Illiniwek

The Illiniwek was a confederation of many Native American tribes in the upper Mississippi River valley of North America. The five most populous tribes are the Kaskaskia, the Cahokia, the Peoria, the Tamaroa, and the Michigamea.

When French explorers first journeyed to the region from Canada in the early 17th century, they found the area inhabited by a vigorous, populous Algonquin nation who called themselves Hileni or Illiniwek which means "men." This the French rendered as Illinois. Today most people know little about this once powerful confederation of tribes.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign adopted Chief Illiniwek as a mascot of the University's athletic teams. While supporters contend that Chief Illiniwek is an honored symbol of the entire university and not only a mascot for the athletic teams, others feel Chief Illiniwek is a derogatory ethnic stereotype and that its use is offensive to Native Americans. Ongoing attempts to discontinue the use of Chief Illiniwek at the university are the source of considerable controversy.