American Indian Biographies

The Native People

Europeans of the 18th century, primarily the French and British, found lucrative trade opportunities in North America. We often group their indigenous trading partners together as "American Indians" or "Native Americans," but the cultures and the relationships between them were numerous, diverse, and complex.

Some traded exclusively with the French, others with the British, but most, just as the Europeans, wanted the trade that was to their own greatest advantage. When Britain and France went to war, the various native nations had to decide whom to back. There were native allies on both sides. Some tribes wanted nothing to do with either group, and some tribes waited to see how the conflict was going to go before picking a side.

Biographies are powerful ways to help us understand history and understand ourselves. The American Indians were one of the three cultures that came into conflict during the French and Indian War.