The History of Treaties in Canada - Activity #1
Indigenous
People
The United Nations states that there are approximately 370 million
Indigenous people in the world spread across 70 countries. Practicing
unique traditions, they retain social, cultural, economic and political
characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in
which they live. Spread across the world from the Arctic to the South
Pacific, they are the descendants - according to a common definition
- of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the
time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived. The
new arrivals later became dominant through conquest, occupation,
settlement or other means.
1. Define Indigenous.
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2. Looking at a map or globe of the world, select a country.
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3. Who are the Indigenous peoples of this country?
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4. Provide a brief description of the Indigenous peoples of the country you selected. Present a minimum of five
facts.
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The History of Treaties in Canada - Activity #2
The First People
of Canada
To appreciate this lesson, it is important that students understand what
life was like for First Nations people prior to the arrival of Europeans in
what is now Canada. As examined in the video, The History of Treaties
in Canada, aboriginal people were the first inhabitants of Canada.
They had a well-established existence throughout the country and had
a healthy relationship with the natural environment. They relied on
hunting, fishing and gathering for their survival.
Explore the connection First Nations people have to the land as expressed through their stories, traditions and
ceremonies.
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Describe the ways First Nations people used the land and nature to meet their needs, and explain how they
showed respect to the environment.
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Choose one First Nations group in North America and research the form of governance and decision-making
that was traditional in that tribe.
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Research the importance of ceremonies and traditions in the First Nations group you have selected (eg.,
ceremonies, celebrations, gatherings, trading, seasonal migration, or family traditions)
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The HIstory of Treaties in Canada
Many First Nations people were nomadic people with a special relationship to the land. Everything they
needed to survive was found in their surroundings, sometimes in different places in each season. For First
Nations groups living on the prairies, the buffalo were most important. Describe how buffalo contributed to
the survival of First Nations prairie groups. Describe the impact of treaties on First Nations. What were the
events that led to the reduction of the numbers of buffalo on the prairies of North America?
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Detail the ways in which First Nations peoples supported the survival of early European newcomers to Canada.
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McIntyre Media Inc. tel: 800-565-3036 fax: 519-942-8489 email: info@mcintyre.ca www.mcintyre.ca
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