First Peoples of Canada

An Introduction
First Peoples of Canada
We will begin by looking at different First
Peoples groups of Canada in a historical
and traditional context

However, First Peoples across Canada

have a rich, adapting culture today as well
one that combines their heritage with
contemporary issues and technologies.

Supaman- Why:
A few of your questions:

What was the first Aboriginal group in

Canada?
 Where did they come from?
Some scientists believe that ancestors of all North
American First Nations people crossed over on foot
from Asia to North America at least 12,000 years ago.

Sea Levels were lower at the time, and a land bridge

existed between Russia and Alaska, in the Bering Sea.

The theory is that nomadic hunting people followed

the big animals (moose, deer, elk, buffalo) for food, and
eventually moved south and spread out as the ice
sheets melted back. Then they evolved different
cultures to suit different environments.
The Bering Land Bridge
Then what happened?
Who is this guy?
Christopher Columbus believed he
In fourteen hundred ninety-two,
had reached the East Indies, on his
way to India. Columbus sailed the ocean
He therefore first used the word
blue
Indian to describe the Native
people of North America. He is often accredited with
discovering North America.
This was not a name that the
people used to describe
themselves.
Whats in a name?
Im sure you have heard many different terms for the First Peoples of Canada.

Can you name a few?

What are the differences?

Using the words and definitions provided. Match each term with the appropriate
definition.
Aboriginal People
A collective name for the original peoples of North America
and their descendants.

In Canada there are 3 recognized groups of Aboriginal

Peoples- Indians (First Nations), Metis, and Inuit.

These are three separate peoples with unique heritages,

languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.
Band
A band is a community of First Nation people for whom lands
have been set apart.
The members of a band generally share common values,
traditions and practices rooted in their ancestral heritage.
Today, many bands prefer to be known as First Nations.
First Nation(s)
A term that came into common usage in the 1970s to replace
the word "Indian," which some people find offensive.

The term should not be used as a synonym for Aboriginal

Peoples because it doesnt include Inuit or Mtis.
Many have also adopted the term "First Nation" to replace the
word "band" in the name of their community. Eg. Squamish
First Nation (or Squamish Nation).
First Peoples
"First Peoples" is another collective term used to describe the
original peoples of Canada and their descendants.

It is used less frequently than terms like "Aboriginal peoples"

and "Native peoples." It includes First Nation, Mtis, and Inuit.
Indian
The term "Indian" collectively describes all the Aboriginal
people in Canada who are not Inuit or Mtis.

The term "Indian" is considered outdated by many people,

and offensive to some, and there is much debate over
whether to continue using this term.
Indigenous
Indigenous means "native to the area"(or originating in the
area). In this sense, Aboriginal people are indeed indigenous
to North America.

Its meaning is similar to "Aboriginal peoples," "Native

peoples" or "First Peoples."

The term is rarely used, but when it is used, it usually refers

to Aboriginal people internationally.
Inuit
Inuit are the Aboriginal people of Arctic Canada united by a common culture and
language.

Inuit live primarily in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and northern parts of
Labrador and Quebec, above the treeline.

The word "Inuit" means "the people" in Inuktitut, the Inuit language, and is the term
by which Inuit refer to themselves. Avoid using the term "Inuit people" as the use
of "people" is redundant. Its like saying People People.

The term "Eskimo," was once given to Inuit by European explorers and is now
rarely used in Canada. It means raw meat eaters, and many people find the
term offensive.
Inuk
Inuk is the singular form of Inuit.

Use Inuk when referring to one person.

When referring to two people, the correct term is Inuuk.

For three or more people, it is Inuit.

Mtis
French for "mixed blood." The Canadian Constitution recognizes Mtis people as
one of the three Aboriginal peoples.

Historically, the term applied to the children of French fur traders and Cree women
in the Prairies, and of English and Scottish traders and Dene women in the North.

Today, the term is used broadly to describe people with mixed First Nations and
European ancestry who identify themselves as Mtis, distinct from Indian people,
Inuit, or non-Aboriginal people. (Many Canadians have mixed Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal ancestry, but not all identify themselves as Mtis.)
Native
"Native" is a word similar in meaning to "Aboriginal."

"Native peoples" is a collective term to describe the

descendants of the original peoples of North America.

The term is increasingly seen as outdated and is starting to

lose acceptance.
A few of your questions:

How many Aboriginal groups are there?

First Peoples of Canada
There are 617 Aboriginal communities in Canada.

Here is a map: http://native-land.ca/

A few of your questions:

What languages do First Nations people

speak?
Languages
There are around 60 distinct Indigenous languages in Canada.

Many languages have decreased from one generation to the next, recognition of
this has led to efforts by Indigenous peoples to revitalize and sustain their
languages.

On 6 December 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a plan to

implement a new law to protect and preserve Indigenous languages in Canada.
A few of your questions:

Did they have a civilization or did they

keep migrating to different places?
Civilizations vs. Nomadic
Some groups were nomadic hunter gathers,

others were farmers and developed stationary communities.

Specific Groups
You will be working in groups to research one broad group of First Peoples of
Canada.
Reflection- 10-15 minutes
1. What do you think life was like for your Aboriginal group of Canada before
contact with the Europeans?
2. What do you believe would have been positive aspects of living in this
society?
3. What do you believe would have been negative aspects of living in this
society?
4. How did life change after contact with Europeans, and the formation of
Canada? Use prior knowledge you have learned, or make inferences.