You can see no finer looking people. . . . They have legs that seem drawn with an artist's pen. They carry their load of wood gracefully, with a proud gait, as finely as the best dancer. . . . They are full of life. (Pierre Delliette, 1702) Illinois Indians visiting New Orleans, 1735

Several French fur traders and missionaries who lived among the Illinois praised their fine appearance. Pierre Delliette wrote that they were usually of average height, often slender, and had "beautiful" faces with straight white teeth. Illinois men had a reputation for being good runners, which helped them succeed in hunting and warfare.