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67-627: Today, the descendants of the Wea, along with the Kaskaskia , Piankeshaw , and Peoria , are enrolled in the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma , a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma . The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their numerous recorded names. The Wea name for themselves (autonym) in their own language is waayaahtanwa , derived from waayaahtanonki , 'place of

134-653: A Catholic mission, called the Mission of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, and a fur trading post near the village. The population increased to about 6,000 people in about 460 houses. Before long, however, Eurasian infectious diseases and the ongoing Beaver Wars brought high mortality to the Illiniwek, causing their population to plummet over the coming decades. The French named

201-406: A French Jesuit missionary, claimed that Illinois was derived from Illini in their Algonquian language , meaning 'the men'. Louis Hennepin claimed the aforementioned men were a symbol of maturity and strength, and representative of the prime of a man's age. In the 21st century, however, linguistic research demonstrates that ilinois derives indirectly from irenweewa , meaning 'he speaks in

268-644: A Peoria warrior killed Pontiac , which brought the wrath of the Great Lakes tribes against the Kaskaskia and other Illinois tribes. (Some historians question this legendary retaliation; see the article on Pontiac .) The Ottawa, Sauk, Fox, Miami, Kickapoo and Potawatomi devastated the Illiniwek and occupied their old tribal range along the Illinois River. In 1766, the British arrived and established

335-895: A band of Miami living on the Great Miami River in Ohio. Weas began trading with them as well, until the French destroyed their trading post. By 1763, the Wea joined Odawa war chief Pontiac in Pontiac's War against the British. The Wea first were neutral during the American Revolution but later joined the Miami in fighting with the British. The Wea were forced to move to Missouri and Arkansas in 1820. They were later forced into Kansas and finally Indian Territory , which became Oklahoma. With increased Euro-American settlement and

402-461: A means to reveal to them a specific spirit guardian upon which they would depend on to guide them for the rest of their lives. Called manitou , this vision quest was an important part of becoming an adult in the lives of the Illinois. The Illinois had two burial procedures. One is the burial of bodies that were intact, and the other for burials of skeletons that were placed on scaffolds prior to

469-557: A small detachment from Fort de Chartres at Kaskaskia. From 1766 through 1772, this rotating detachment was around 25 men under a junior officer, detached from Fort de Chartres. In May 1772, when the British abandoned Fort de Chartres, the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot , left a small detachment of four officers and 50 men at Kaskaskia as an effort to retain British control over the Illinois Country. Captain Hugh Lord, of

536-462: A true confederation refers to different groups of people who, although linked as one nation, are culturally distinct, the Illinois, in the direct definition of the word, are more a segmented tribe rather than a confederation. They share a common language and are culturally similar throughout their tribes. Instead of having multiple individual tribe leaders that assume full authority, the Illinois also had one Grand Chief that centralized power over all of

603-587: Is a North American Indian language family that was spoken in Canada, New England, the Atlantic coastal region, and the Great Lakes region, moving towards the Rocky Mountains. Although there are numerous Algonquian languages, such as Cree, Ojibwa, Blackfoot , and Cheyenne, the term "Algonquin" is employed to refer to the dialect of Ojibwa, which is used by the Illinois. Today, there are no native speakers of

670-493: Is estimated to have been around 1,200. In the early 18th century, Wea people settled in villages along the Wabash River between what would become Terre Haute and Logansport, Indiana . They established a large settlement called Ouiatenon , near what is now Lafayette , and the French colonists established Fort Ouiatenon , which facilitated trade with the Wea and Kickapoo . In 1747, British colonists began trading with

737-611: The Cahokia , Kaskaskia , Michigamea , Peoria , and Tamaroa . The spelling Illinois was derived from the transliteration by French explorers of iliniwe to the orthography of their own language. The tribes are estimated to have had tens of thousands of members, before the advancement of European contact in the 17th century that inhibited their growth and resulted in a marked decline in population. The Illinois, like many Native American groups, sustained themselves through agriculture, hunting, and fishing. A partially nomadic group,

