Description
The Wea were a Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as either being closely related to the Miami Tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of the Wea, along with the Kaskaskia, Piankeshaw, and Peoria, are enrolled in the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe in Oklahoma. The name Wea is used today as the a shortened version of their numerous recorded names. The Wea lived north of the Ohio River in parts of western Indiana and southeastern Illinois.[6] The first written mention of the tribe is from 1673.
Language
Miami-Illinois
Culture
The characteristics of the Northeastern woodlands cultural area include the use of wigwams and longhouses for shelter and of wampum as a means of exchange. The birchbark canoe was first used by the Algonquin Indians and its use later spread to other tribes and to early French explorers, missionaries and fur traders. The canoes were used for carrying goods, and for hunting, fishing, and warfare. The main agricultural crops of the region were the Three Sisters : winter squash, maize (corn), and climbing beans.