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.