The term "Illini" is derived from the historic Illiniwek confederation of Native American tribes who originally inhabited the region encompassing modern-day Illinois and surrounding river valleys. While the historical linguistic translation of the word essentially signifies "the men" or "complete human beings" in the historic Algonquian language family, the moniker has evolved over generations to serve as the proud nickname and identity representing the students, alumni, and athletic teams of the University of Illinois.