Shaun Lawson Anth 202 Section 009 The Illini Indians: A History The Illini tribe was a large

and powerful tribe. They were also known as the Illiniwek. They occupied a large portion of the Mississippi river valley. Most of the time they were a friendly tribe to the various colonists and French fur trader that came into contact with them. Eventually this friendliness and contact would lead to their removal from their land and their downfall. The Illini were driven already once from their homes by the Iroquois in the 1650s. This was before any colonists had arrived but ten years later France had laid claim to the Illinois country and sent Joliet & Marquette to explore their new area. Twenty years after that the Iroquois continued their attack, this time at Starved Rock. They completely decimated the Illini and drove the remaining 6700 out of the Illinois valley completely. Eventually however, it would be the French that led to the destruction of the Illini tribe. The French had one goal in mind. To establish a dominating fur trade from Canada all the way down the what would eventually become the United States. The warfare and disease eventually caused the Illini to take massive casualties. To make matters worse in the late 1700s the American colonist began to settle the Ohio river valley and this interactment caused more warfare and more disease. The Illini even started to lose some of their traditions and beliefs as they started adapting to a more

European way of life. Setting the European problems aside the Illini had conflicts with the Osage, Pawnee, and Arikara to their west. They had the Quapaw to the south that were not friendly to them. To the North they faced issues with the Sauk, Fox, Kickapoo, Dekota, and Potawatomi. Some of these conflicts emerged from the Illinis alliance with the French, British, and Americans as they fought their own wars. (Native) The Illini were a classic example of what happens when you have one culture that lacks a proper understanding of cultural diversity, meets another and then deem that culture inferior. The Illini had a long history of fighting. They fought other tribes constantly for many reasons. They fought mostly for revenge but they also fought for prestige, economic adventure, and pure adventure. (Fox 212) Indian remains have been dated using radio carbon techniques in the Central American area dating all the way back to 500 A.D. (Indians 90) The Illini faced a difficult group of decisions in the coming years. These decisions would cost many lives. They had a threat of outside nations moving in along with the constant old threat of their neighboring tribes. The Illini chose to be most loyal with the French. This aggravated the neighboring tribes and absolutely infuriated the English, who were already claiming the Illinois territories. The Illini would last all the way through the American Revolution though. They did not see their end until after the French had been driven out of North America and they fought the last of their wars with tribes such as the Shawnee. (Illini) Looking past the wars the Illini were a very diverse and culturally deep tribe. They spoke Miami-Illinois, a native language. They had many different accents too, just

like we do in the United States today. Their children played with corn husk dolls and had tiny bows and arrows. The mothers would carry their children around using hand crafted cradleboards. Traditionally women wore skirts with leggings. Men wore breechclouts, a cloth draped over the legs held up by a belt. They wore moccasins on their feet. Men never wore long pants, even in the wintertime. Unlike other tribes they did not wear war bonnets, although they did have headwear. A beaded headband, sometimes dressed with a few feathers, was not an uncommon sight. The Illini did not use horses but they did utilize the use of pack dogs and dugout canoes. The Illini relied heavily on farming and hunting for their food source. Men traditionally went hunting for primarily deer but also turkey and other small game. The women did a majority of the farming. They harvested beans, squash, and corn. (Fact) Unfortunately this diverse culture was not valued by their enemies. They were one of many casualties of assimilation and acculturation. Large nations and groups have fought all over the globe for conquest and to better the lives of those who are considered to be less cultural then themselves. We think ourselves a great nation, and we are, but we have committed the same injustices that many nations before us have as well. Today their memory lives on through their ancestors who were absorbed into western culture. They strive to continue their culture and language.

Works Cited Hauser, Raymond E. "The Fox Raid of 1752: Defensive Warfare and the Decline of the Illinois Indian Tribe." Illinois Historical Journal, Vol. 86, No. 4, Selected Papers from the Annual Illinois History Symposium (Winter, 1993). N.p.: n.p., n.d. 210-24. Print. Hunter, William A. "Indians of the Woodlands from Prehistoric Times to 1725." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography. 3rd ed. Vol. 87. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 89-92. Print. July. 1963. "Illini Indian Fact Sheet." Facts for Kids: Illinois Indians (Illini). N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. "THE ILLINI: LORDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY." THE ILLINI: LORDS OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. "Native Americans:Historic:The Illinois:History." Native Americans:Historic:The Illinois:History. N.p., 2000. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.