Algonquin: Indians of the North

What North American Native tribe had the biggest impact on North America? The Algonquin, of course. They introduced the words “canoe” and “toboggan” to the English language, they were the first to befriend the French, and spread out along the entire northeast region of North America. They were also one the northern most tribes, therefore making the way that they lived special. They even caused some of the French to accept their customs. No other North American Native tribe had this big of an impact on North America.

One reason why the Algonquin were so widespread was because they were divided into about 10 clans, or groups. Each clan had hundreds of people living in it. An Algonquin Indian is a person who lived in one of these clans, and spoke the language Algonquian. Every time some big event occurred, not all the Algonquin would have been affected. At one point, 9 of the groups would get in trouble, but 1 wouldn’t. This was key to their survival. From when the A...