Peopling of Canada
The Canadian Identity
• Canada has always been a land of immigrants.
There is no evidence of human habitation in
Canada that dates back hundreds of
thousands of years (as is the case with Africa
of Asia); any possible indication of pre-historic
ancestors was scraped away by the glaciers of
the Ice Age 10 000 years ago.
• There is proof that people lived in Canada
during the early post-glacial era, and it has
been scientifically concluded that all peoples
of Canada migrated here from elsewhere.
Three Stages of Immigration
• Immigration into Canada took place in three
stages. The first known immigrants to Canada
were those whom we call “Native” or “First
Nations” peoples.
• The circumstances that led to their coming are
unknown and unrecorded, but most theories
hold that they crossed into North America
from Asia when there was a land bridge across
the Bering Strait.
• The second era of immigration began in the
European Age of Discovery, with the settling
of the French, British and others. The third
and most recent influx of people into Canada,
which has taken place during the last century
• or so, has coincided with the development of
a “global community” and includes the arrival
of people from almost every country and
culture in the world.
Melting Pot
• Canadians perceive their multicultural society
to be different from most other societies in
the world, and they are proud of the
differences. The United States, which is a
much larger and stronger society than ours (in
almost every respect), is usually labeled a
“melting pot”, where immigrants lose their
separate identities and quickly become
American.
Salad
• Canada is often described as a mosaic, with
each individual segment maintaining varied
cultural traditions. (another description of
Canada is a salad where each individual part
retains its own unique “flavour”).
• Canadians also like to think of their
government as being sensitive towards the
aspirations of minority cultures, very different
from countries such as Russia that are
dominated by a single strong ethnic group.
• Our tolerance and promotion of varied
cultures, religions and languages make us very
different from countries such as the U.S.,
Russia, and China and make us a popular
country to move to.
PROS AND CONS OF
MULTICULTURALISM
• There are many benefits of pursuing our selfmade identity as an immigrant, multi-cultural,
national community. Our different cultures
give our society a richness and variety that
other, more homogeneous peoples lack.
• The presence of many minorities makes
political moderation and toleration absolutely
necessary if we are to live in peace; in this way
our diversity brings out the best in us.
Assignment #1
The First People – focus questions, pages 14-18
Write a well-organized paragraph that describes the
pro’s and con’s of assimilation, integration and
separation of Native People in regards to
Canadian society. (12 marks) This should be
approx. 2/3 of a page long.
In point form, summarize the five aspects of
Aboriginal culture and technology discussed on
pages 17/18. (10 marks)
• Each of our cultural groups offers a great deal
to the Canadian community – much more
than the image of costumes and special foods.
• Distinct languages express different ideas and
philosophies, some of which have a strong
effect on the laws that are made, others bring
special skills that they brought as immigrants
(fishing, farming, etc).
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There are also disadvantages to
multiculturalism which need to be considered
alongside the benefits. Canadians are often
viewed as spending too much time trying to
figure each other out and not paying enough
attention to the rest of the world.
• Our vast array of peoples can also make a
country disunited, and can prevent us from
moving and thinking as a mass (as the
Americans do). Multiculturalism can also flare
into multi-nationalism, where particular
ethnic groups fight for special privileges or
special recognition at the expense of other
groups within society.
• How has the scattered and ill-defined
Canadian identity, which is alternatively
praised and reviled by the people who created
it come about?
Reassessment
• First, immigration over such a long time
period has created a constant change and
reassessment of our national personality.
Ethnic Grouping VS Assimilation
• Immigration in waves is another reason –
throughout our history people have come to
Canada in large groups and have tended to
stick together after getting here, rather than
assimilating immediately into a non-ethnic
mainstream.
Local VS National Mindset
• While these groupings have allowed language
and tradition to be preserved, it has also led
to making Canadians a “local” people due to
its great distances and difficult climate.
Assignment #2
• After reading page 20 of your textbook
entitled “Images of Aboriginal People”, answer
questions 1,2,4 from the text, PLUS:
• Write a short (6-8 line) paragraph explaining
what some of the stereotypes of YOUR
cultural group might be. Be sure to include
both the positive and negative parts!
FIRST NATIONS BEFORE 1500
• Estimates of the Native
population of N.A. at the time of
continuous European contact
have varied greatly, from 30 -100
million. This includes at least 50
distinct cultures encompassing 12
language groupings!
