Province of New Hampshire - Before Colonization

Before Colonization

Prior to English colonization, the area which is now northeastern New England was populated by bands of the Abenaki, who lived in sometimes large villages of longhouses. Depending on the season they would either remain near their villages to fish, gather plants, engage in sugaring, and trade or fight with their neighbors, or head to nearby fowling and hunting grounds; later they also farmed tobacco and the "three sisters": corn, beans, and squash. The seacoast was explored in the early years of the 17th century by English and French explorers, including Samuel de Champlain and John Smith.