Early Indians
Prehistoric Peoples of Illinois
Little Information
• Two reasons for little information
about the earliest Indians
– 1. Archeology is mainly focused
around the Mediterranean Sea
shoreline.
Little Information Cont’d.
• 2. Most archeologists
are only interested in
discovery. They are
not concerned w/.
sharing what they
find.
– Kincaid Mounds dig
resumes this summer
Koster: Americans in
Search of their
Prehistoric Past
Waveland Press (2000)
Some Basic Historical
Information
• What does B.C. stand for?
• What does A.D. stand for?
Some Basic Historical
Information Cont’d.
• B.C. stands for …
– BEFORE CHRIST
• A.D. stands for …
– No, it isn’t After Death
– ANNO DOMINI which stands
for…
• In the year of our Lord-
Why Not After Death?
• If A.D. meant After Death, there
would be 33 years unaccounted in
the calendar.-
The Earliest People in Illinois
• Signs of people in Illinois date back
to around 12,000 year ago.
– 10,000 B.C.-
Paleo-Indian Period
• Small Population
• Mainly hunters who followed the
game
– Elk
Paleo-Indian Period
• Lived near rivers during the
summer
– Fish & mussels
• During the Fall they would move to
higher ground in the forests.
– Gathering nuts-
Archaic Period
• 10,000 years ago
• Lasted from 8,000 B.C. to 500 B.C.
• The Koster Site provides the best
evidence of this period.
• People lived in communities for
several generations.-
Two Phases of the Woodland
Period
• The Early Woodland Phase
• The Late Woodland Phase
– Divided by the Hopewellian
Period-
The Woodland Period
• 500 B.C.
• The first signs of pottery
– The first pottery was called Marion
Thick
The Woodland Period
• The people who were around during
this time were called the Black Sands
people.
– These people mainly lived around
the Mississippi & Illinois River
plain.-
The Hopewellian Period
• Around 200 B.C.
• Hopewell Indians buried artifacts
w/. their dead leaders.
• They were advanced in their trading.
– Goods from all over the U.S. were
found among their artifacts.
• Hunters, gatherers, & fishermen
• Not much on growing crops-
The Late Woodland Period
• A.D. 400 to A.D. 1,000
• Smaller population & less trade w/.
outside groups-
The Mississippian Period
• A.D. 900 to A.D. 1,400
• The largest town established during
this time period was located at
Cahokia.
– Noted for the large mound
formations.
– Best known as Cahokia Mounds-
Reading 2
Prehistory of Illinois
The First People Arrive
• The first people to live in the
Americas came here from Asia.
– They crossed over on the frozen
Bering Straits.
• The first to arrive were the PaleoIndians.
– No Paleo-Indian villages have ever
been excavated in Illinois.
• Their artifacts have been found.-
The Archaic Indians
• Hunted & farmed
• Stayed together in one area for
generations-
Woodland Period
• Pottery
• Followed by:
– Hopewell
– Middle & Late Woodland-
Mississippian Period
• Building of mounds
• The largest mound is Monks Mound
located at Cahokia.
– Larger than 14 1/2 football fields
– 100 feet high
• The Mississippian Culture ended
before the Europeans arrived in
Illinois.-
The Illiniwek
• The Illini Indians had early dealings
with the European traders.
– Mainly w/. the French
• The Illinois Indians were in the
Middle Mississippi River Valley to
do their trading.
The Illiniwek
• Their villages were located in the
Northeast
• They contracted diseases from their
European trading partners.-
Readings 3 & 4
Prehistoric Indians: The Mound
Builders & The Koster Site
The Koster Site
• Located south Kampsville, Illinois
– Near the Illinois River in Calhoun
County
• One of the largest prehistoric
villages ever found
– Covers around 25 acres-
Carbon 14 Dating
• All living things contain carbon at a
certain rate.
• After they die they start to lose
carbon.
• The rate of loss is able to be
measured.
• The measure is accurate up to
around 50,000 years.-
The Dig at Koster
• A dig is the name of an archeological
excavation.
• The different layers in the earth are
called horizons.
• Koster is the richest archeological
site in North America.
• The population was around 10,000.-
Audrey-North
• Audrey-North is another
archeological site that is near the
Koster Site.-
The Horizons at Koster
• There are 14 known horizons at
Koster.
• Koster was occupied on & off, for
around 7,000 years.
– The theory is that a lack of
firewood is the reason they left.
The Horizons at Koster
• Horizon number 2 dates back to 300
B.C.
• Hzn. 12 is 34 feet below the ground
• Hzn. 13 & 14 are below the water
table-
The Modoc Rock Shelter
• Located near the
Mississippi River in
Randolph County.
– Occupied around
11,000 years ago-
The Hopewell Indians
• They were first discovered by a
farmer in Ohio.
– M. C. Hopewell
• The Hopewell Indians originally
developed in Illinois & spread into
other areas.
Ross County
The Hopewell Indians
• They utilized Effigy Mounds
– Made to look like animals
– Actually tombs for hundreds of
people-
Reading 5
A Pre-Columbian Urban Center on
the Mississippi
Cahokia Mounds
• Located just east of St. Louis
• There are 120 mounds located at the
Cahokia site.-
Monk’s Mound
• The largest of the mounds at
Cahokia.
