accomplishment. Hoosiers believe that character counts, too, that the kind of life you live matters as much as the achievements you’ve racked up. The Sachem will be reserved for those who led by moral example as well as successful action.