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The American state of Illinois got its name from a confederation of tribes known as the Illini. They originally inhabited areas in the present day State of Illinois, on both sides of the Mississippi and south to the Arkansas River. The name Illinois is the French version of the name that these people gave to themselves, Illiniwek, which means ‘men’ or ‘people.’ They were divided into various sub tribes. These were the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria and the Tamaroa. At the time of the arrival of the white man around 1600 there were as many as sixty Illini villages. The numbers of Illini reported by the French in the mid 1650’s varied considerably from 2,000 to as many as 20,000. This was no doubt due to the fact that the various bands were constantly migrating. The best estimates for that time appear to be around the 12,000 mark. From the 1650’s onward, however, there was to be a rapid decline in numbers among these people. Tis was as a result of the Beaver Wars and epidemics introduced by the Europeans. By 1768 there were only about 1,800 Illini. When this band was attacked by tribal enemies that number was further reduced to a paltry 600. By 1854, there were just 84 Illini left. At this time they united with the Wea and Piankashaw and became the United Peoria Tribe.
The Illini spoke a derivation of the Algonquin tongue that was similar to that used by the Miami Indians. The Illini were a confederation of tribes, united by language and culture. The Confederation, at it’s strongest, numbered twelve tribes. This was to give the Illini a measure of power that allowed them to wield control over their neighboring tribes.
The Illini were woodland Indians who, as typical of the tribes of the region, would divide their year in accordance with the seasons between farming and hunting. They would locate their villages in river valleys to take advantage of the soil conditions that would aid in their agricultural pursuits. The Illini were farmers of maize, squash and tobacco. After planting was completed, they would divide into smaller bands and head off to their hunting camps. They would hunt primarily the Bison, which was so plentiful on the Illinois Plains in the 17th Century. Before they acquired the horse, the Illini would set the prairies on fire in order to trap the Bison herds. Then parties of as many as three hundred hunters would close in on the massive beasts and let loose with an onslaught of arrows.
Illini men were the hunters of the village, while the women were the farmers and gathered food from the surrounding forest land. Despite this division of labor, women played important roles in the religious and organizational life of the Illini. Women were, in fact, commonly seen as Shamans, or spiritual guides to the people. When it came to the punishment for adultery, however, the equality ended. While men were very rarely punished for this transgression, a woman could find herself mutilated or even killed for the same offence.
The Illini had few tribal allies, apart from the members of their own confederation. They did, however, have many enemies. These included the Iroquois who had a confederation of their own. Unfortunately for the Illini, the Iroquois League of Nations was far more powerful than their own. As well as the Iroquois, the Shawnee, Kickapoo, Fox, Sauk and Dakota were all enemies of the Illini. The Illini did, however, establish friendly relations with the French. This Eurpoean alliance was not enough to save them from destruction.
Even though the Illini were removed from the main stage of the Beaver Wars by more than seven hundred miles, they still became entangled in the conflict. Refugee tribes like the Kickapoo, Sauk and Fox fled west to escape the wrath of the Iroquois. The Illini were not too concerned with these encroachments. But their neighbours and traditional enemies the Winnibego were not so accommodating. A massive Winnibego war party set out to attack the refugee tribes in 1641. But the Winnibego were decimated by a terrible storm, with 500 warriors being drowned in Lakw Winnibego. This was quickly followed by an epidemic which nearly wiped out the Winnibego. The Illini apparently took pity on the Winnibego and agreed to an alliance. At the celebration feast however, the Winnibego turned on the Illini. All of the Illini warriors sent to the celebration were murdered.
A war between these two tribes now raged for several years. By it’s end the Winnibego were down to just 500 people. But it was the arrival of the more powerful eastern tribes, like the Huron and the Iroquuois that signalled the end for the Iroquois. Within a hundredyears, bitter warfare would totally decimate these ancient people. Today the remant of the Ilini can be found among the Peoria Nation of about 2,000 people. They live on Reservation allotments in Oklahoma.
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