page_title: Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands
section_title: Culture
hierarchical_section_title: Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands / Culture
caption_attribution_description: Classification of indigenous peoples of North America according to Alfred Kroeber, English-language version of map
context_page_description: Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands include Native American tribes and First Nation bands residing in or originating from a cultural area encompassing the northeastern and Midwest United States and southeastern Canada. It is part of a broader grouping known as the Eastern Woodlands. The Northeastern Woodlands is divided into three major areas: the Coastal, Saint Lawrence Lowlands, and Great Lakes-Riverine zones.
  The Coastal area includes the Atlantic Provinces in Canada, the Atlantic seaboard of the United States, south until North Carolina. The Saint Lawrence Lowlands area includes parts of Southern Ontario, upstate New York, much of the Saint Lawrence River area, and Susquehanna Valley. The Great Lakes-Riverine area includes the remaining inland areas of the northeast, home to Central Algonquian and Siouan speakers.
  The Great Lakes region are sometimes considered a distinct cultural region, due to the large concentration of tribes in the area. The Northeastern Woodlands region is bound by the Subarctic to the north, the Great Plains to the west, and the Southeastern Woodlands to the south.
context_section_description: The characteristics of the Northeastern woodlands cultural area include the use of wigwams and longhouses for shelter and  of wampum as a means of exchange. Wampum consisted of small beads made from quahog shells.
  The birchbark canoe was first used by the Algonquin Indians and its use later spread to other tribes and to early French explorers, missionaries and fur traders. The canoes were used for carrying goods,  and for hunting, fishing, and warfare, and varied in length from about 4.5 metres (15 feet) to about 30 metres (100 feet) in length for some large war canoes.
  Native groups in the Northeast generally lived in villages of a few hundred people, living close to their crops. Generally men did the planting and harvesting, while women processed the crops. However, some settlements could be much bigger, such as Hochelaga (modern-day Montreal), which had a population of several thousand people.
  The most important social group was the clan, which was often named after an animal such as turtle, bear, wolf or hawk. The totem animal concerned was considered sacred and had a special relationship with the members of the clan.
  The spiritual beliefs of the Algonquians center around the concept of Manitou (/ˈmænɪtuː/), which is the spiritual and fundamental life force that is omnipresent. Manitou also manifest itself as the Great Spirit or Gitche Manitou, who is the creator and giver of all life. The Iroquois equivalent of Manitou is orenda.
caption: The Northeastern Woodlands is a cultural region that includes the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada