First Nations of Canada: Pre & Post European Contact

First Nations of Canada What does ‘First Nations’ mean to you?

First Nations of Canada First Nations are the various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. 630 recognized First Nations governments or bands across Canada (mostly in Ontario & BC) Population is nearly 700,000 people

Bering Strait Land Bridge

Bering Land Bridge Connected E.Asia to N.America Existed 35,000-15,000 years ago(Pleistocene Age) Allowed animals to migrate Humans followed animals (food)

Bering Strait Land Bridge: First Nations These first peoples dispersed through-out N. & S. America Some even migrated back to Asia

First Peoples from Asia As the Asian DNA migrates across to North America, it produces a series of changes that gave us the Inuit, the many tribes of native Americans like the Apache and Central Americans like the Maya. Notice how the phenotype changes slightly as the Asian DNA is carried south through America.

First Peoples in Canada First Nations lived sustainably in what is now Canada Low densities Relied on natural world around them for material & spiritual needs.

First Peoples in Canada First Nations grouped in 7 geographic areas of the country: 1-Woodland First Nations -eastern part of the country 2-Iroquoian First Nations- southernmost area 3-Plains First Nations - grasslands of the Prairies 4-Plateau First Nations – South to high mtn. & N. forests 5-Pacific Coast First Nations – Coastal environments 6-Mackenzie and Yukon River Basins - Subarctic North 7-Inuit (not technically 1st Nations) – Arctic region In theses 7 areas, First Nations had very similar cultures, largely shaped by a common environment.