Aboriginal Peoples Of Canada

The Importance of Words The word “Aboriginal” includes all First Nation, Metis and Inuit people, according to the Constitution Act of 1982. Sometimes other names, including “Indian”, “Native”, and “Indigenous”, are used, but these have different meanings to different people. To some, these words do not properly represent the huge variety of cultures found in Canada’s aboriginal community.

Aboriginal People They lived in groups called tribes, with many different ways of life and traditions. A tribe was usually subdivided into bands or villages of a few families. As time passed the tribal community began to develop a national identity. The different groups of Aboriginal peoples are now called nations.

Aboriginal People Some were nomadic, which means they moved from place to place while hunting and gathering food. Others were farmers who settled down in a particular area. weather and the type of land shaped their traditions and culture.

Aboriginal People There are 52 aboriginal languages spoken in Canada! The different tribes across Canada can be grouped together into 11 “language families” based on how their languages are related. Some examples of language families include Athapaskan, Algonquian and Iroquoian.

Eastern Woodlands

Eastern Woodlands Two main groups: - the Iroquois, who were farmers - the Algonquians, who were hunters.

The Algonquian Hunted game, fish and even seals and whales on the coast. They also gathered food that grew wild, like wild rice and berries. Were semi nomadic meaning they moved to specific locations based on the time of the year. They usually built smaller homes that could be taken down easily, like tipis and wigwams.

The Mi’kmaq Nation Maritime Provinces Algonquian The were also semi nomadic Ruled by a Grand Chief and 7 District Chiefs

The Iroquois Southern Ontario and south of Lake Ontario. The name Canada comes from the Huron-Iroquois word Kanata, which means village or community. Every Iroquois belonged to a clan, named after an animal; for example, Bear, Turtle, Wolf. was matrilineal - the individual families descended from the oldest living woman)

The Iroquois The Iroquois grew corn, tobacco, squash and beans. Traded their surplus with tribes further north for animal pelts and porcupine quills. Corn, beans and squash were called the Three Sisters, as they were grown together They lived in towns of up to 2500 people and shared large “longhouses” made from elm or cedar trees.

Longhouses

The Iroquois Confederacy Founded by Dekanahwideh, who convinced the 5 nations to stop the war amongst one another. Their motto was “one heart, one mind, one law.” The Confederacy originally consisted of 5 nations: the Mohawk, the Oneida, the Onondaga, the Cayuga, and the Seneca. They were later joined by the Tuscaroras and the Confederacy became known as the Six Nations. Known today as the Haudenosaunee

The Iroquois Confederacy Government Men became chiefs, but were chosen by the Clan Mother (oldest woman, who had the power to remove a chief and appoint another. Village Council: Looked after village matters. Council members were all men, headed by the village chief. All village council members represented various clans in a village and were appointed by their clan matrons. Council of a Nation: Dealt with affairs of the nation. Members were head chiefs from all the villages in a nation. Confederacy or Grand Council: Looked after issues affecting all the nations in the confederacy. Members were a delegation of chiefs from each of the nations (50 chiefs in all). All were men, but were chosen by women. All members were equal – there was no council chief. They practiced a form of representative democracy in which votes were given to delegates from all Nations in annual meetings. Decisions required a consensus.

The Hurons Lived north of Lake Ontario They were successful traders who wanted to build a monopoly and discouraged other nations from trading with one another. They used birch bark canoes to transport the produce from farms. They were rivals with Iroquois confederacy and both groups often raided the other.

Shelter The Iroquoians were farmers who did not need to move around so their houses could be much larger and sturdier. They built elm or cedar-bark “longhouses” which were big enough for several families to live in together.

Plains Tribes

Plains Tribes Blackfoot, the Plains Cree and the Sioux The culture of these peoples had everything to do with the bison. They were used for food, tipis, clothing, containers and tools. Their traditions were also closely tied to these animals and to their natural surroundings. Later on, horses became very important to their culture when Europeans brought them to Canada. Before horses, they walked on foot or used dogs to pull their packs.

Plains Tribes and the Travois The travois was made from 2 long poles lashed together and contained netting to carry goods. The Plains people developed it to easily transport children and belongings.

The Blackfoot Alberta religious beliefs were =medicine bundle and the Sun Dance

Shelter most tribes moved around a lot to hunt buffalo and gather plants for food. The tipi, was built with long poles that were tied together at the top and covered by buffalo hides.