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804-802: The Illinois River eastward to Lake Michigan rather than taking the more northern route along the Wisconsin River . Near modern Utica in LaSalle County, Illinois , across from Starved Rock, they met the Kaskaskia at the Grand Village of the Illinois (now a State Historic Site, also known as the Zimmerman site). The land controlled by the allied Illinois groups extended north from modern Arkansas, through Eastern Missouri and most of Illinois, and west into Iowa , where Des Moines

871-515: The Missouri side of the river. Kaskaskia became the capital of Upper Louisiana, and a larger Fort de Chartres was built in 1718, nearby North close to Prairie du Rocher . In the same year, the French imported African slaves from Saint-Domingue (Santo Domingo) to work in the lead mines. From its beginning, Kaskaskia was a French/Native American settlement, consisting of a few French men and numerous Kaskaskia and other Illinois Indians. In 1707,

938-935: The Missouri River country. The French wanted to trade with all the prairie tribes, and beyond with the Spanish colony in New Mexico ; the Spanish were alarmed at their commercial reach. French goals stimulated the expedition of Claude Charles Du Tisne to establish trade relations with the Plains Indians in 1719. The fate of the Kaskaskia, and the rest of the Illiniwek/Illinois, was irrevocably tied up with that of France. Until their dissolution in France, French Jesuits built missions and ministered to

1005-533: The Ohio River in parts of western Indiana and southeastern Illinois. The first written mention of the tribe is from 1673. French explorers wrote about them in the 17th and early 18th centuries. Another Miami sub-tribe, the Pepikokia were a separate tribe until 1742 but then later became part of the Wea tribe. In the 18th century, the Wea, Miami, and Piankashaw remained distinct tribes. The Wea population of 1765

1072-860: The Wisconsin River . Descending the Mississippi, in June, they met the Peoria and Moingwena bands of Illinois at the Haas /Hagerman Site near the mouth of the Des Moines River in Clark County , northeastern Missouri . They met another Illinois band, the Michigamea , when they reached present-day Arkansas . They began their return trip from the Michigamea village about July 17, following

1139-772: The indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands . They were one of about a dozen cognate tribes that made up the Illiniwek Confederation , also called the Illinois Confederation . Their longstanding homeland was in the Great Lakes region. Their first contact with Europeans reportedly occurred near present-day Green Bay, Wisconsin , in 1667 at a Jesuit mission station . In 1673, Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette and French-Canadian explorer Louis Jolliet became

1206-537: The 18th Foot, was the last British commander in Illinois. The detachment of the 18th Foot was ordered to Detroit in May 1776 and never returned to Illinois. Lord's detachment was garrisoned in the former Jesuit compound at Kaskaskia. The post was called Fort Gage only after Fort de Chartres was abandoned in 1772. On July 4, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War , George Rogers Clark captured

1273-476: The French found a village of the Kaskaskia , in the Illinois River valley (the later site of present-day Utica), a village of Peoria in present-day Iowa (near the later site of Keokuk), and a village of the Michigamea in northeast Arkansas. The Kaskaskia village, also known as the Grand Village of the Illinois , was the largest and best-known village of the Illinois tribes. In 1675 the French established

1340-535: The Great Chief, and Chiefs under him that lead each individual tribe. One such Great Chief that is noteworthy in European history is Mamantouensa, who even traveled to France. Direct political leadership was established and maintained by peace chiefs, who were in charge of organizing communal hunting expeditions and communicating with leaders of other tribes. Although highly respected, peace chiefs did not have

1407-556: The Illinois Confederation had at one time been one large nation without any divisions of smaller tribes. They were divided into smaller groups once their population proved to be too large to meet effective hunting and agricultural needs. But even after the split, all the tribes maintained a strong sense of unification as one nation of the Illini. The structures of authority are set out to have one central authority, called

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1474-745: The Illinois Confederation have merged with the Peoria and are known as the Peoria Tribe of Indians and reside in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. Some of the Illinois people's prominent enemies were the Lakota (Sioux), Osage , Pawnee , Sac and Fox Nation and Arikara to the west and the Quapaw , Shawnee , and Chickasaw to the south. Although these tribes were consistent threats, the Iroquois became

