Illinois Indians

2 Pages 420 Words

The Illinois Indians

The Illinois Indians lived in the large area of the Midwest. They lived in present state of Illinois and parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa and Wisconsin. Many are now located in Oklahoma. I will be talking about the history, there daily lives, and trying to get rid of the 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 invaded 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 a offset 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.
There was not a lot of documentation on the life of the Illinois tribe, they are known for their expertise in weaving baskets. The Illinois’ grew corn and hunted buffalo. That mostly covered their food supply. 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.
The Illinois were loyal to the French in the French wars, first against neighboring tribes and later against the English. After the American Revolution ended in 1783, the United States government had difficulty in subduing the Illinois, although the tribes had already been greatly weakened by struggles with the Iroquois in the 17th century and with the t...