Illinois << `ihl` uh NOY >> were expert archers and continued to use bows and arrows long after most tribes had adopted guns. They were also called the Illini .
The Illinois formed a confederacy of woodland tribes, closely related to the Miami. Individual groups in the Illinois confederacy included the Cahokia, Kaskaskia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria, and Tamaroa. Illinois people called themselves Illini or Iliniwek, meaning the men. The French called them the Illinois.
Illinois tribes lived in what is now Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and parts of Iowa and Missouri. Several families lived together in bark-covered cabins that had arched roofs. They raised corn, and buffalo supplied the families with much of their food and clothing. Both the men and the women tattooed their bodies. Warriors of the Illinois tribes shaved their heads, except for a scalp lock and other hair in front of, and behind, each ear.
The Illinois controlled the so-called Illinois Country until about 1660, when the Iroquois began to move westward and attack them. During the next 100 years, the Illinois struggled to keep their lands. Eventually, the Illinois retreated southward and westward. Sauk, Fox, Sioux, and other tribes killed many Illinois. When an Illinois warrior killed Pontiac, the Ottawa chief, in 1769, northern tribes increased their raids. Most of the remaining Illinois then settled in Oklahoma.
