Canadian History: 1.1 + 1.2

Who was in current day Canada first?

First Nations

What two ways did First Nations peoples get here and when

By canoe 15000 years ago or by crossing the Berling Land Bridge

When does new research say about North America’s First Peoples

by using foot prints they concluded that First nations were here 23000 years ago

when did the Inuit peoples arrive in current day Canada, and where did they come from?

5000 years ago they came from Alaska to Greenland

What sort of climate did/do the Inuit live in, and how did they survive?

lived in igloos and lots of snow

hunted seals, whales, caribou and polar bears

currently one of the strongest groups of Indigenous peoples politically

Why do we do land acknowledgements in the morning

to take time to acknowledge the space, history and land that we are on

diversity between the First Nations and Inuit

some were nomadic, some moved around hunting

farmers settled

diverse in culture, tribes, and langues

estimated 200,000 indigenous peoples pre-contact

What is the medicine wheel?

The medicine wheel represents balance and harmony between the physical, emotions, mental, and spiritual aspects of life and encourages people to balance themselves

similarities in the medicine wheel

cardinal directions, four colours, qualities of nature, ages

all mention the spirit, mind, body, and emotion

What creates balance?

spiritual, physical, emotional, mental

Medicine wheel - spiritual examples

connecting with nature

practicing gratitude

honouring the four directions (East, South, West, North)

utilizing sacred medicines like sage and sweetgrass

engaging in prayer or meditation

seeking guidance from elders

Medicine wheel - physical examples

taking care of your physical form through healthy habits and practices. 

strength, endurance, movement, proper nutrition, healthy sleep patterns, and overall bodily well-being

Medicine wheel - mental examples

clear thinking

critical analysis

problem-solving skills

adaptability

creativity

self-awareness

strong memory

Medicine wheel - emotional

introspection

self-awareness

honesty

Anishinaabe worldview - spiritually

They recognized their connection with all humans, all animals, nature, and the spirit world

creator = Gitchi Manitou

Hunting communities believed that the animals were willingly sacrificing themselves

• first peoples would use as much of the animal as possible, that way the animals spirit wouldn’t be offended

Anishinaabe worldview - Caretakers of the land

Anishinaabe believed that humans were responsible for maintaining the land

Moved seasonally to take advantage of resources

Only take things from nature if absolutely necessary that way we can still preserve what isn’t needed

No sense of ownership

Anishinaabe worldview - values

Respect, generosity humility, honesty, love, bravery, wisdom, truth

no one is to be lazy → everyone must contribute something

Moved around (nomadic)

Hunted moose and buffalo

Anishinaabe worldview - languages

Language carries cultural knowledge, traditions, and spiritual beliefs

most first nations were verb based (describe, experience, motion, energy and change)

Philosophers believe that complex thoughts can’t exist without language

Anishinaabe worldview - Oral Tradition

helps maintain their identity and worldview

story telling → teaches about community origin, entertain, educate, preserve cultural ideas, traditions and moral values

story tellers pay great attention to detail and accuracy

first peoples - kinship communities

Means being related to someone based on family or history

size and makeup depend on culture, community, region, time of year

organized by clan or extended family (blood and culture)

what’s a clan

a social group

organized around a chief, their family members, or the territory they lived in

first peoples - community size

dependent on availability of resources

groups need to be big enough to meet basic needs but cannot be too big or there may be over usage

large settlements would move around every decade or so to let the land recovered

communities tended to be smaller so they would move around to gather supplies that were spread out

first peoples - roles and contributions

communities supported individuals in need → individuals contributed to their community

young men hunted and defended the community

women managed camp, prepared food, and grew crops

elders were respected for their knowledge, wisdom, guidance and leadership

men and women were equally values

communities welcomed all skills and were flexible with gender roles

first peoples - tradition education

Indigenous communities and everyone taught the youth

they learnt through:

action

listening

dreams

through mind, spirit, body, and emotion

learned history, spiritual beliefs, practical skills/tasks

people were encouraged to think and infer meanings

first peoples -justice

Rules were rarely broken bc people saw their needs as connected to the human needs

theft and crimes were rare bc they always shared

disrespect towards people, nature or spirit was seen as unbalanced behaviour

first peoples - conflict resolution

minor offences → humour and shame

each side shared their experiences/perspectives on the conflict

make amends and no punishments

Historical lifestyle overview - by the coast

hunted and fished nomadically

moved from place to place while hunting and gathering food

Historical lifestyle overview - prairie

moved from place to place hunting bison

ate bison meat and used bison hides to make clothing and tipis

Historical lifestyle overview - central and eastern canada

farmers (sedentary)

grew corn and vegetables

Coming to North America timeline

First Nations - 23000 years ago

Inuit - 5000 years ago

Vikings - 865 CE

English - 1492 CE

French - 1534 CE

Northwest Passage

the route Europeans used west across the Atlantic in hopes of finding a new route to Asia

Terra Nullius

Used to describe land that no country had the authority over

Latin → “Land belonging to no one”

Mercantilism

The belief that a country could accumulate wealth by exporting more goods than is important

Proselytism

Attempting to convert people’s religious beliefs

Colonization

The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous peoples

Who are the vikings

Bjami Herjolfsson was the first viking and first to spot Canada

Leif Ericson named Baffin Island, Labrador and Newfoundland

Who was the first person to create a European colony in North America

Leif Ericson

Jaques Cartier 1st Expedition

He was looking for the Northwest Passage but found the St.Lawrence (which he named)

He met Donnacona

Who was Donnacona

The St.Lawrence Iroquoran leader and headman of Stadacona

Donnacona did not trust Cartier

What was successful in Jaques Cartier’s 2nd Expedition

He realized it was a great place to colonize

Visits many first nation tribes

Got a cure for scurvy from Domayaga (Donnacon’s son)

Trapped Donnacona and Domayaga and 8 other captives to bring the French back

What was NOT successful in Jaques Cartier’s 2nd Expedition

Donnacona’s protest when Cartier raises his cross

Donnacona told Cartier to not go up to Quebec but Cartier did anyway causing Donnacona to break off relations with Cartier, leaving the French to fend for themselves

Indigenous caught smallpox from Europeans

What was Jaques Cartiers 3rd Expedition goal?

to colonize

What wasn’t successful in Jaques Cartiers 3rd Expedition?

French caught scurvy

Had to survive on their own in the harsh winter

Unfriendly with the Iroquois - causing them to loose 35 crew members since they kidnapped Donnacona before

France ended up in a Civil war and the expedition stopped for 50 years

Why did the French return to Canada?

FOR RESOURCES

what helped Champlain establish a colony?

The king gave a monopoly to Champlain for trade meaning only Champlain was allowed to go and rule

He moves up river and establishes Quebec

Establishes Acadia (Current day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick)

He allied with the Algonquin, Montagnais, Huron, Odawa, and Nipissing

Created the first fur trading company called “The Company of 100 Associates”

What did the new French king change? Who was appointed to be the Intendant of Justice, Police, and Finance?

New King Louis XIV in 1663

The Company of 100 Associates did not bring a certain amount of settlers and income

Jean Talon is appointed in 1665 to boost population

He makes nouvelle-France a royal colony → meaning they would be governed by a royal government

Impacts of Contact

The Indian Act and it’s amendments

Residential schools and cultural assimilation

Governance

Land Relationship

Suppression and Banning of Traditional Customs