The
Records of the Three Kingdoms records that the Yilou were located more than a thousand
li north of
Buyeo in forests covering mountainous terrain that had formerly been the kingdom of the Sushen clan. The text reports that, although the Yilou were subjects of Buyeo, they did not speak the same language as the people of Buyeo and
Goryeo. The text's author did not know the northern extent of Yilou territory, but they reportedly had access to the sea, as they sailed in boats to plunder other kingdoms. The text notes that the Yilou were the most undisciplined of the
Eastern Barbarians, as they were the only ones not to use sacrifical vessels for food and drink. According to the
Records of the Three Kingdoms, the Yilou had access to grain, cattle, horses, and sackcloth, and they produced red jade and good-quality
sable skins, for which they were well known. The Yilou were talented archers and had a tendency to poison their arrowtips so that anyone they hit with their arrows died. They raised pigs for food and clothing, and they smeared themselves with pig fat in winter to protect themselves from the cold. Settlements were centred around pig pens, and homes were typically
pit houses, with those of the wealthy families descending as far as nine steps below ground. They apparently had no single ruler; instead, each settlement had its own head (). ==See also==