The following is a list of First Nations peoples organized by Indigenous geographic area. This list does not include Metis or Canadian Inuit groups.
Geographic distribution in Canada
Pacific coast and mountains
These people traditionally ate fish, primarily
salmon and silvery
eulachon from the ocean, as well as fish from lakes and rivers, and roots and berries. Recently discovered
clam gardens suggest that they were not limited only to hunting and gathering.'They made use of the forests of the Pacific to build dug-out
canoes, and houses made of evenly-split planks of wood. They used tools made of stone and wood. The native peoples of the Pacific coast also made
totem poles, a trait attributed to other tribes as well. In 2000 a
land claim was settled between the
Nisga'a people of
British Columbia and the provincial government, resulting in the transfer of over 2,000 square kilometres of land to the Nisga'a. Major ethnicities include the:
Plains
These people traditionally used
tipis covered with skins as their homes. Their main sustenance was the
bison, which they used as food, as well as for all their garments. The leaders of some Plains tribes wore large headdresses made of feathers, something which is wrongfully attributed by some to all First Nations peoples. The
Tsuu T'ina Nation are a notable First Nation in
Alberta as their territory now borders the city of
Calgary. Major ethnicies include the:
Northeast woodlands
Major ethnicies include the:
Atlantic coastal region
St. Lawrence River Valley
The largest First Nations group near the St. Lawrence waterway are the
Iroquois. This area also includes the
Wyandot (formerly referred to as the Huron) peoples of central
Ontario, and the
League of Five Nations who had lived in the
United States, south of
Lake Ontario. Major ethnicities include the:
Canadian Arctic
Major ethnicities include the:
See also
First Nations