Paleo Indians

The Paleo Indian time period was 10,000 to 8,500 B.C. Paleo Indians were very mobile so archeologists have not found any homes yet. They ate small game such as deer, rabbit and raccoons. They also hunted large game such as mamoths and mastadons, which are now extinct. They also ate wild plants, berries, and nuts. Rivers were high because of the melting of glaciers. There are several tool types that are diagnostic to the Paleo Indians like Clovis points and spurred scrapers. A Clovis point had a flute so that they could put a handle on it. Scrapers are used to scrape animal hides after they killed them.

Archaic Indians

This is about Archaic Indians of Illinois 8,500 to 600 BC. They ate wild plants and small game. In the Early and Middle Archaic they did no farming. However, in the Late Archaic, they had squash to eat. Their houses were about 3 meters by 5 meters in size. They used an atl atl or spear thrower to help them throw a spear longer and with more force. The Indians used a rock for weight on the atl atl . An axe was made by pecking and grinding a rock to a good size to get the right shape. A Wadlow point is an example of an Archaic knife. The Indians used notched points so that they could wrap wet sinew, made from animal tendons, around the point to hold the handle on. When the sinew dried it got tighter.

Early Woodland Indians

The Early Woodland time period dates to 600 to 200 BC. They were the first native americans to use ceramics. The pottery was thick. It didn't have any decorations. The sides were made rough by pressing a cord into the side. They had different kinds of projectile points. Stemmed points were common. They had houses about 4 by 6 meters. They were just temporary houses because they lived at a site for a couple months and then they would move. They had small camps near the bases of bluffs, in the valley, and near rivers. They gathered nuts and berries. They also ate mussels and fish.

Middle Woodland Indians

Middle Woodland homes were about 7 by 9 meters. Their houses were permanent so they didn't move much. They hunted, gathered, and farmed. They had many tools and weapons. For example, they took antlers off of deer and used them for tools and weapons. Their pottery was very decorated. People were buried in large mounds. Important people were buried in the center of the mound. They were also buried with ceramic pots. Archeologists have discovered that the Indians traded with other Indians because they found things in Illinois that came from other places in North America, such as copper, obsidian, and seashells.

Late Woodland Indians

The Late Woodland time period is from 250 A.D. to 800 A.D. The Late Woodland Indians ate corn, sunflower seeds, wild plants, and meat. They had bows and arrows that could shoot far away. There was competition for resources. Archeologists think there was competition going on because they found arrows in the the deceased. Archeologists think they fought over good farm land. Because large populations were living so close together, it started spreading diseases. The houses they lived in were about 5 by 5 meters. They had large settlements. They had ceramics that were thin and had little decoration.

Mississippian Indians

The Mississippian time period started in 800 to 1,300 A.D. They started growing beans, corn, and squash. They used a notched hoe for farming. The pottery was very thin because of shell tempering and had decoration. One method of decorating was made by running a stick across the clay. The houses were about 6 by 8 meters. The Mississippian houses were permanent.