The two main Native groups that lived in the northeast prior to European contact were the Algonquin and the Iroquois. The two groups were divided by language and beliefs. The Iroquois built longhouses, which are similar to town homes. The Algonquin built wigwams which is like a tent. The Iroquois used a confederacy, while the Algonquin did not have a government. Instead the Algonquin had a tribe leader or a Sachem and a medicine man called the shaman.