The first people to live in what is present day Quebec were the Iroquoian, Inuit and the Algonkian groups of settlers who reached there somewhere before the 1500's. It is believed that about seven groups of the Algonkian settlers came here and lived completely nomadic life. Their main occupations were fishing or hunting in all the water bodies that surround Quebec. The Iroquoians preferred to settle along the banks and in the valley of the St. Lawrence River and looked at agriculture as a main occupation.They used the fertile soil to cultivate maize and various other crops. Some researchers also suggest that it was the Algonquin's who came up with the name 'Quebec', which means 'strait' The third group, the Inuits, chose the more difficult occupations of the North. They would seal, fish and whale on the coasts of the Hudson Bay and are believed to have often also engaged in battles with each other. Another occupation they carried out was trading (fur).
