Algonquin nations occupied a large territory in the Eastern Woodlands and Subarctic regions, and were largely independent of one another. For thousands of years, Algonquin people lived, hunted, traded and travelled throughout the Ottawa Valley. Like their Anishinaabeg relatives, they lived in easily disassembled birch bark dwellings known as wigwams, and shared knowledge of their culture through oral history. The underlying spirit or life force in these stories is the Manitou, which manifested itself in a number of different characters, including the Wendigo, Wisakedjak and Nanabozo.