• In the 16th century, the First
Nations lived in societies ranging
from the egalitarian Athapaskan
tribes of the subarctic to the
slave-owning, highly stratified
societies of the West Coast.
• One very important region
was that of southern
Ontario and New York
State.
SOUTHERN ONTARIO
• At first, this area had Aboriginal
groups hunting caribou, but as time
went on and the climate warmed,
boreal forest replaced the tundra
and deer replaced the caribou.
FOOD SUPPLY IMPROVES
• As people began catching fish in
nets and using milling stones and
mortars to grind nuts, berries and
roots the food supply became
more varied and reliable.
WAR AND LEISURE
• By the time Europeans made contact in
this area life was much more sedentary –
explorers encountering the Iroquois saw
palisaded settlements of 1500-2000
people whose well-crafted pottery
suggested that there was wealth (and
leisure time) in the area.
INVENTIONS
• During the 12000 years of habitation on the
Prairies, inventions such as the atlatl, bow and
arrow and buffalo pound increased the
amount of time available for spiritual and
leisure activities. Despite the obvious
differences in their societies, there were some
common threads found in the fabric of Native
cultures.
COMMON CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
• In all Native societies, religion, as much as
nature, regulated everyday life. Native
religions are characterized by a belief in a
divinity residing within all living creatures as
well as within all natural objects.
• First Nations people did not see themselves as
the masters of their environment; rather, they
believed that their communion with the spirits
was the secret to any successes they might
have in staking out a living and achieving
happiness.
• A common feature of Native societies was
their knowledge of the uses of a wide range of
materials found in the natural world. A
familiarity with the properties of various types
of wood and other natural materials led to the
successful production of items such as canoes,
snowshoes, toboggans, cooking utensils and
weapons.
• The Aboriginal peoples’ knowledge of their
environment would prove crucial to the
Europeans when they turned their attention
to the profits available from exploiting the
resources of North America.
Trade Items
• Native willingness to trade with the Europeans
reflected the already established lines of trade
among themselves. First Nations traded for
items their own areas did not have, and
included items such as copper, iron, flint,
walrus ivory, bird feathers and birch bark
canoes.
Assignment #3
• In the textbook ,read the boxed passage on
pages 24/25.
• In complete sentences, answer questions
1,2,4,5 found on page 25.
NETWORKS
• First Nations peoples also had well-established
networks that moved items and information
over long distances. When Europeans arrived,
Native people introduced them to, and guided
them along, the established water routes,
forest paths and prairie trails.
• Trade was the peaceful side of relations
among Native groups, but warfare among
neighbours occurred in every region. It is
important to remember that while similarities
existed among the different peoples of North
America, each region developed unique
cultural practices.
Assignment #4 - Powerpoint
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People of the Plains – Powerpoint/Research Assignment
Make a powerpoint with photos that covers the following:
Title slide
1 slide showing a map of the Plains Culture area
2 slides covering the Blackfoot Confederacy
2 slides on the Assiniboine and Sioux (general info)
2 slides on food on the plains
Slides showing/explaining 10 uses of the buffalo to the Aboriginal people
1 slide on the teepee
1 slide on the Sun Dance
1 slide on the use of dogs
1 slide (minimum showing sources of information)
Effects & Extras: transitions with no sounds, varied backgrounds, pictures
whenever possible. Listed number of slides represents a MINIMUM
standard.
THE FIRST NATIONS OF THE ATLANTIC AND
GULF REGION
• The Mi’kmaq were the largest group in what is
today Atlantic Canada. The region’s Algonkian
peoples also included the Beothuk in
Newfoundland and the Maliseet of what is
now southern New Brunswick.
• In Newfoundland, the rugged
terrain and harsh climate limited
the potential for population
growth. The Beothuk (estimated
to number about 1000 in the year
1500),
• depended heavily on the caribou for
food and clothing, which they
hunted during the herds’ fall
migration. As for other Aboriginal
peoples in the Atlantic region,
marine resources such as seals,
seabirds, fish and shellfish were
critical for survival.
• The Mi’kmaq were relatively
affluent, living in one of Canada’s
more favoured geographical areas.
Populations estimates ranged from
3500 to 35000 before 1500.
Assignment #5
• Identify these people, places and events and explain
their historical significance to Canada’s developing
culture and identity:
• Iroquois
• League of Five Nations (Haudenonsaunee)
• Matrilineal society
• Pemmican, pit houses, potlatch, kayak, the “three
sisters”
• To be researched using computers but hand written
(in pen) using a title/point form format