Homeland/Environment

 

The Algonquin Native American tribe was a subarctic people, inhabiting the Ottawa Valley in what is now Southern Canada (“Algonquin”). Algonquin Indians lived off the land, sustaining themselves primarily as nomadic hunter gatherers, moving place to place to follow game. These wigwam dwellers made up a majority of the population along the coast of the western great lakes (Reader’s Digest 79, 110).

 

 

Intertribal Relations

 

For the most part, the Algonquins did not get along well with their territorial neighbors, the Iroquois (“Algonquin”). The two tribes had a long running rivalry, engaging each other in combat quite frequently (Reader’s Digest 110). Apart from this conflict, some groups of Algonquins had peaceful interactions with other natives, at times even intermarrying (“Algonquin”).

 

 

European Contact/ Trade

 

Thanks to the French desiring peaceful commerce with the natives, the Algonquins learned to establish strong political and business alliances with Europeans (Brinkley 52). The tribe took an active role in the fur trade, both producing skins and acting as middlemen for trade with other natives (“Algonquin”).

 

 

Tribe Culture

 

The Algonquins had the same basic family structure as other surrounding tribes, with the father at the head of the family (Brinkley 7). The tribe was run by highly regarded elders, who passed down tribe knowledge via oral tradition (“Algonquin”). Like many Native American tribes, the Algonquins based their religion off the land, with a main underlying spirit, “Manitou” which translates to “mysterious one” (“Manitou”).

 

 

Algonquin Vs. Algonquian

 

Often confused, the word “Algonquin” refers to the Native American tribe, while “Algonquian” is used to refer to a large collection of dialects within the Algic language, spoken by a large portion of Indians (“Algonquin”).

 

 

Significance

 

The Algonquins were the manifestation of New World trade as advertised in Europe. Due to the success in trade with tribes like the Algonquins, the idea of New World prosperity grew among Spain, France, and England.