There are well over 1,000 native American indian tribes in the United States and Canada.
Learn how these tribes are related to each other, which tribes joined together for political alliances, warfare, and peace keeping venues, or have historical roots together.
Caddoan Confederacy
Franco-Indian Alliance – Was an alliance between American Indians and the French, centered on the Great Lakes and the Illinois country during the French and Indian War(1754–1763).
Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Iroquois League – See Iroquois Confederacy
One of the most well-known alliances was the Iroquois Confederacy, also called the Haudenosaunee or Six Nations, which united the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and later, the Tuscarora. Their Great Law of Peace influenced democratic ideals and remains a foundational example of Indigenous governance. The Powhatan Confederacy in the eastern woodlands and the Muscogee (Creek) Confederacy in the Southeast also exemplify the power of tribal unity and structured leadership.
Hasinai confederacy (Caddo)
Huron Confederacy
Illini Confederacy – See Illinois Confederacy
Miami Confederacy – See Western Confederacy
Monacan Confederacy
Meiponsky
Mahoc
Nuntaly
Mohetan
Tutelo Confederacy
Saponi
Occanichi
Wappinger Confederacy – Sold Manhattan Island to the Dutch
Wyandot Confederacy
The Shawnee Tribes were originally an Eastern Woodland tribe native to the Ohio Valley. Also known as the Loyal Shawnee and Absentee Shawnee, and formerly known as the Cherokee Shawnee, the Shawnee Indians include three federally recognized Shawnee tribes, one state recognized tribe, and eighteen unrecognized tribes.
"Abenaki" is a linguistic and geographic grouping. Historically there was not a strong central authority, but as listed below a large number of smaller bands and tribes who shared many cultural traits.
Historically, the O'odham inhabited an enormous area of land in the southwest, extending South to Sonora, Mexico, north to Central Arizona (just north of Phoenix, Arizona), west to the Gulf of California, and east to the San Pedro River. This land base was known as the Papagueria and it had been home to the O'odham for thousands of years.
The Illinois Confederacy, originally known as the Illini Confederacy, was a confederacy of Algonquian tribes made up of the Kaskaskia, Peoria, Michigamea, Moingwena, Tamaroa and Cahokia tribes.
They call themselves Inde, or Nide "the people".
The Apache Indians are divided into six sub-tribes
Bedonkohe....Be-don-ko-he
Chieahen....Chi-e-a-hen
Chihenne....Chi-hen-ne, (Ojo Caliente), (Hot Springs) Apaches
Chokonen....Cho-kon-en, Chiricahua Apache
Nedni....Nendi
White Mountain Apache
Ojibway Indians of California
Exactly how the Ojibway Indians made it to California is quite mysterious! However, after Anishinabe Ogimak became aware of the seven fires prophecy, they acted on instinct and invaded the western portion of North America.
Today, the Ojibway Indians of California are known as the Wappo, Wiyot, Yuki, and the Yurok. All three are Algonquian speaking tribes with their roots in the Algonquian languages. However, these Californian Ojibway Indians have lost their Ojibway identity.
Continue to Chippewa’s of the Iron Confederation (Ojibway Indians of California) →