1541-730: The Illinois accepted a reservation in 1832 at the Big Muddy River south of Kaskaskia. But within a few months, they ceded the rest of their territory and migrated in order to settle on a reservation in Eastern Kansas. In 1854, the Illinois merged with the Wea and Piankashaw nations, renaming themselves as the Confederated Peoria Tribe. In 1867, they resettled in a new reservation in Northeast Oklahoma and were eventually joined by members of

1608-453: The Illinois and their formerly self-sufficient economy became increasingly dependent upon their French allies. The Illinois seasonally lived in wigwams and longhouses, depending on the weather and the resources available to them. Like most other tribes, they lived in villages with dwellings that were occupied by a number of different families. In the beginning of February, war chiefs of each tribes organized raids against enemies, who included

1675-605: The Illinois often lived in longhouses and wigwams , according to the season and resources that were available to them in the surrounding land. While the men usually hunted, traded, or participated in war, the women cultivated and processed their crops, created tools and clothing from game, and preserved food in various ways for storage and travel. Not officially a Confederation , the villages were led by one Great Chief. The villages had several chiefs who led each individual clan. The Illinois people eventually declined because of losses to infectious disease and war, mostly brought through

1742-409: The Illinois were recruited as allies. Additionally, with the expansion of European and Iroquois contact, the Illinois were exposed to a variety of new diseases that caused high mortality among them. Through war and foreign disease, the Illinois population drastically declined to a village of about 300 people by 1778. Pushed out by the Iroquois and Shawnee and facing more numerous European settlers,

1809-433: The Illinois, capturing of prisoners was preferred over death, although some prisoners were eventually killed or forced into slavery. The Illinois preferred arrows and spears over guns, finding them slower than the use of their own weapons. The noise of guns was sometimes employed against other tribal nations that had never before seen or heard such a weapon to frighten them before battle. Although specific dates are unknown,

1876-773: The Indiana Historical Bureau installed a marker in Terre Haute that commemorates the Wea Village and Chief Jacco Godfroy . Below are some of the many Treaties were made between the US and the Wea. Some mentions of Wea people in treaties include the following: Treaty of St. Marys 1820 in Article 3: "As it is contemplated by the said Tribe, to remove from the Wabash, it is agreed, that the annuity secured to

1943-419: The Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Tamaroa, Moingwena, Michigamea, Chepoussa, Chinkoa, Coiracoentanon, Espeminkia, Maroa, and Tapouara. Of these 12, only the Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Peoria, Tamaora, and Michigamea remain; others were lost as distinct tribes to disease and warfare. When the Illinois were first documented by Europeans in the 17th century, they were said to be a population of about 10,000 people. Although

2010-838: The Kaskaskia, along with the Wea and Piankeshaw , are enrolled in the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma , a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma . The name and term "Kaskaskia" lives on in Illinois: Illiniwek The Illinois Confederation , also referred to as the Illiniwek or Illini , were made up of 12 to 13 tribes who lived in the Mississippi River Valley . Eventually member tribes occupied an area reaching from Lake Michicigao (Michigan) to Iowa , Illinois , Missouri , and Arkansas . The five main tribes were

2077-719: The Kaskaskia. By 1763 and the end of the Seven Years' War in North America (called the French and Indian War in the United States), the Kaskaskia and other Illinois tribes were greatly in decline. Early French explorers had estimated their original population from 6,000 to more than 20,000. By the end of the war, their numbers were a fraction of that. Contemporary historians believe the greatest fatalities during this period were due to new infectious diseases , to which

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2144-774: The Meskwaki, but were unsuccessful until 1730. That year they besieged a Fox village on the Sangamon River and conducted a brutal attack. By the mid 1700s, the 12 or 13 tribes of the Confederation had dwindled to five: the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Peoria, and Tamaroa. European diseases drastically reduced the numbers of the Illinois. The wars had arisen due to the conflicts between tribes for resources and trade goods, or were initiated by European explorers looking to expand their land. The remaining descendants of

2211-595: The Miami Tribe, who became an official part of their new confederation in 1873. Lasting about 50 years, the United Peoria and Miami Tribe dissolved in the 1920s. The remaining members of the Peoria Confederation reorganized, seeking federal recognition by the U.S. government, and were officially acknowledged by 1978. The remaining descendants of the Illinois Confederation are today found within

