HISTORY OF QUEBEC AND CANADA Culture and Currents of Thought

The First Occupants – Around 1500 Native groups occupied the territory of Quebec thousands of years before the Europeans arrived:  Their culture was related to their environment, their understanding of the world and their values  Contact with Europeans would eventually decrease the numbers of aboriginals and force changes for some aspects of their culture

The First Occupants – Around 1500 The native group that occupied the Saint Lawrence Valley were the Iroquois:  Sedentary farmers and gatherers The native group that occupied the land directly to the North and South of the Saint Lawrence Valley were the Algonquians:  Nomadic hunters

Native American Territory – Pre-Contact

The First Occupants – Social Relationships Chieftainship:  Representative of the qualities a tribe valued  Chiefs were considered spokesmen for their tribes rather than ultimate rulers Algonquian: most eloquent and/or best hunter would be the chief Iroquois: most eloquent and/or best warrior would be the chief and had more decision making powers that the Algonquian chiefs

The First Occupants – Social Relationships Gift Giving and Reciprocal Relations:  Reciprocity: a gift had to be given for every gift received  Generosity was a highly valued quality for all members of native communities  Villagers lived together in long-houses (Iroquois), shared food and helped each other with chores  The giving of gifts kept harmonious relations between the tribes (ceremonies and feast were held, chiefs gave speeches, and people danced and sang)

The First Occupants – Spirituality Animism:  Natives believed that every living or inanimate object had a spirit or soul that could live immortally outside of the object  These beliefs were reflected in the ways the natives hunted and fished  They believed the reason they caught the animal was because it had given itself to them  They sacrificed some of what they caught to ensure that the spirits would favour them

The First Occupants – Spirituality Animism:  Natives believed that some spirits were evil and could harm humans  To avoid displeasing these spirits, native peoples exercised extra caution  Some groups made offerings of food and tobacco to the spirits they feared  Others made sure not to allow the spirits of the dead to escape their bodies

The First Occupants – Spirituality Dreams and Smoke:  Natives believed they could communicate with spirits  Tobacco smoke was one way they believed they could do this  Believed that their power to communicate with the spirits was dependant on the smoke (this is why the peace pipe is so important)  Natives also believed that spirits showed themselves in dreams:  Dreams could tell the future

The First Occupants – Spirituality The Shaman:  Spiritual connector between the human and spirit worlds  Shamans acted as dream interpreters, had healing powers and prophetic dreams.  The Shaman would use music and dance to drive away the evil spirits that caused sickness  His ability to make predictions that actually came true, secured his position in the tribe

The First Occupants – European Contact In the 16 th century, native peoples came into contact with Europeans:  Natives were interested in some of the material goods brought by the European explorers and settlers (including iron, steel and brass materials that soon became integrated into native culture – ie: brass pots that were stronger than native clay)  Wool and cotton were adopted for native clothing (previously they had only used fur and animal pelts)  Sedentary native groups grew Europeans foods such as cucumbers, onions, and apple orchards  Domestic animals became more common for natives

The First Occupants – European Contact Other consequences were more detrimental to native culture:  Firearms replaced bows, knives and clubs, which made native wars much more deadly  European epidemics and diseases had a significant affect on native populations (ie: small pox and tuberculosis)  The natives had never come into contact with these diseases before the Europeans arrived, so their immune systems were not able to fight off the infections

The French Regime – With the establishment of Quebec City the French settled permanently in the Saint Lawrence Valley:  Climate and Geographic conditions forced the French to adopt some native practices  But Europeans also imported many elements of their own culture, including the Catholic Church

The French Regime – Imports and Adaptations:  Clothing: The French brought with them their own European style, but quickly learned that they needed to adopt some native styles in order to survive the harsh winters  The capot – a winter fur coat with a hood that prevented the cold air from touching the skin  Moccasins – replaced shoes and clogs which were not warm enough for Canadian winters  Mitasses – thick leggings that replaced stockings  Caps and Tuques – with flaps to cover the ears

The French Regime – Imports and Adaptations:  Travel: The French used native means of travel including snowshoes, sleds, and canoes (These were particularly useful for navigating through the thick woods during the fur trade)  Diet: The French also introduced native produce into their diet including squash, corn and maple syrup  Customs: The French adopted the native custom of smoking the tobacco pipe

The French Regime – Settlements and Housing:  First major settlements were mainly trading posts  Groups of buildings and warehouses surrounded by palisades  Settlers depended largely on supplies from France  The Seigneurial system was introduced in 1627  Settlers were given areas of land that had to be cleared  Started with basic dwellings, then houses of wood  The had only one room, which made them easier to heat in Winter  Windows were made of paper or leather because glass was expensive  Furniture was very plain and functional

The French Regime – Settlements and Housing:  By the 18 th century, comfort levels increased  Cast iron stoves replaced tin or brick stoves and improved heating in houses  Larger living spaces and separate rooms appeared though they remained small  Roofs were made steeper to prevent snow from accumulating  Stone houses start to appear in Quebec City and Montreal  Furniture remained modest and was made by the people  Higher class imported their furniture from France

The French Regime – The Catholic Church & Natives:  First objective of the church was to convert the natives  Missionaries settled in some native villages  In order to spread the religion they had to learn native languages  The city of Montreal, Ville-Marie, was established by religious orders seeking to convert the natives.  Iroquois were more hostile to these attempts and attacked Montreal

The French Regime – The Catholic Church & the people:  Religious orders also took of control of educating the people  Education focused mainly on religion  Basic reading, as well as arithmetic and writing were also important  But few children actually went to school on a regular basis, especially in very rural areas

The French Regime – The Catholic Church & the people:  Hospitals were also founded by religious orders  Hotel-Dieu de Quebec in 1639  Hotel Dieu de Montreal in 1642

The French Regime – The Catholic Church & the people:  Each Parish would have its own church and Parish priest  This was the best way for the church to maintain control over the colony  The priest made sure that the instructions of the church were obeyed:  No working on Sundays and religious holidays  All colonists had to receive communion once a year  Records were kept of the people who attended mass  The Bishop could tell the priest to refuse those who did not follow these obligations  The mass also acted as a social event: people would gather after mass to hear decrees or public speeches (since there were no newspapers)

The French Regime – The Catholic Church & the people: Resistance  Church also banned people from participating in acts which it felt were immoral  Certain clothes could not be worn by women  Consumption of alcohol was also condemned by the church  Church also oversaw the dances and balls held by the upper class  Some people began to get fed up with the church’s ultimate control

The French Regime – Absolutism in the colony:  Before 1663, control was executed by the King through the chartered companies.  The power of the King was represented by the coats of arms that decorated imposing structures and public places within the colony  Demonstrations showed the power of the King: ceremonies for the arrival of a new Governor or Intendant, births, weddings and deaths of members of the Royal family were also celebrated in the colony