Indymonks Trail of Tears - Illini Indians
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Number five of twelve caches on Indymonks Trail of Tears. Indiana the state name means Land of Indians, and it was at one time. These caches are to celebrate their rich heritage, and our great loss. Indiana was a paradise that provided for all the needs of its tribal inhabitants. There were only about 20,000 people living in the area around the year 1600.
The 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. They also inhabited parts of western Indiana. 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.
There were no horses in Indiana when the white man first came here and they had not yet invented the wheel; the natives traveled by foot and canoe.
Indiana's waterways gave them the ability to travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and beyond. Without roads for horse drawn wagons, the Indians had no practical use for the wheel.
The Native American Hoosiers created paths called portages between the lakes, streams, and rivers. They built light weight canoes and carried them from waterway to waterway. This is one of the reasons the tribes built villages near rivers and creeks.
The Indians also followed animal trails, the most famous in Indiana being the Buffalo Trace. It ran from the grassy plains of Illinois, crossing the Wabash River at Vincennes, going across Indiana to Clarksville Indiana across the Ohio River into Kentucky. US 150 in Indiana is based on the Buffalo Trace.
The Buffalo Trace was dangerous to travel. Cougars often attacked travelers and Indians and thieves also set up ambushes along the trail. When a family was attacked in 1807 by Indians, US soldiers began to patrol the Buffalo Trace. During the War of 1812 William Henry Harrison sent 150 men to protect the travelers. Washington County resident Major George Beck's letter to William Henry Harrison, (the governor of the Indiana Territory who later became Indiana's only US President) requested more patrol of the area after the Pigeon Roost Massacre.
The Delaware and the Shawnee Indians are not indigenous to Indiana but had moved to Indiana from Ohio as the settlers moved West into their tribal grounds. They were allowed to settle there by the Miami Tribe. Indiana was under the rule of Miami Chief Little Turtle, who had many tribes under his rule. It is difficult to accurately depict the area each tribe occupied. They weren't at war and made their villages near each other in a spotty fashion.
The Indians had their own commerce system and transportation system with connected communities throughout Indiana. The tribes traded goods with each other and Indian businessmen were plenty. Although they didn't use money, the Indian Trader was a profit seeking businessman who didn't hunt or farm to make a living.
Congratulations to bradyusi on the FTF.
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(Decrypt)
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