From the Illinois State Museum,
we learn that we are the descendants of
a tribe of American Indians that formed part
of the Illinois Nation. In the late 1600s,
the Kaskaskia tribe occupied the northeastern
portion of Illinois territory in the upper
Illinois River valley southwest of Lake
Michigan. French explorers Jacques Marquette
and Louis Jolliet visited the Grand Village
of Kaskaskia on their famous voyage in 1673.
The Kaskaskia vacated the Illinois River in
1700 when they moved to the mouth of the
Kaskaskia River in southwestern Illinois.
They remained in that area until the early
1800s, when they signed treaties ceding their
land east of the Mississippi River. Today,
their descendants are represented by the
Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.
The Illinois Nation
Also from the Illinois Museum,
we learn that the Illinois Nation was a
nation of related American Indian tribes
(including the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea,
Peoria, and Tamaroa tribes) that spoke an
Algonquian language (Miami-Illinois). The
Illinois (=Illiniwek) historically occupied
a vast territory in the central Mississippi
River valley in the present states of Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. Their population
and territory shrank during the 1700s because
of warfare and disease. The descendants of the
Illinois are represented by the Peoria Tribe
of Indians of Oklahoma, which maintains its
headquarters in Miami, Oklahoma.
The Tribes of the Peoria Confederacy
You will find a very nice map at the
Illinois Museum site. If you
enlarge it, you will also see that we may need
to study that map a little closer in order to
fully understand our history. For example,
there is a Mobile in the southern part of the
map. We need to be aware of such things when
we read our own personal documents, in order
to avoid making errors in interpretation that
may lead us away from the correct area in which
to search for our ancestors.
Both the Catholic Encyclopedia: Kaskaskia Indians
and the Peoria Journal Star Online: Central Illinois History
have very good general descriptions of the
Kaskaskia and historical events in the Illinois area.
Before you leave, please
sign the guest book and
include your descendency.
Others may be looking for you.
E-mail: Kaskaskia Descendants
Return to Kaskaskia Index
If you find any dead links on these pages, please e-mail and let us know.
Webmaster: Carol "Khaki" Scott
9-g-granddaughter of Mamenthouensa