Government The Plains natives kept in relatively small groups over the winter. Lead by a chief Choose a council – advisory In summer, the smaller groups came together Oldest / wisest was chosen to be the leader Used the winter camp leaders as his advisory body Ruled by concensus Warrior societies existed to protect or punish members of the nation

Plateau Tribes

Plateau Tribes Interior Salish, Kootenay, and Athapaskan Utilised two very important rivers, the Fraser and the Thomson, to support their life. These rivers were full of prized salmon which they ate and traded, as well as trout and whitefish. They also used the rivers for traveling and for transporting goods to trade with other groups. Since there were many trees on the land around the rivers, many tribes made log huts covered with bark for shelter.

Shelter Many of the Plateau tribes lived in log huts covered with bark or grass. In the winter, some lived in “pit houses.” These houses were holes dug into the ground, with a cone-shaped roof held up by wooden poles, and covered with branches and dirt. They used a ladder to enter and leave through an opening at the top.

Governance Primary political unit was the village. The principal political leader was the village chief (headman), a position that was sometimes inherited and sometimes elected.  Most groups had specialized chiefs, such as war chief or salmon chief. Chiefs usually are males, although females were occasionally chiefs.  Each village had a council and each adult had the right to voice his or her view on matters of concern. Pacifism seems to have been an important trait, although not all researchers agree with this assessment. War was not an important pursuit.

Northwest Coast

Northwest Coast Haida, Tlingit Known as the salmon people Variety of food available = bear, ducks, seals and fish, fruits and edible plants. Their way of life revolved around their natural surroundings; the towering cedar trees were used to make boats, totem poles, houses, fish nets, baskets and clothing, which meant that most tribes were skilled at carpentry, spinning and weaving. Were semi nomadic based on cyclical food seasons – ie salmon run

Northwest Coast The Totem Pole Examples of artwork Each part of the pole reveals something about an important person, spirit or event in a family’s past history. They were carved out of cedar trees with stones

Northwest Coast The community was divided into two groups – nobles and commoners. A person was born into one group or the other. The nobles had more rights; for example, they had the right to fish in the best locations. Within each group, the members were ranked in order of importance- the ranking nobleman was the chief Title was hereditary but clan pledged or withheld support when the leader dies - potlach

Northwest Coast: The Potlatch The word potlatch means giving Property was shared among the members of the community and was a means of dealing with economic inequalities within a village The host gave presents to each of the guests. The most valuable gift went to the highest-ranking guest and so on down the line. The guest receiving the gifts were like witnesses to a contract confirming the host host’s step up the ladder of success. It was usually held to mark a major event, such as a marriage, a birth or the naming of a new chief.

Modern Day Potlatch

Subarctic

Subarctic Gwich’in (Yukon), the Dene in the northwest, Cree and Ojibwa (ON and MB) This native region covers a huge area Even though there were a wide variety of tribes in this region, there weren’t that many people altogether living there. weather is extreme and harsh many of the larger animals would migrate south during the winter.

Subarctic Many bands followed the herds wherever they went Different bands worked together to do certain tasks, like trapping, gathering berries and fishing. They would also trade food and medicine.

Government Were generally dispersed into small groups Oldest / wisest male was choosen to be the leader 2 – 3 families might work with 2 leaders – situational leadership Women played role in who was choosen Alliances were through the clan system - matrilineral Was a hostile act to hunt etc in anther clans region without permission

Arctic

The Arctic Inuit Is quite different from other groups, when you consider the cold, harsh environment of the Arctic. There are no trees, lots of deep snow and thick ice, and unique animals, such as seals, walrus, whales and caribou The Inuit people developed a very unique way of life. They created different kinds of hunting gear, like harpoons; they had dog sleds and kayaks to get around; and built temporary igloos for shelter when on hunting expeditions.

Inuit Technology Sunglasses: Made of ivory or wood, these goggles would have thin slits through which a person could look without being blinded by sun reflecting off the snow Cheap Energy: They made lamps of stone or whalebone, with moss for a wick and seal blubber for fuel Transportation: Dog sleds, kayaks Harpoons: the head was made from stone and was attached with walrus-hide line to a shaft of walrus tusk

Government Because of the harsh climate, small family groups were the norm 2-3 families work together with 1-2 leaders – situational leadership Removed if they fail to provide for the group

Shelter While hunting out on the sea ice, they would build igloos only as a temporary shelter from the wind and cold. Other winter houses were built with stones and covered with sod. The coastal Inuit sometimes built larger homes that were partly dug into the ground and covered by seal skin or sod roofs. To make summer homes, animal hides were sewn together and held up with sticks or whale ribs.