before contact with europeans the natives of north america were divided into many different communities, from small bands of a few families to large empires. they lived in several culture areas, which roughly correspond to geographic and biological zones of north america and give a good indication of the main occupation of the people who lived there (e.g. the bison hunters of the great plains, or the farmers of mesoamerica). native groups can also be classified by their language family. it is important to note that peoples with similar languages did not always share the same material culture, nor were they always allies.