The Kaskaskia were part of a loose
confederation of tribes grouped under the name Iliniwek (from
ilini "man," iw "is," ek plural ending,
trans. "The Men"), a term which the French changed to
"Illinois."
Other tribes that made up the Illiniwek were the Cahokia, Michigamea, Moingwena, Peoria, and Tamaroa. The confederacy occupied southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and parts of Iowa. Originally a single tribe it evolved into bands which then assumed a single tribe status.
Illini Indians spoke an Algonquian language
very similar to the Miami tongue and closely related with other
Algonquian languages such as Ojibway, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo,
to mention a few.
© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96