Иллинойс өңіріндегі ежелгі қаскскіа ауылы

Archaeological site in Illinois, United States

The Grand Village of the Illinois, also called Old Kaskaskia Village, is a site significant for being the best documented historic Native American village in the Illinois River valley. It was a large agricultural and trading village of Native Americans of the Illinois confederacy, located on the north bank of the Illinois River near the present town of Utica, Illinois. French explorers Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquette came across it in 1673. The Kaskaskia, a tribe of the Illiniwek people (and later, other Illiniwek tribes) lived in the village. It grew rapidly after a French mission and fur trading post (see, Illinois Country) were established there in 1675, to a population of about 6,000 people in about 460 houses. Around 1691 the Kaskaskia and other Illiniwek moved further south, abandoning the site due to pressure from an Iroquois invasion from the northeast. The French called the village both the Grand Village du Kaskaskia and La Vantum. Around this time the town grew to perhaps the most populous Native American settlement north of Mexico. According to a theory by historian, Robert Morrissey, the Illinois Confederation Indians were adept at exploiting their location in the ecotone between the forests of the east and the prairies of the west – a controlling point for trade between east and west, as well as, rich with diverse hunting, farming, and resource habitats. The Native Americans of the Eastern Woodland culture were severely affected by epidemic infectious diseases brought to North America from Europe, as they had no natural immunity. In addition, the introduction of guns increased the fatalities in intertribal conflicts. The fur trade became a source of competition and conflict between tribes. Members of the Illini Confederacy appear to have responded to increasing pressures by banding together. Reports from La Salle and others in the 1680s indicate that the Grand Village of the Illini temporarily increased in size during that decade to 400 cabins housing as many as 6,000 people. This village proved to be unsustainable in size. La Salle and Henri de Tonti also established Fort Saint Louis on the butte now called Starved Rock across the river, where a village near the rock's base called Hotel Plaza developed. The inhabitants of the Grand Village largely dispersed under pressure from invading Iroquois bands (see, Beaver Wars). Many likely moved to the regions around Peoria (see, Fort Pimiteoui), Cahokia, and Kaskaskia, Illinois. These three towns were named after constituent tribes of the Illinois Confederacy.

A 2022 article argues the site of the Grand Village of the Illinois, as referred to by the early European explorers, was on the north side of the Sangamon River about 3 miles east of Chandlerville as a non operating site of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. As of 2023, it is not open to the public.

The Zimmerman site (Ls 13) is an archaeological site located on the Illinois River across from Starved Rock, in the spot where the Grand Village of the Kaskaskia (aka Grand Village of the Illinois) once stood. It is a multi component site representing prehistoric and early historic periods. The environment around the Zimmerman site was predominantly prairie in the prehistoric period. The bluff extending along both sides of the Illinois River was an oak forest and the bottomlands supported vegetation tolerant of wetlands such as willow, maple, ash and cottonwood. Several rock piles were noted in the Danner Complex that the excavators felt could have been sweat lodge areas. and Schwerdt sites on the Kalamazoo River in western Michigan; and tubers of the white water lily (Nymphaea tuberosa) have been recovered from roasting pits at the Griesmer site in northwestern Indiana. This particular cooking technique may have been used prehistorically for several species of similar water lilies, or other similar root plants. No tubers were specifically recovered from the Zimmerman site, however.

20 burials were excavated in 1947, of which few had any grave goods and only 4 were prehistoric.

The Prehistoric Heally complex is represented by two house structures and the grit tempered Langford Series and shell tempered Heally trailed pottery types. The economy of the Heally complex was agricultural based with hunting (especially for deer and elk) also of importance. Based on the pottery types, Heally is closely related to the Upper Mississippian Fisher culture as noted at the Fisher site (Periods B and C), along with other sites in the area such as Plum Island and Gentleman Farm. There is some stratification in the areas of the site with Heally remains, and the pottery has been observed to change through time. Shell tempered pottery is most common at the beginning of the sequence, while at the end almost all pottery is grit tempered.

This complex is represented by the Swanson Series pottery, a Late Woodland ware similar to that found in other sites ranging from Moccasin Bluff in Michigan to Hotel Plaza in Illinois. The type Swanson Check Stamped is similar to Early Late Woodland pottery types and indicates this complex is very ancient. The probable timeframe of Swanson is approximately A. D. 800 to just before European contact or about A. D. 1600. The Swanson people cultivated maize but a large part of their diet was supplied by hunting a wide variety of game, and gathering nuts (particularly hazelnut) and berries.

This complex is the only one that has been securely associated with early European trade goods so is fully post European contact in age. The economy of the Danner complex is characterized by a heavier dependence on maize/beans/squash agriculture and hunting focused on the bison. Danner is represented by shell tempered Fort Ancient pottery closely related to the Madisonville focus in Ohio. Based on 1. The Danner pottery is unlike other Late Prehistoric pottery in Illinois and looks like Madisonville focus pottery from Ohio; 2. The Fort Ancient Madisonville focus pottery has been attributed by some archaeologists to represent the pottery of the Shawnee tribe; and 3. The Shawnee are recorded as being one of the tribes present at the Grand Village of the Kaskaskia; therefore it's been proposed that the Danner Complex represents the Shawnee tribe. However, this is still a matter of sharp debate among archaeologists.

Huber is an Upper Mississippian culture closely related to Fisher and often Fisher and Huber pottery occur on the same sites. The Huber people also cultivated maize/beans/squash and other crops. They have been noted to have cultivated the Eastern Agricultural Complex (EAC) of small seed plants such as knotweed, little barley and goosefoot, among others. Hunting of deer, elk and bison also contributed to their diet. Huber pottery is a distinctive shell tempered ware that occurs on a series of sites centered in the Chicago area, but also ranging to northwestern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. The Anker site near Chicago has produced a number of artifacts that seem to come from outside the area, especially from the Middle Mississippian cultures of Arkansas; indicating a wide ranging trade network. Huber pottery has been found at sites with European trade goods, indicating this culture lasted until after European contact. However, the specific tribe that produced the Huber pottery is still a matter of debate among archaeologists. The Miami seem to be the most likely, since they occupied the area around the south shore of Lake Michigan during early Historic times. However, the Illiniwek, Potawatomi and Chiwere Sioux are also considered possibilities.

Based on the plant and animal remains collected at the site, along with large numbers of bison scapula hoes, archaeologists believe the Zimmerman site was an agricultural village that was occupied for most if not all of the year. This is also supported by the presence of two houses in the Heally Complex (Grid C), which were fairly substantial and implied a more or less permanent occupation. There is a contrast in subsistence strategies between the historic Danner Complex and the prehistoric occupations at the site. The earlier subsistence patterns were more geared on exploiting multiple resources. The Danner Complex aimed for a more focused adaptation by relying on a few high yield resources such as agriculture and bison hunting. Archaeologists also believe that the bison did not range into Illinois until after A. D. 1600, just before European contact, which is when the Danner Complex developed. With regards to settlement patterns, the permanent houses of the Heally Complex seem to have given way to less permanent wigwam type structures in the early Historic period. This may be why no houses related to the Danner Complex have been found. With a greater reliance on bison hunting, it may have been advantageous to have a more mobile settlement pattern in order to move with the herds. They would still have their primary village where they planted their crops but it would not be occupied continually.