2278-713: The Native Americans had no immunity . The causes of decline are many and varied. The Illinois made war with their French allies against the most formidable native nations: to the east, the Iroquois ; to the northwest, the Sioux and the Fox ; to the south, the Quapaw , Chickasaw and Cherokee ; to the west, the Osage Nation . Added to combat losses were the great losses due to epidemics of European diseases. In 1769,

2345-580: The Pawnee and the Quapaw, and later on, the five tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy . Prior to each battle, 20 warriors were invited by the war chief to a feast, in which the men would pray to their manitou for strengths such as speed and endurance when fighting in battle. For campaigns involving larger numbers of enemies, war parties involving both men and women were organized in the villages. To

2412-589: The Peoria in Ottawa County, Oklahoma . Miami and Illinois are dialects of the same Algonquian language, spoken in Indiana and later Oklahoma. Though no native speakers of the language remain, language revival efforts are ongoing, and children from both the Miami and Peoria nations are learning to speak their ancestral language again. Miami–Illinois is a polysynthetic language with complex verb morphology and fairly free word order. The Algonquian language

2479-411: The United States in 1803. The name 'Kaskaskia' derives from the old Miami-Illinois word for a katydid , phonetically kaaskaaskia . This name later appeared in the modern Peoria and Miami dialects as kaahkaahkia . This is already seen in Gravier's early-18th century Illinois dictionary, where for the word "caskaskia", he gives "cigale. item nation Ilinoise, les Kaskaskias". The descendants of

2546-429: The United States's policy of Indian removal , the US federal government made many treaties with these tribes. In 1854, the Wea signed a treaty that merged them politically with other remnant tribes of the Illinois Confederacy to become the Confederated Peoria Tribe . The Miami people also joined the Confederated Peoria Tribe in 1873. Listed are just a few villages that were located in Indiana and Illinois. In 2004,

2613-431: The Weas, by the Treaty of Saint Mary's, above mentioned, shall hereafter be paid to them at Kaskaskia in the state of Illinois." Treaty of Castor Hill 1832 in Article 4: "The United States will also afford some assistance to that part of the Wea tribe now residing in the State of Indiana, to enable them to join the rest of their tribe on the lands hereby assigned them,...." Kaskaskia The Kaskaskia were one of

2680-500: The area Pays des Illinois (meaning "country of the Illinois [plural"), which came to be a common name in referring to the homeland of the Illinois. The early French explorers, including Louis Jolliet , Jacques Marquette and René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , produced accounts that documented the first discovery of the Illinois. Because of these developments, the Illinois tribes became well known to European explorers. European colonization, values, and religion began to affect

2747-413: The arrival of French colonists. Eventually, they reorganized under the name of the Confederated Peoria . They are now known as the federally recognized "Peoria Tribe of Indians" and reside in present-day Oklahoma . French missionaries who documented their interactions with the tribes note that the people referred to themselves as the Inoka . The meaning of this word is unknown. Jacques Marquette ,

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2814-492: The arrival of the European missionaries in the late 1600s, Jesuit missions were established as a means to convert the Illinois to Christianity. While a great portion of the tribes eventually converted, some tribal elders rejected the religions and worked to retain their beliefs in the spirit world. The Illinois men and women practiced dream seeking, a ritual in which young boys and girls of about fifteen years of age would paint their face and isolate themselves to fast and pray as

2881-400: The authority of village chiefs, and made decisions that were enforced through persuasion over force. War chiefs had the power to plan and lead raids on other tribes. These roles were not inherited, but could be achieved through a demonstration of great battle skills, as well as through convincing the other warriors that his manitou could guide them into a successful raid. For those who died in

2948-399: The battle, it was the war chief's role to compensate the families of the deceased through gifts and lead another raid against those who killed the warrior as a means to enact vengeance. Primarily only men were allowed to be chiefs, although women sometimes had leadership roles in the community as village chiefs. Though chiefs had the authority of political power and were widely respected by

3015-402: The bison on foot. When in close proximity, the hunters would shoot their arrows and spears and force the animal in the opposite direction, towards the rest of the hunting party. The women had the task of butchering the bison and would preserve the meat by drying and heating it in order to prepare for the winter, when hunting was not possible. At the time of European contact, the Illinois economy