– Measures 700 x 1,000 x 100
covering 15 acres
– Contains 4 levels-
Patrick Phase
• The earliest part of the Cahokia
settlement started around A.D. 600
to A.D. 800.
– Pottery found but no evidence of
mound building-
The Occupation Phase
• Around A.D. 900 signs of mound
building start to appear.
– There are also signs of fancy
burials during this time period.-
Borrow Pits
• Dirt would be dug up using various
tools, and placed in baskets.
• The baskets full of dirt would then
be taken to build up the mounds.
• There are 9 known borrow pits
around Cahokia.
• The largest is 17 acres & 6 feet deep
• The pits also served as trash dumps.-
Burial Mounds
• There are possible signs of human
sacrifice at the burial mounds.
– Mainly women
• The leaders were buried with many
valuable artifacts.-
Fairmount Phase
• The first Woodhenge was built
during the Fairmount Phase.
• The purpose of the Woodhenge was
to mark the various seasons.
• The Woodhenge was built a total of
five times.-
The Moorehead Phase
• Moorehead was the last phase in
which the Woodhenge was rebuilt.
• Cahokia reached its peak during the
Moorehead Phase.
• Homes were made out of poles &
thatch.-
Basic Facts on Cahokia
• Named a World Heritage Site by the
United Nations in 1982.
• 65 of the 120 mounds are within the
boundaries of the historical site.
• 50 million cubic feet of earth was
moved to create the various mounds.
• 22 million cubic feet of earth was
moved to create Monks Mound-
Facts on Cahokia
• The construction of Monks Mound
took around 300 years to complete.
• The stockade around Monks Mound
was two miles long.
• Guard towers were placed every 80
feet.
• Mound 72 was filled with around
300 bodies that were ceremonially
killed-
No-Name Phase
• The final phase at Cahokia is called
the No-Name Phase.
– A.D. 1500 to 1700
• This was around the time when the
Europeans were reaching Illinois.
• Why did they fade away?
– No one really knows!-
Reading 4 & 5 Test
Reading 6
The Mississippian Culture
CORN
• Corn was extremely important to the
Mississippian culture.
• Indians used corn back in 800 B.C.
• But it was not used as a crop until
A.D. 800.
• This was one of the largest & most
populous.-
Reading 7
The Illiniwek: Superior Men
The Illini Indians
• Made up of the following:
Kaskaskias, Tamaroas, Cahokias,
Peorias, Michigameas, & the
Moingwenas.
• Controlled the land between the
Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.-
Illiniwek
• The French called them Illinois or
Illini for short.
• Their houses were called long homes,
made for several families to occupy.-
The Peace Pipe
• The peace pipe as we call it was
actually called a calumet.
• They usually smoked tobacco
blended with other herbs.-
Warfare
• The Illini Indians were seen as a
warring tribe.
• Their main enemies were the Sioux
in the West, and the Iroquois in the
East.-
The Iroquois Invasion
• The Iroquois invaded Illinois and
eventually were able to drive many
of the Illini out of IL.-
The Iroquois Invasion
Reading # 8
Fall 1680
• In September, Iroquois were
discovered in Illini territory.
• Many of the Illini braves were off
fighting with the Sioux.
– Less than 500 braves were left in
the camp.
Tonti
• Tonti was a French explorer who
worked with Robert LaSalle.
• Tonti was staying w/. the Illini when
the Iroquois attacked
– Stabbed but able to buy time for
the Illini
• Tonti was eventually found by
LaSalle in November on 1680.
Mmm, Mmm, Good!
• The Iroquois captured many of the
Illini and tortured and ate them.
• Eating the heart would increase ones
bravery.
The Kickapoo Story
Reading # 9
Story # 1
• The Kickapoo
signed a treaty in
Edwardsville, IL.
that gave away 10
million acres for
$30,000.
– $2,000 in silver a
year for 15 years.
The Kickapoo
• Their name means he who moves
about.
• In 1763, the Kickapoo, joined
Pontiac against the British.
Pontiac, an Ottawa Indian
• Pontiac had sided w/. the French
during the French and Indian War.
• The French lost in 1763 but Pontiac
was not finished fighting.
• Pontiac kept the British out of IL.
for two years.
– July of 1765, the British were able
to broker peace w/. Pontiac.
Pontiac
Assassination
• In 1769, Pontiac was assassinated by
an Illini warrior.
Readings 1-9 Overview
Test Preparation
Readings 10 - 15
The Miami Indians
• Started in the Green Bay area &
spread to northern IL, MI, & IN.
• Wore little in the summer & furs in
the winter
• Tattoos & worshipped the sun &
thunder
• Traveled mainly by land & very
little by water
Black Partridge
• One of the most peaceful Indians in
IL
• Eventually his young braves
attacked some early settlers.
Black Hawk
• Pushed out of IL, but later returned
causing fear among the settlers.
• Started the Black Hawk War
Shabbona
• Known as the white man’s friend
• Friends w/. both settlers & Indians
• Refused to help Black Hawk after
the war started
• Rock for a chair
Tecumseh
• Known as Shooting Star
Ely S. Parker
• General U. S. Grant’s military
secretary