Native Peoples of the Subarctic

The Subarctic culture area is the largest in North America, encompassing most of the northern portion of the continent, much of it covered with an extensive evergreen forest. Cultures in the Subarctic consisted of small bands of hunter-gatherers that emphasized the hunting of caribou. The Subarctic was home to about 30 major groups of two major language families: Athapaskan and Algonquian (see Fig. 1.5).