I am a huge military historian and I got a bit burned out on Old World War Tactics. I was reading about the French and Indian (American Theater of the Seven Years War) when I came to a conclusion about Native American "Tribes"
They were not "Tribes" but Countries? That must mean that there is a whole layer of history I am missing. I tried to google some books on conflicts of this era but I could not find much. I am wondering if there is any little known stories regarding Pre-European contact wars between Native Nations. Like I said, it is not really delved into as much as it should. I am wondering if any texts or stories about tactics and the course of wars still exist?
Edit: Accidentally forgot to put "Seven Years War"
There is a section of the Frequently Asked Questions that has some good information. Look for posts by /u/Reedstilt, /u/anthropology_nerd and others.
I can only speak with authority about the far west of North America, but the pattern here (California north to Alaska) is that warfare took the form of rather small skirmishes of one village against another. Wars seldom involved more than a couple hundred individuals per side and often were much smaller. Warfare was conducted to settle grievances, take slaves or resolve disputes over territory or resources among other things.
Wars took place within tribes and between them. Often, people totally unrelated to disputes were hired as mercenaries to conduct proxy wars for pay. This was particularly common when the offended party was a very small group.
One interesting aspect of warfare in the northwest is that disputes were often settled by payment. Those who were rich enough to settle a major dispute were held in very high regard and were at the pinnacle of social status.
See also the section of the FAQ on this subject pertaining to Eastern North America and Mesoamerica. In these areas, there are indications of large scale and protracted battles as evidenced by fortified villages.
So this gets into a particularly "Who/When/Where/What" situation even for Pre-Contact eras.
Sources for pre-contact or limited contact warfare tend to be either oral tradition, or explorer accounts.
Now what do I mean by "Who/When/Where/What"? Who's fighting, When was the conflict taking place, Where was the conflict, and What kind of conflict was it?
The answers to those questions produce contrasting images of Amerindian warfare in terms of tactics, equipment, forces, etc.
I'd heavily recommend reading "Native North American Armor, Shields, and Fortifications" by David E. Jones. It's a well sourced overview of pre-contact warfare across the United States and Canada (occasionally reaches into Northern Mexico).