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Visitor's Guide
Native Americans
The Native American inhabitants of Missouri are generally classified into a number of chronological categories that range from the Paleo-Indians of 12,000 B.C. to the Historic Indians of the 18th century in which Europeans settlers, hunters and explorers came into contact with. For more information on these Missouri Native Americans, be sure to read this short essay from historian, Rickie Lazzerini.
Native American Tribes in and around Ste. Genevieve
The Cahokian Civilization (700 - 1400 AD)
Image: © Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Cahokia Mounds, Illinois
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The remains of the most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico are preserved at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site near Collinsville, IL (about one hour North of Ste. Genevieve). Within the 2,200-acre tract, located on the west edge of Collinsville, Illinois, lie the archaeological remnants of the central section of an ancient settlement known as Cahokia Mounds. For further reading and research, please check out this Online Resource Guide. For more information: 618-346-5160 |
The Illini Nation
Indians of several nations, Colored pen & ink, French artist, Alexander de Batz (1685 - 1737), 1735
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When European explorers first entered the land we now call the Illinois Territory, they encountered a people who became known to the world as the Illinois or Illiniwek Indians. This populous and powerful nation, along with the French fur traders and colonists, occupied a large portion of the vast Mississippi River valley. All played a key role in the early history of what would later become the mid-western United States. For further reading and research, please check out this Inoca Ethnohistory Project. |
Native American Slavery
Ekberg's book, Stealing Indian Women
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Based almost entirely on original source documents from the United States, France, and Spain, Carl J. Ekberg's Stealing Indian Women provides an innovative overview of Indian slavery in the Mississippi Valley. His detailed study of a fascinating and convoluted criminal case involving various slave women and a métis (mixed-blood) woodsman named Céladon illuminates race and gender relations, Creole culture, and the lives of Indian slaves - particularly women - in ways never before possible. Trailer from the film Under These Same Stars from director Dan Johnson
Under These Same Stars - The film is set in 1773 in the mid-Mississippi valley's village of Ste. Genevieve. The story revolves around a murder case that was discovered in the archives by Dr. Carl Ekberg. Céladon, a métis or mixed-blood hunter/trapper, convinces himself that he needs a female to accompany him on his next foray into the wilds of the Ozark's Black River Valley. The mistakes he makes along the way implicates several of his friends and leads to an international incident. The film incorporates period music and highlights local musicians. |
