In the beginning ...

North America has always been home to many Indigenous peoples. Many Indigenous were living in North, Central, and South America at the time of the arrival of the first Europeans in the 1400s. Estimates range from 8.4 million to 112.5 million persons. In any case, from the Incas to the Navajo to the Plains Cree to the Inuit, the Americas have long been home to developed, sophisticated, and rich Native cultures.

Before explorers arrived from Europe, there were no borders to divide North America into countries, states, provinces, or territories. Many Indigenous peoples from various tribes roamed freely across what would later become Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Some tribes did set up permanently in particular areas, but they never thought in terms of owning the land. It was just one vast land. Nations spread across areas with similar climates and geographic conditions rather than living in areas defined by man-made borders.

For example, as you can see in the map above, the Coastal Tribes were located along the west coast of what would later become British Columbia and Alaska. And the Plains First Nations followed the food supply, especially the bison. They roamed freely back and forth across what is now the border between Canada and the United States. This is shown in the map below.