3082-403: The ceremony. Only people of the same gender and age of the dead person could participate as a part of their burial crew. For bodies that were intact, the cadavers were ceremonially dressed and placed in their grave along with funeral objects that would accompany them into the afterlife. A wooden cover is placed over their graves in order to prevent animals and environmental factors from disturbing

3149-465: The conflict between the Meskwaki , also known as "Fox", and the French, known as the Fox Wars . In 1722, the Meskwaki attacked the Peoria for having killed the nephew of one of their chiefs, and forced them onto Starved Rock . The Peoria sent out messengers asking for help from the French, but by the time they reached the site, many of the Peoria warriors had been killed. The French and their Illini, Miami, Potawatomi and Sac allies continued to battle

3216-420: The first Europeans known to have descended the Mississippi River . The record of their trip is the earliest, best record of contact between Europeans and the Illinois Indians. Marquette and Jolliet, with five other men, left the mission of St. Ignace at Michilimackinac in two bark canoes on May 17. To reach the Mississippi River, they travelled across Lake Michigan into Green Bay, up the Fox River and down

3283-443: The grave. The economy of the Illinois people was based on agriculture, hunting, and fishing. They depended heavily on agriculture, and generally had villages located near rivers where the soil was most fertile. Maize was the primary crop, but the Illinois also planted beans, squash, pumpkins, and watermelons, and gathered wild foods in the forests. Maize was planted in late spring and harvested prematurely in July, at which point most

3350-431: The household. Additionally, some women were shamans and priests, thus holding great power in the community. They enacted powers that could lead to death, and were thus both revered and feared by both men and women. Women were sometimes granted hunting tasks upon communal hunts, but were denied the use of any weapons, thus making it difficult to participate in this activity. Outside of religion, women could achieve status in

3417-405: The language patterns that were specific to women. People of all social roles and positions were very religious, relying on spiritual guidance to dictate every aspect of their lives. Hunters depended on spirits in catching wild animals, warriors asked the spirits for guidance before warfare, and shamans were regularly employed to absolve matters concerning physical and mental health. However, with

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3484-463: The language, although revival movements are making efforts to keep the language alive. Like most Native American tribes, the men of the Illinois were mainly hunters and warriors while the women had domestic and agricultural roles. However, records show that some women also had positions of leadership, including those for ritualistic purposes. Amidst a polygamous society, the first wives held superiority in their families, and held leadership roles in

3551-456: The most pressing enemy of the Illinois beginning in the late 1600s. The Iroquois, hoping to replace deceased kin through adoption and looking for new hunting grounds after exhausting their own resources, killed or captured many Illinois people through their war parties. Other than the internal conflict among the tribes themselves, the Illinois also faced threat from European forces that stirred conflict with them and started wars, some of in which

3618-408: The number has significantly reduced, many of their descendants are today part of the Peoria Tribe of Miami, Oklahoma , as part of the merged Confederated Peoria Tribe . It is thought that when the French first encountered the Illiniwek tribes, there were as many as 10,000 members living in a vast area stretching from Lake Michigan out to the heart of Iowa and as far south as Arkansas. In the 1670s,

3685-507: The ordinary way'. When the French encountered the Ojibwa , who occupied neighboring areas around the eastern Great Lakes, their pronunciation for this concept sounded to the French like ilinwe . Ilinwe is the singular form of ilinwek . The French explorers who first heard it recorded it in various transliterated forms, such as "liniouek", "Aliniouek", "Iliniouek", and "Abimiouec". The Illinois Confederation comprised 12 separate tribes who shared common language and culture. These tribes are

3752-434: The people, the egalitarian society of the Ilinois presented a more democratic environment in which important decisions that effected the community were made by tribal consensus. It was only through the expansion of European ideals and direct contact with French officials that influenced the chiefs to wield greater power over their people. By the 1760s, the rise of a new chief had to be approved by colonial authorities. Because

