Life in Algonquian villages followed the four seasons. In spring, after planting their crops, eastern tribes left their villages. They camped along the coast or by rivers to gather food.
Men fished, catching different types of fish each month. They also went into the forests to collect berries and nuts. Much of the food they gathered was preserved. It was stored in their permanent villages for use during the cold winters, when nothing grew. In the fall, they returned to their villages to harvest crops, collect wild fruits, and hunt game.
Southern Algonquians also collected seasonal food from the ocean, rivers, and forests, but they relied more on farming. They cleared the land with the slash-and-burn method. The men used axes to cut around the trunks of trees. When the trees died, they were burned. Their ashes were spread on the soil to make it more fertile, or good for growing. The land would produce good crops for a few years. When it became less fertile, the entire village would move.