05/18/2026 | Emily Shirilla, Education Program Specialist at The Museum of the Grand Prairie

From seasonal settlement and trade to the construction of massive earthworks, Native American people have called Illinois home since time immemorial. Over a dozen tribes maintain historical connections to Champaign County. Each carries a thriving culture which has faced colonial violence and forced removal from the region. These practices led many tribes to join others in order to survive while spreading across the United States as sovereign nations. In an effort to emphasize both past and contemporary presence of these groups, this monthly series will highlight tribal nations with established roots in East Central Illinois.

Referred to as the “Illinois” by the French who were influenced by Ojibwe language, this group was made up of a dozen independent tribes living in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Together those tribes formed a confederation- an alliance for the purposes of trade, protection, resource management, and other mutual benefits.

Many tribes within this confederation are descendants of early Indigenous people famous for constructing great earthworks like the mounds of Cahokia. In this region during this time Indigenous people traveled often and lived in villages or seasonal camps used to meet and trade with other communities, hunt, and gather resources.

According to European records, in the 1600s member tribes and language groups in the confederation included the Cahokia, Chepoussa, Chinko, Coiracoentanon, Espeminkia, Kaskaskia, Michibousa, Moingwena, Peoria, Tamaroa, and Tapouaro. However, over the next two centuries many of these groups would disband and/or merge with other tribes. Here we look at four of these tribes affiliated with East Central Illinois who later united into the modern Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma:

Peoria - The Peoria traditionally lived across a wide region including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, and Missouri. Over several periods of forced removal, the Peoria settled first in Missouri, then Kansas, and finally Oklahoma.

Piankashaw - The Piankashaw separated from the Miami Nation from which they were originally a subtribe. They lived between Lake Michigan and the confluence of the Vermillion and Wabash Rivers as well as parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. After a long series of treaties, the Piankashaw ceded much of their land to the US. The majority of tribe members joined the Peoria, Kaskaskia, and Wea before also being forcibly removed to Kansas and later Oklahoma.

Wea - Also a subtribe of the Miami Nation, the Wea lived west of Lake Michigan in the 17th century, but moved frequently and found home along the Wabash and White Rivers in Illinois and Indiana. A divide occurred among the Wea when some members of the tribe joined Tecumseh’s Confederation while others headed just south of the now-St Louis area. The majority of Wea land was ceded in 1818 and many remaining members were removed to Missouri and Arkansas where they joined the Piankashaw.

Kaskaskia - During early periods of European contact, the Kaskaskia lived across what is now southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, as well as along the Mississippi River down to Des Moines. By the 1700s, conflict with the Sac and Fox tribes had reduced the Kaskaskia population significantly, alongside the Peoria with whom they had recently formed the confederation. During the War of 1812 the tribe was removed from Illinois to Missouri and Arkansas where they maintained a close relationship with the Peoria.

Today the Peoria, Piankashaw, Wea, and Kaskaskia make up the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, one of many sovereign tribal nations in the region. Livelihood is well maintained through community-focused programs and events, language learning, and art that intertwine their shared cultures. In addition, scholarship and revitalization of traditional cultural practices is ongoing within tribal nations and partner projects such as Reclaiming Stories- a collaboration of expertise seeking to research and preserve art history and practice among the Peoria and Miami Nations. Learn more on the Reclaiming Stories and Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma websites and through the additional resources below!

Sources

Peoria Tribe Of Indians of Oklahoma - History

Reclaiming Stories Project

Illinois State Museum - The Illinois

Native-Land.ca - Peoria

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Land Acknowledgement

Mythic Mississippi Project - Native American Illinois