Illinois Confederacy

The Illinois Confederation or Illiniwek or Illini were a group of 12 to 13 tribes in the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in the Mississippi River Valley. The five major tribes included the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Peoria, and Tamaroa. The official language was the Miami-Illinois language. This was an Algonquian language. These Native peoples did hunting, fishing and agriculture. There was usually one Great Chief. They lived in wigwams and longhouses. The tribes had a maximum population of over 10,000. The population grew much smaller because of disease and colonization from European settlers. The tribes later regrouped as the Confederated Peoria. Today they live in Oklahoma.