Canadian History: Aboriginal Peoples and Early European Exploration

Aboriginal Peoples

Indigenous peoples of Canada, varying in lifestyle and culture, initially referred to as 'Indians' by Europeans.

Huron-Wendat

An Indigenous group known for farming and hunting in the Great Lakes region.

Cree and Dene

Indigenous groups that lived as hunter-gatherers in the Northwest of Canada.

Sioux

Nomadic Indigenous group that followed bison herds.

Inuit

Indigenous group that relied on Arctic wildlife for sustenance.

West Coast natives

Indigenous peoples who preserved fish by drying and smoking.

European arrival impact

Arrival of Europeans led to significant changes in Indigenous lifestyles and a decline in populations due to diseases.

Vikings

Norse explorers from Iceland who reached Labrador and Newfoundland.

John Cabot

First European to map Canada’s East Coast and claim Newfoundland for England in 1497.

Jacques Cartier

French explorer who claimed land for France and documented the Iroquoian word 'kanata', leading to the term 'Canada'.

First European settlement

Established in 1604 by Pierre de Monts and Samuel de Champlain in Acadia (Nova Scotia).

Quebec City

Founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608, it faced a harsh climate.

Hudson’s Bay Company

Established in 1670 with exclusive trading rights over the Hudson Bay area.

Battle of the Plains of Abraham

1769 battle that resulted in the British defeat of the French, ending French imperial presence in North America.

Quebec Act of 1774

Accommodated French Catholics, allowing them public office and restoring French laws.

Loyalists

American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown and migrated to Canada during the American Revolution.

Joseph Brant

Leader of Loyalist Mohawk Indians who migrated north to Canada.

Black Loyalists

Some African descent Loyalists who eventually moved to establish Freetown, Sierra Leone in 1792.