When one thinks of Montreal and the province of Quebec, Canada, its historic Native heritage is not what first comes to mind. But the immense province is actually home to 11 major tribes, with hundreds of villages and "reserves" scattered from the banks of the majestic St. Lawrence River to the frozen edge of Hudson Bay above the tree line in the Arctic. These lands offer visitors a wide range of interesting outing possibilities, from sightseeing, fishing on isolated rivers and lakes, and hunting big game to searching out distinctive arts and crafts, visiting Native cultural centers and museums, and attending powwows and other cultural festivals-from small affairs to international gatherings. In winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular diversions. Where to begin? Many international visitors arrive in the region through Montreal. Within the city is the outstanding history museum (514/872-9150, www.pacmuseum.qc.ca) which provides a terrific overview of the region's Native and non-Native past, and describes how each culture helped shape the other through more than 500 years of cohabitation. Montreal is also home to the annual, held in early June (514/278-4040, www.nativelynx.qc.ca/). The festival includes a renowned film competition with works screened from across the U.S., Canada (with many works sponsored by the remarkable National Film Board) and even Latin America. Often the filmmakers are present, allowing the public rare opportunities to discuss these cutting-edge works with the creative forces behind them. Other festival attractions include art exhibitions, an arts and crafts "village" set up in a local park, panel discussions, and indoor and outdoor concerts and dance performances featuring major and up-and-coming artists. Last year\'s "stars" included Joanne Shenandoah, George Leach, Claude McKenzie, Emile Gregorie, Richard Desjardins and Kathia Rock. Just south of the city, across the vast St. Lawrence River, is the Mohawk reserve of Kahnawake<, which spans some 14,000 acres and includes 6,300 residents, many gathered into a small town. Here you can visit a modest but noteworthy community museum and cultural center (450/638-0880) with history displays and changing art exhibitions. Don't miss the several arts and craft shops, including Wolf's Den, the Five Nations Shop and Okwari Crafts Shop, displaying the region's specialties: beaded goods, fur and leather apparel, bone and antler carvings, and birchbark goods. Here too is the studio/shop Tammy Beauvais Designs (450/635-6757, www.tammybeauvis.com), run by the unique and talented Mohawk apparel designer. The community also hosts Quebec's major powwow in mid-July, with some 500 dancers and arts and craft sales, and a good local newspaper, the Eastern Door. Some two hours to the west is the nation's capitol, Ottawa, a beautiful city perched above the impressive Ottawa River. Here you'll find one of the world's finest museums, the Museum of Civilization (800/555-5621, www.civilization.ca), which includes many excellent galleries and exhibitions dedicated to exploring Canada's Native cultures. Its Grand Hall contains dozens of full-size totem poles and examples of many of the traditional homes and lodges of peoples ranging from British Columbia to the Atlantic seaboard. The province's third major city-and arguably North America\'s most beautiful-Quebec City also contains sites of interest. In particular, it houses a handful of outstanding museums and galleries devoted to Native arts, such as Musee Art Inuit (perhaps Canada\'s best selection of Inuit sculpture; 39 Saint-Louis St., www.inuitart.ca), Sachem (gallery and boutique, 17 Rue Desjardins, 418/692-3056) and Le Palier (20 Cote de la Montagne, 418/964-9307). Just north of the city is the Huron community of Wendake, where you can find several other more Native-owned galleries and gift shops. Also found here is a fine, small cultural center with restaurant and excellent gallery, Village des Hurons (418/842-4308, www.huron-wendat.qc.ca). It includes a re-creation of traditional longhouses, history displays of the Hurons (once a mighty tribe of some 25,000 people reduced through disease and warfare to some 300 individuals at one point), daily dances and demonstrations, canoe outings, traditional archery, snowshoeing, and participation in a traditional sweat lodge ceremony. But, of course, the heart of the region\'s Native culture is found outside the urban centers, amidst Quebec\'s seemingly endless pine and birch forests dotted with tens of thousands of lakes, ponds, bogs, streams and rivers. For a desert dweller, the abundance of water is like a balm on the soul. Many of the Native reserves offer up terrific fishing for trout, walleye, northern pike and many other species. But beware; the bugs can be ferocious! Arrangements for accommodations, gear and guides can be made through many tribal governments, as we found out last June in the off-the-beaten path reserve of Wemotaci (also spelled Weymontachie; 819/666-2237), one of the Atikamekw communities. We three fishermen and guide Dominic Boivin had a huge river all to ourselves. The bugs out-bit the fish, but we had a memorable morning wetting our lines beneath a huge dam outlet on the beautiful Saint-Maurice river, while Dominic cooked up some delicious moose and eggs for breakfast over a campfire. Like most Quebec Natives in the countryside, he spoke his own language and French, but we managed to communicate just fine. Back in the village, he showed us around his home and displayed some of his own carved moose-antler arts and birchbark baskets, which we purchased. Details: Canada's National Aboriginal Day is celebrated on June 21, with hundreds of special events taking place across the nation. For details on Native travel in the Quebec region, contact Quebec Aboriginal Tourism Corp., which produces a terrific free guidebook, "Quebec Aboriginal" (877/698-7827, www.staq.net), or Tourisme Centre-du-Quebec (819/364-7177, 888/816-4007). For far north Quebec travel among the Inuit, contact the Nunavik Tourism Association (888/594-3424, www.nunavik-tourism.com). Native-owned Voyages Inter Nations (800/463-4673) arranges complete trips.