Pah-me-cow-ee-tah, or Man Who Tracks, an Illinois (Peoria) chief. Watercolor by George Catlin in the Fort Leavenworth area, 1830. enlarge

Our knowledge of Illinois Indian culture comes both from historical written records and from archaeological excavations at Illinois village sites. Most of the written records come to us from French, British, and American observers who documented the Illinois way of life in the Illinois Country from the late 1600s to the early 1800s. However, written records do not tell the whole story. We also gain important information on Illinois culture by examining the artifacts and other material remains that the Illinois left behind at their abandoned village sites.