Culture and Currents of Thought
HISTORY OF QUEBEC AND CANADA
The First Occupants – Around 1500
 Native groups occupied the
territory of Quebec thousands
of years before the Europeans
arrived:
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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:
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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:
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Nomadic hunters
Native American Territory – Pre-Contact
The First Occupants – Social Relationships
 Chieftainship:
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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:
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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
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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
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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
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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:
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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
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The First Occupants – European Contact
 In the 16th century, native peoples
came into contact with Europeans:
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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:
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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)
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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 – 1608-1760
 With the establishment of Quebec City the French
settled permanently in the Saint Lawrence Valley:
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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 – 1608-1760
 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
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The French Regime – 1608-1760
 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)
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Diet: The French also introduced native produce into their
diet including squash, corn and maple syrup
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Customs: The French adopted the native custom of smoking
the tobacco pipe
The French Regime – 1608-1760
 Settlements and Housing:
 First major settlements were mainly trading
posts
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Groups of buildings and warehouses surrounded by
palisades
Settlers depended largely on supplies from France
The Seigneurial system was introduced in 1627
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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 – 1608-1760
 Settlements and Housing:
 By the 18th 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
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The French Regime – 1608-1760
 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 – 1608-1760
 The Catholic Church & the
people:
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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 – 1608-1760
 The Catholic Church & the people:
 Hospitals were also founded by religious orders
Hotel-Dieu de Quebec in 1639
 Hotel Dieu de Montreal in 1642
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The French Regime – 1608-1760
 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:
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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 – 1608-1760
 The Catholic Church & the people: Resistance
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Church also banned people from participating in acts which it felt were
immoral
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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 – 1608-1760
 Absolutism in the colony:
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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