Indigenous Peoples of Illinois

See Indians of the United States and Their Records for suggestions on how to research American Indian ancestry.

Tribes and Bands of Illinois
The most prominent Indian tribes in Illinois were the Illinois, Miami, Winnebago, Fox and Sacs (Sauk), Kickapoo, and Pottawatomie tribes. The Illinois Indians were composed of five subdivisions including Kaskaskias, Cahokias, Tamaroas, Peorias, and Metchigamis. Most of these tribes were eliminated from Illinois by about the mid-nineteenth century either through warfare or resettlement to other territories by the federal government.

The following list of American Indians who have lived in Illinois has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.


 * Chippewa
 * Chippewa Indians Delaware
 * Fox
 * Illinois
 * Iowa
 * Iroquois
 * Kaskaskia
 * Kickapoo
 * Michigamea
 * Miami
 * Moingwena
 * Ottawa
 * Peoria
 * Piankeshaw
 * Potawatomi
 * Sauk and Fox
 * Sulk
 * Shawnee
 * Winnebago
 * Winnebago Indians Wyandot

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. There are no current federally-recognized reservations in Illinois.

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Illinois has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Chicago Agency
 * Prairie du Chien Agency 1824-1842

Family History Library
Additional sources on specific tribes can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Subject Search (on the microfiche catalog only) under the name of the tribe, for example:


 * FOX INDIANS
 * MIAMI INDIANS
 * SAUK INDIANS

and under the subject:

INDIANS OF NORTH AMERICA- ILLINOIS.

Other sources can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

ILLINOIS- NATIVE RACES

The following references may be helpful for those searching for American Indians in Illinois:


 * Beckwith, Hiram Williams. The Illinois and Indiana Indians. 1884. Reprint, New York, New York: Arno Press, 1975. (Family History Library book 970.1 B389i; and fiche 6087719.) This book gives histories of the tribes in Illinois.
 * Tregillis, Helen Cox. The Indians of Illinois: A History and Genealogy. [Decorah, Iowa: Anundsen Publishing], 1983. (Family History Library book 970.1 T716; fiche 6088745.) In addition to histories of the tribes, this source contains biographies of prominent Illinois Indians and a bibliography of sources.
 * The Lyman Copeland Draper Collection which includes:


 * Chief Joseph Brant papers (Family History Library film 889137-889144)
 * Tecumseh Papers, (Shawnee Chief) 1768-1823 (Family History Library film 889237-889238)

See Also:

 * Illinois-History for a calendar of events
 * Illinois-Military for a list of forts