WG

Chapter 1, Part 1

Chapter 1: Original Peoples of Canada

Overview

  • Focus on the population and settlement patterns of First Nations peoples in Canada.

Population & Settlement of First Nations

First Occupants

  • Timeframe: 30,000 BCE – Beginning of common era

  • Various groups occupied the region, including the Pre-Dorset and Iroquoians.

Timeline of Human Settlement

  • -50,000 to -13,000 BCE: Initial migrations of human populations into North America.

  • -16,000 to -10,000 BCE: Arrival of the Paleoindians, during a time of gradual glacial retreat.

  • -10,000 to -1,000 BCE: Beginning of the Woodland period and development of sedentary agriculture.

  • -1500 AD: Beginnings of recorded contact with Europeans.

Theories of Migration to North America

Land Bridge Theory (Beringia)

  • Nomadic groups from Asia crossed the Bering Strait thousands of years ago.

  • They followed herds of animals, leading to the first settlements in North America.

Evidence for the Land Bridge Theory

  • Land corridor linked Asia and North America approximately 30,000 years ago.

  • Migration patterns followed animal herds, evidenced by archaeological findings of Clovis points around 15,000 years ago.

Watercraft Theory

  • Suggests that people traveled by boat from Asia to North America.

  • Lacks physical evidence, making it a less supported theory compared to the Land Bridge Theory.

Historical Movement of Peoples

  • 35,000 - 10,000 years ago: Ancestral American Indians migrated across the land bridge.

  • 10,000 - 5,000 years ago: Movement of North American Indians to the tree line as glaciers retreated.

  • 5,000 - 4,000 years ago: Tuniit (Dorset culture people) crossed the Bering Strait eastward.

  • 3,000 - 2,000 years ago: Prehistoric groups evolved into what we recognize as the Inuit of North Alaska.

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity

Linguistic Groups

  • Algonquians: Resided in Central & Southern Quebec.

  • Iroquois: Located along the St. Lawrence River.

  • Inuit: Occupied Northern Quebec.

Societal Structures

Algonquians

  • Lifestyle: Nomadic, moving frequently to follow food sources.

  • Shelter: Lived in tipis and used birchbark canoes.

  • Gender Roles: Men were leaders while women managed the household and children.

Iroquois

  • Lifestyle: Sedentary; established agricultural practices.

  • Shelter: Longhouses were central to their living structures.

  • Gender Roles: Matriarchal society with women in leadership roles; valued for their agricultural contributions.

  • Important crops: The Three Sisters (corn, beans, squash).

  • Women played significant roles in decision-making during peace and wartime through councils.

Way of Life

Nomadic vs. Sedentary Societies

  • Nomadic: Constantly moved in search of food, lived in temporary structures like tipis.

  • Sedentary: Established farming communities; remained in one place for cultivation and living.