Dictionary.net

The Indians were so called from the original supposition made that their land was India. When Englishmen came to this country there were probably about as many Indians in it as now,-from two hundred to three hundred thousand. They were divided into tribes. In the Northern part of the United States these tribes were either of the Algonquin or of the Iroquois race; in the South, either of that which is called Mobilian or of the Natchez. Their tribal government was loose and weak. They had chieftains,but these had little real power. Confederacies of tribes were sometimes formed, but did not usually last beyond a single war. The Indian was in general in the hunting and fishing stage of civilization. His relations with the settlers were more frequently hostile than friendly, which caused settlement to be more compact than in Spanish-American regions, where the aborigines were less warlike. There was also much trade with the Indian, especially in furs. Likewise there was some effort to convert the Indians to Christianity, though these efforts on the part of the English and Protestant colonies were lamentably small when compared with the work of the French Jesuits. (See Praying Indians.) On their part the Indians learned something of civilization, especially in the articles of fire-arms and fire-water. For individual wars and tribes, see articles under their names.