1. Early Explorers of Canada

2. The Vikings

3. The Vikings
The Vikings came from three countries in an area in Northern Europe called Scandinavia: The modern countries of Scandinavia are Denmark, Norway and Sweden. No Vikings came from Finland, the other Scandinavian country.
The name 'Viking' comes from a language called 'Old Norse' and means 'a pirate raid'. People who went off raiding in ships were said to be 'going Viking'.
The Viking age in European history was about AD 700 to During this period many Vikings left Scandinavia and travelled to other countries, such as Britain and Ireland. Some went to fight and steal treasure. Others settled in new lands as farmers, craftsmen or traders.

4. Viking Ships
The Vikings became a dominant power in Europe because of their ship technology. They built long and narrow ships that could be rowed by the crew or moved by a sail and wind. They were actually called longships. This light ship was very easy to maneuver and it could be used in shallow waters. The Vikings used their ships to travel up rivers to attack villages while other ships from other countries were too large for this.
The Viking ships became a feared sight on the water to all of Europe. Just before they attacked, the Vikings attached a large dragon or snake head to the front of their ship. It was suppose to strike fear into the hearts of those in the village…it worked!

5. Viking Warriors
If seeing the Viking ship caused fear, then seeing the Vikings themselves was the worst thing possible!
The Vikings were some of the most fearsome warriors in history. They were the tallest people in Europe and usually had long red beards and long hair. They had metal helmets with many having horns out the side. They carried large shields and long swords or axes.
When the Vikings attacked, it was savage! They would often work themselves into a type of frenzy just before they attacked. When they did attack, they would run at their opposition screaming and yelling. Some would be foaming at the mouth! They hacked and cut and chopped their way to victory. Those who saw them attack said that they were berserk, a word that has been adopted by our language today which describes someone who goes completely nutso!

7. The Vikings came from an area that had a religion very different from the mostly Christian areas they were attacking. They didn’t know about the Bible or the ten commandments.
The Vikings attacked any place where they thought valuables were located, which included churches, monasteries, castles as well as fancy homes. The people in the attacked countries couldn’t believe there was a group of people so horrible, they would kill defenseless priests and nuns as well as warriors. To the Vikings, it was all the same. They didn’t know that priests and nuns were holy people. Monasteries and churches often had lots of gold and silver and money, so they were logical places to attack. The people inside were killed because they were in the way. Once they were done, the Vikings burned it all down and moved on.

8. Roaming Vikings
The Vikings were both fierce fighters and great sailors. Wherever they went, they conquered the local people and killed those who tried to stand against them. All of the people around Europe feared them.
Yet, the Vikings were more than just warriors, they were settlers. Wherever they conquered, they left people behind to turn the community into a Viking community and to make sure it stayed that way.
One of the first areas the Vikings settled after exploring beyond Scandinavia was Britain. Britain wasn’t very far away from Scandinavia and the land was better for farming. The weather was also better.
The parts of Britain where most Vikings settled were northern Scotland and eastern England. For 500 years, from about AD 900, Vikings ruled the north of Scotland, the Orkney and Shetland isles and the Hebrides islands off the west coast. In Ireland, Vikings started the city of Dublin.

9. The Vikings were never inactive for very long
The Vikings were never inactive for very long. After England, the Vikings sailed or marched to and then conquered most of Europe. From France to Spain and then west to Russia – the Vikings dominated Europe.
After Europe, the last area the Vikings sailed to was north and west to Iceland and then to Greenland. ‘Erik the Red’ and his son ‘Leif Eriksson’ travelled to these new lands. They left settlements on both islands.
Once they made it to Greenland, it was only a matter of time before they sailed to North America. In the year 1000, they sailed to a land that would become known as Canada over 800 years later.
The Vikings called this area Vinland.

11. Viking Sagas
A saga is a story. When the Vikings were conquering Europe and travelling around in their ships, there were plenty of stories to write down. Many of these stories remain today because they were written down and told to others for hundreds of years. Today, there is a large collection of sagas that give historians tons of information about the Vikings.
Two sagas, called the Greenland Saga and The Saga of Eirik the Red tell of the Viking’s journey to North America. Together, these two sagas are often called the Vinland Sagas (remember, the Vikings called North America ‘Vinland’).
Historians believe that the Vikings did come to North America, but where they landed has never been agreed upon. The Sagas have lots of info, but not all of it can be relied upon fully.

12. The Vikings in Canada Hammer of Thor Ungava Bay longhouse
Most people believe that the Vikings made it to Canada and did build villages and communities
First, they landed in Ungava Bay, an area in Northern Quebec. Later, they settled in the northern tip of Newfoundland in an area called L’Anse Aux Meadow.
In Ungava, Canadian archeologists discovered a rock formation that resembled a Viking longhouse. This longhouse had fire pits as well. They also discovered rock cairns (like Native inukshuks) that were not Native construction. The one rock cairn was named ‘The Hammer of Thor’ by one archeologist.

13. Viking longhouse reconstruction similar to what was found in Ungava in Northern Quebec. This shows that the Vikings did live communally like the many Native groups we have studied this year.

14. Vikings in Newfoundland
The best example of a Viking Village in Canada was found in Northern Newfoundland in a place called L’anse aux Meadow.
In 1960, a Norwegian explorer named Helge Ingstad conducted an extensive search along the Newfoundland coast looking for evidence of the Vikings in North America. A local resident named George Decker led him to an area of overgrown mounds and ridges.
Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, recognized the similarities between these mounds and mounds found in other Viking settlements in Europe. They spent the next eight years leading an international team of archeologists who excavated the site.
They uncovered many things like the ruins of buildings, cooking pits, and an iron forge that would have been used by a blacksmith. They also found smaller artifacts such as a bronze cloak-fastening pin, a bone needle, and spindle whorl. The last two items were used for sewing and knitting suggested there were women in the settlement as well.

15. This small village was likely only a seasonal camp for Vikings living in Greenland. They would use Newfoundland and other areas further south for getting wood for homes and fuel as well as animals and furs for food and clothing.
No one knows how long they stayed in Newfoundland, but long enough to get into a little trouble with the Natives!
The Sagas talk about the Skraelings, the name the Vikings gave to the local Natives who lived in that part of Newfoundland. Today, we know that the Skraeling Natives the Vikings fought with were the Beothuk.

17. Beothuk
Shanawdithit
One thing that is known about the Beothuk was their love of the colour red. This red came from a mineral called red ochre that was found in the clay. Many Natives used red ochre as colouring, but no other tribe used it as extensively as the Beothuk.
They literally covered everything - their bodies, faces, hair, clothing, personal possessions, and tools - with a red paint made from powdered ochre mixed with either fish oil or animal grease. The reasons why they used it are unknown, but speculation has ranged from their religion (about which we know very little) to protection from insects.
The practice was so excessive, even the Micmac Natives referred to them as the ‘Red Indians’, and it is believed the term "redskin" used for Native Americans hundreds of years ago probably started after early contacts between European fishermen and the Beothuk. Shanawdithit, the Last Beothuk died in 1829.

18. A Viking Cow?
The Sagas tell of trading and fighting between the Vikings and the Beothuk. One large battle between the two was fought over a Viking cow!
The Vikings did not stay long in Newfoundland. By 1100, they had left the area never to return.
So if the Vikings were so good at fighting and settling, why did they leave Newfoundland?
Some reasons may be:
These Vikings were small in numbers and were not interested in continuous settlement.
The world experienced a temperature drop which made Newfoundland less desirable to live in.
The Vikings were tired of constant fighting with the Natives.
The Vikings experiences fighting from within their own group.