3819-793: The population of the community was estimated at 2,200, the majority of them Illinois Indians who lived somewhat apart. A visitor, writing of Kaskaskia about 1715, said that the village consisted of 400 Illinois men, "very good people," two Jesuit missionaries, and "about twenty French voyageurs who have settled there and married Indian women." Of 21 children whose birth and baptism was recorded in Kaskaskia before 1714, 18 mothers were Indian and 20 fathers were French. The offspring of these mixed marriages could become either French or Indian. Because Indian communities were larger and more complete, they tended to be reared with their mothers and their people and culture. One devout Roman Catholic full-blooded Indian woman disowned her half-breed son for living "among

3886-437: The savage nations." The settlement of Kaskaskia thus had a large population of mixed French and Indigenous ancestry, many of whom worked for fur companies based out of St. Louis, Missouri (a city created later, in 1764, by French traders and settlers who came from New Orleans ). Male descendants of the French, Indians, and mixed bloods at Kaskaskia became the voyageurs and coureurs des bois who would explore and exploit

3953-403: The town and Fort Gage. End April 1824, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette , French hero of the American Revolutionary War , visited Kaskaskia during his grand tour of the United States, just after having visited Saint Louis (Missouri) ( Visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States ), as a salute to two towns which were part of the former French Louisiana which was acquired by

4020-428: The tribes. In the late 17th century, the Iroquois, to expand their region and control the fur trade, forced the Kaskaskia and other Illinois out of their villages. They relocated to the south. Although the Illinois fought back against their primary enemy at the time, the wars scattered and killed many of their members. Eventually they reclaimed some of their lands. In the early 1700s, the Illinois became involved in

4087-400: The tribes. There are conflicting reports as to the number of villages and populations of the Illinois, both among the tribes and as a whole. When Europeans first documented the nation, the Illinois had villages along the Mississippi and Illinois River and a population of about eight or nine thousand. However, another report counts only five villages and about two thousand people. The former

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4154-442: The village through domestic activities and through harvest. Growing bountiful produce, raising many children, and being a faithful wife were signs that led to an elevated status as well as respect among the natives. Men, on the other hand, could receive status through their achievements in battle and demonstrating courage and bravery. The capacity of their hunting skills led to a greater number of wives, which also promised respect in

4221-629: The villages. Within these polygamous marriages, wives who were unfaithful were punished severely, sometimes by having parts of their face cut off. Outside of stereotypical social roles, some Illinois men played out the roles of women, likening their appearance to them. These people were called the Ikoneta, and referred to by the French as berdache. Current ethnographers considers the Ikoneta to have been bisexual. While these roles were more deliberate, young boys that demonstrated feminine tendencies were brought up as girls in both outerwear and domestic roles. As according to culture, they were tattooed and taught

4288-426: The whirlpool', where they were first recorded being seen and where they were living at that time. The many different spellings of the tribe's name include Waiatanwa, Ouaouiatanoukak, Aoiatenon, Aouciatenons, Ochiatenens, Ouatanons, Ouias, Ouiatanon, Wah-we-ah-tung-ong, Warraghtinooks, and Wyatanons. The Wea spoke a dialect of Miami–Illinois language , part of the Algonquian language family . The Wea lived north of

4355-537: Was largely self-sufficient. In the course of their yearly activities, the Illinois people produced virtually all of the foodstuffs and other material products they needed to maintain their way of life. However, the Illinois also participated in an extensive trading network. In exchange for hides, furs, and human slaves obtained from tribes living to their south and west, the Illinois traded with Great Lakes tribes and French traders for guns and other European goods. As time passed, traders and missionaries began to settle among

4422-403: Was named after the Moingwena. In 1703, the French established a permanent mission, settlement and fort ( Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site ) at Kaskaskia, Illinois , a part of their New France colonization of North America., which was part of the French Illinois Country , later made part of French Louisiana (New France) . French settlers moved in to farm and to exploit the lead mines on

4489-618: Was preserved in order to prepare for the coming winter. The second harvest collected ripened maize, which were eaten during warmer months. Fish was plentiful in the Illinois river, but the Illinois generally did not rely on fishing as sustenance. Hunters primarily sought bison, which were also numerous in the northern Illinois prairies. Hunting expeditions set out as individuals or groups, although sometimes in communal groups in which even women were able to participate. Annual bison hunts often necessitated groups of up to 300 people. In bison hunts, groups would split into several groups and surround

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