Description
The Tamaroa were a Native American people in the central Mississippi River valley of North America, and a member of the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederation of 12 or 13 tribes. The name "Tamaroa" is a derivative of the word tamarowa meaning "cut tail" in Illiniwek and relates to a totemic animal such as bear or wildcat. And like the rest of the Illiniwek, they lived on both sides of the Mississippi River in the area of the confluence with the Illinois and Missouri Rivers. Tamaroan culture is presumed to be similar to that of the Kaskaskia, Peoria, and other Illinois tribes. An estimated 3000 Tamaroa lived along the Mississippi River, near the confluences with the Missouri and Illinois Rivers, but soon moved to a site near present-day Cahokia, Illinois. In 1682, their village, also called Tamaroa, had about 600 lodges.
Language
Algonquian
Culture
Most Northeast peoples relied on farming for food. Men and women cleared the ground for fields by burning off the trees and bushes. Trees were felled by girdling. A fire set at a tree’s base charred the wood so it could be chipped with a stone ax until the tree fell. Women then planted the fields with corn, squash, beans, pumpkins, and gourds. Corn-based soups and stews were staples of the diet. Some produce was dried and stored for winter meals. The Northeast tribes that relied most heavily on farming tended to form the largest settlements. Their villages were usually clustered beside a lake, stream, or other source of fresh water. Most villages had a few dozen to a few hundred residents.