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Chapter III. 



THE NOMADIC PEOPLES. 



The term nomadic has been used to distinguish those 

 in the Southwest who do not Hve in pueblos from those 

 who do Uve in them. The name is a useful one although 

 it does not give a correct impression concerning the 

 permanency of the homes of some of the tribes treated 

 in this chapter. The nomadic tribes of the Southwest 

 occupied and claimed the territory of that region with 

 Uttle regard to the presence of the Pueblo people. 

 They w^ere chiefly hunters, and game was not plentiful 

 near the settled tow^ns. They planted to a considerable 

 extent but found ample room for their fields without 

 encroaching on the farms of the village people. 



Distribution. 



These nomadic people belong to four linguistic stocks, 

 the Athapascan, the Piman, the Yuman, and the Sho- 

 shonean. 



Athapascan. In the eastern portion of the territory, 

 are the Athapascan tribes who speak languages related 

 to the Dene of the north in the Mackenzie and Yukon 



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