The Iroquois women played many key rolls that focused on what went on within their village including everything from gathering food, creating garments, and pottery making to selecting delegates for tribal council and raising children.

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The Huron, also known as the Wyandot people, were located around the Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay areas. They were known for their cultivation of tobacco and one of their villages had over 70 longhouses. Unfortunately they were decimated by diseases around 1634 and scattered by war in 1649 by the Iroquois.

Hundreds of tribes made up the Algonquian, who had one of the largest populations and were spread far and wide across America. Despite focusing on fishing and hunting they also farmed local crops. They also harvested seafood and migratory birds in the New England areas. In the 1600s the Algonquin Indians numbered in the 70k-100k's.

The Wabanaki, Abenaki and other tribes believed that Glooscap was the creator despite his name meaning "Man that came from nothing". Thought to have created humans Glooscap also created his brother and evil opposite, Malsumis. Glooscap might have been the first environmentalist as one of his warnings was against overhunting. It is unfortunate that we don't respect such ancient and sage advice.

The Delaware Indians were also known as the Lenape and Lived along the Delaware river. Their numbers were severely reduced by smallpox in the 1640s. Clan organization was matrilineal and children belonged to their mother's clan. The Lenape focused on agriculture favoring means, corn, and squash. Using them for decoration and rituals the Lenape were major creators of wampum and shell beads.

Descended of the native people in the Rhode Island area the Narragansett Indians existed in teh area for thousands of years. Once a leading tribe in the area the year 1616 brought European fishermen and with them fatal diseases that killed thousands of natives but did not seem to affect the Narragansett Indians. The leaders of the Narragansett sold what later became Providence to the settlers in 1636.

In the 16th century There was a legendary Native American leader named Hiawatha. He was considered a prophet and known as "The Great Peacemaker". He convinced the Five Nations to come together in a peaceful Confederacy. He was charismatic and probably came from the Mohawk or Onondaga tribes.

In the New England area lived the Abenak Indians who were grouped more by their geography than by a dominant central power. Translated to "People of the dawn lands" the Abenak were forced to flee to Quebec when the English and wars overwhelmed them. They hunted, fished and farmed and even produced maple syrup by boiling maple sap. They were also talented basket weavers, a tradition they carry on to this day.
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I took particular interest in the Mohawk tribes as when my family defected here from Poland we came to reside in Missouri where there were native American artifacts literally everywhere. I would arrowheads as a child just about any time I dug in the ground. I remember seeing painting and photos of the Mohawk tribe and hearing about their way of life with its focus on living in harmony with nature and respecting it as you would family. It had a profound effect on my world view and I hold all Native Americans in the highest regard to this day because of it.