10 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL. 69 
by the valley of the Ohio, with numerous lesser streams, and many 
lakes in the northern parts. The river bottoms were well wooded, 
springs of salt water were often encountered, and the many natural 
products made use of by the Indians were plentifully and widely 
distributed. 
Fifth, the lowlands of the South, extending eastward from the 
Mississippi‘to the Atlantic, bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, and 
including the peninsula of Florida. Forests of pine covered much of 
the surface and the dense, semitropical vegetation of central and 
southern Florida was never touched by frost. Many rivers, some of 
considerable size, are encountered within this region, with swamps 
and bayous near the coast. 
Such was the nature of the country. With game and wild fowl! 
in abundance, the lakes and streams teeming with fish, while oysters 
and other mollusks were easily gathered in vast quantities along the 
seacoast and many varieties of wild fruits grew on mountain and 
plain, food was usually plentiful and easily secured by the native 
tribes. Added to the natural supply were the products of the gar- 
dens of the sedentary people, by whom great quantities of corn and 
lesser amounts of vegetables were raised, and often preserved for 
future use. ‘ 
The numerous tribes encountered by the early explorers and 
colonists in eastern United States belonged to several linguistic 
groups, and with few exceptions the tribes continued to occupy their 
respective domains from the earliest times until forced westward or 
until they fell before the encroachment of European, and ‘later of 
American, settlements. 
New England was the home of many tribes, some small, others 
larger, all of which belonged to the great Algonquian family, speaking 
a language understood by all but with certain dialectic variations. 
Of these some were on the coast occupying small villages near the 
mouths of the many rivers; others were in the interior. But it is 
quite evident many coast sites were occupied only during certain 
seasons of the year; at other times the protection of the forests would 
be sought. Among the New England tribes were many whose 
names were often mentioned in the history of the colonies, and have 
since been perpetuated by applying them to the streams near which 
they once lived. Far north was the Abnaki group, including the 
Micmac, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot, of Maine, and adjoining 
them on the south the Massachuset, Wampanoag, Narraganset, 
Mohegan, and Pequot. The last two were originally one people, 
but later became divided. In 1637 the Pequot were attacked by 
the English and their strength as a tribe was broken, and from that 
time until the close of King Philip’s War the Narraganset remained 
the most powerful tribe of southern New England, but on December 
