Location: The Illinois lived in a large area of the Midwest in the region comprising the present state of Illinois and parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa and Wisconsin. Many are now located in Oklahoma.
History: The Illinois Indians, a part of a large Algonquin family, were one of the largest tribes of the Central Prairies and Woodland region. Some of the best known tribes are: Cahokia (IL), Kaskaskia, Michigamea (AR), Peoria (IA and IL), and Tamaroa. They were called Iliniwek, plural for the word "ilini", which signifies "man". The French called them Illinois.
By the mid 1600's the majority of the Illinois lived along the river that eventually was named after them. The Illinois waged war with the Winnebago, and although they won, they were weakened. A series of wars with the Iroquois followed, which seriously weakened the Illinois. In 1680, the Iroquois massacred a large settlement of the Illinois that stood near the mouth of the Vermilion River. The Illinois also fought the Fox which contributed to the overall decline of the Illinois Confederacy. The final set of wars the Illinois fought were the Chickasaw wars, where the Illinois allied themselves with the French. This war was disastrous for both the Illinois and the French. It seems that the Illinois had settled along the Illinois River largely because the Sac, Fox and other northern tribes had driven them out of the northern territories.
The tribes traded with the French trappers, were influenced by Trappist monks and were loyal to the French in the French wars with neighboring tribes and later with the English. Following the American Revolution, the American government had trouble subduing the Illinois, even though the tribes were weakened by their struggles with the Iroquois in the 1600's and with the Great Lakes tribes in the 1700's. The peace treaty of 1783 that recognized American independence gave the new nation a vast land stretching west to the Mississippi. By 1809 the only surviving tribes were the Kaskaskia and the Peoria. They sold their remaining lands and moved west of the Mississippi River. In recent times a few hundred Illinois Indians live in the northeastern part of Oklahoma.
Daily Life: Although there is not a lot of information about the simple culture of the Illinois tribe, one of the leading tribes, the Kaskaskia, were known for their expertise in wood carving. Father Membre, one of the first missionaries there, wrote about them in 1680 describing them as "strong and robust, fearful, with fields everywhere." They raised corn, and hunted buffalo to supply most of their food and clothing. Several families would share a bark-covered cabin with an arched roof. Both men and women of the tribe tattooed their bodies, and the warriors shaved most of their heads, leaving a scalp lock and some hair in front and behind each ear.
Written by: Virginia Haase