American History: The First Inhabitants



Native Americans in Illinois
From the Andes
to the Arctic
Images of
Native Americans
Native American
Cultures 
National Museum
of the American Indian




Tribes of Illinois

Did you know the name "Illinois" is an Algonquian Indian word? It comes from the Miami-Illinois tribal name Illiniwek, which means "the people." The Illini Indians were not the only native people of this region, however.



The original inhabitants of the area that is now Illinois included:

*The Chickasaw tribe
*The Dakota Sioux tribe
*The Ho-Chunk tribe (Winnebago)
*The Illinois tribe (Illini)
*The Miami tribe
*The Shawnee tribe

Other Indian tribes migrated into Illinois after Europeans arrived:

*The Delaware tribe
*The Kickapoo tribe
*The Ottawa tribe
*The Potawatomi tribe
*The Sac and Fox tribes
*The Wyandot tribe

See also Illini, Miami, Shawnee, Delaware, Kickapoo, Ottawa, Potawatomi, and Sac-Fox Facts for Kids pages!

There are no Indian tribes surviving in Illinois today.

The Indian tribes of Illinois are not extinct, but like many other native tribes, they were forced to move to Indian reservations in Oklahoma by the American government. You can find their present-day locations by clicking on the tribal links above.
These sites were advertised in the School Library Journal, November 2006, p. 26.

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