Peoria Indian by George Catlin, 1830.
The Confederated Tribes of the Kaskaskia, Peoria, Wea, and Piankashaw were a group of related Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes who united in 1854 in Kansas to form the Confederated Peoria. After moving to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in 1867, they became the Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe. The Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankashaw, and Wea tribes shared a common cultural heritage, with their ancestors originating near the Great Lakes and along the Mississippi River.
Peoria ancestors traditionally lived in what are now the state jurisdictions of Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Missouri.
In an 1818 treaty, the Peoria ceded their land in Illinois and joined with the Kaskaskia, Michigamia, Cahokia, and Tamaroi nations to build power and strength through kinship and numbers. Had the Peoria not united with these nations, along with the three other nations that currently reside on their reservation with them, there is a strong possibility that they would no longer exist today.
The Kaskaskia River and the early town of Old Kaskaskia, with its fort, all derive their names from the Kaskaskia tribe. Other landmarks and areas close to Southern Illinois include Fort de Chartres, which was a major French fortification and trading post for the Peoria and Kaskaskia in the 1700s, as well as the nearby town of St. Genevieve, Missouri, which was home to many displaced Kaskaskia, Peoria, and Wea.
Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma.
After the Peoria Nation left Illinois, they settled in Missouri on 640 acres of land, where they already had a village. The treaty was very clear to state that “the tract is not included with a private claim.” The U.S. government really wanted white settlers on the land who were willing to pay.
With the rapid expansion of the United States in the mid-19th century, the Peoria, along with the Kaskaskia, Mitchigamia, Cahokia, and Tamaroi, signed a 1832 treaty ceding their land in Missouri for a reservation in Kansas totalling 96,000 acres or 150 sections of land. During their time in Kansas, a relationship formed between the Peoria, the Kaskaskia, the Wea, and the Piankashaw nations under “increased pressure from white settlers.” Through this close relationship, kinship ties were created, and the groups signed a treaty on May 30, 1854, establishing the Confederated Peoria.
The Hoosier National Forest in Indiana is the ancestral home of the Wea and Piankashaw tribes, which still holds many sites of cultural significance.
In 1867, they were relocated to a reservation in present-day Ottawa County, in northeastern Oklahoma.
The tribe faced termination by the U.S. government in 1956, but through advocacy and legal efforts, federal recognition was restored in 1978.
The descendants of these tribes are now members of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, which is headquartered in Miami, Oklahoma. The tribe has an enrollment of approximately 3,700 members. They are a strong nation that works to empower their tribal members through the revitalization of their languages and shared cultures.
