Natives in Canada

A closer look at Aboriginal Society

We are going to take a close look at the Artic, Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Plateau and Northwest natives in this unit. Each native group had different terrains, climate, lifestyles, agriculture/food and many other factors that were faced on a daily basis. Each one had special unique talents and attributes that they were able to bring to the table – especially upon the arrival of European settlers.

Home FrontThe lifestyle of the natives in Canada was the antithesis of the European lifestyle.Native homes were much more weather suitable than that of the 1500’s European homes. European’s would create homes where they would sit inside and watch the seasons change. Or create castles that were open to the seasonal elements. Natives, on the other hand, would build dwellings that were more suitable to protect themselves from the harsh elements of the weather.

Home FrontNatives would build dome-shaped lodges or wigwams covered with birch-bark that only had woven mats or skins on the ground.

Cedar House

Wigwam

Home FrontHouses in Europe were built to house only one family. Housing that was built by the Natives were designed to house a community.Ultimately, houses built by native tribes were not for convenience, but for survival to combat the climate and to take care of their community. Whereas European’s built houses that were designed for the individual, and did not really care to much about the community.

LifestyleNative Canadians had to learn about the harsh climate and seasonally limited resources. As such, they learned to adapt to their surroundings and lived a healthier and longer lives than that of their European counterparts. Most aboriginal people were remarkably well nourished and fit, particularly when they were being compared to that of Europeans at the same time.

TechnologyAgain, like on the home front, natives in Canada built only things they needed to survive. Two things they built that were so well developed that we even use them today were the canoe and the snowshoe.

The Idea of CommunityNone of the technology that natives built – bows and arrows, knives, canoes, houses, and etc… - were built to create personal fortune. Community solidarity was much more important to Native Canadians than was personal wealth. If one prospered in a hunt or in trade, nothing commanded more respect from their peers than to share their success with others.

The Idea of CommunityEven amongst different tribes, nothing commanded more respect than to ensure other tribes were as healthy and as successful as that of your own. For example, amongst the Cree and the Ojibwa people, if one group failed to supply the needs of their community, they had the right to hunt and fish on the others tribes territory that had a surplus of animals to hunt. This as to ensure both tribes were adequately taken care of.

The Idea of CommunityHistorian J.R. Miller said, “sharing and redistribution of material goods were not just admired but required; acquisitiveness and selfishness were abhorred and shunned.”The idea of having a surplus was temporary, a passing condition to be enjoyed only until it was consumed or shared with others.

The Idea of Community

Natives believed that hunting was a necessity. But when they hunted, they used EVERY part of the animal. They only hunted enough to survive, to ensure that the breed of animal they hunted were able to replenish itself for the following years. I.E. they never took more than they needed. A very selfless act to be sure.

Family LifeWith Europeans, raising a family was the responsibility of the parents (mostly the mother). Whereas in native tribes the responsibility of raising a family was a community initiative. It was ok for other people to help raise a child and interact with him or her. The idea being that they would then feel apart of the community. Premarital sex was ok, those that desired same-sex relationships was deemed ok and if one was to engage in cross-gender dressing, that too was accepted. The family life amongst a native tribe was very accepting that had a strong ties to community living.

PoliticsPolitics were discussed amongst a group of people known as the “band”, it was like a now-a-day council.At the band level the purpose was to find a consensus. The method of counting heads and going with the majority – like that of European culture – made little sense to native tribes. Equally as befuddling to native tribes was the patriarchal idea of society – that men were naturally superior to and ought to have power over women. The native tribes did have gender based roles, but their roles were complementary of each other, rather than in rank and order.

Aboriginal Society vs European Culture

Ultimately, aboriginal people were much more accepting of ones point of view. They choose to find solutions everyone agreed upon, instead of majority rules. They believed in strength within a community. They believed in only taking what was needed, and when they took the life of an animal they were sure to use all of the animal for their survival.

Aboriginal Society vs European Culture

They believed in accepting people they way they are - homosexual, heterosexual, cross-gender and etc…They believed in ensuring everyone, even neighboring tribes, were well taken care of.

Aboriginal Society vs European Culture

Europeans believed in a majority ruleThey believed that houses were built for one familyThe believed in profits, land ownership, and the power of money. They believed in quasi-community strength – usually found in nationalism pride.

Aboriginal Society vs European Culture

Sharing was not of a political led thing, but rather a religious led effort. Great Britain would rarely share with France – for example.European culture was more selfish, greedy and looking inward, as opposed to external.

So what happened when they met

Europeans brought to North America:Diseases such as influenza, smallpox, typhus, cholera and many other diseases. Guns, gun powder and bullets Trading patternsReligion

In Quebec Catholicism was brought to the native that lived in Quebec. If you were sick, and wanted to be “healed” you would have to convert to Catholicism first.

Residential SchoolsOnce a national governments was put together in Canada, the government wrote the Indian Act of 1876In this act they created residential schools. These schools were designed to remove the native culture from native children and to have them integrated as good “white” citizen. The picture to the right is of Thomas Moore, heentered the school wearingtraditional native apparel and left the school wearingEuropean apparel.

Lost TerritoryThe Residential Treatment also saw the natives lose their land and being forced to live on residential territory. All this culminated to the Riel Rebellion in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. It ended up being a really big mess… the treatment the Natives went through was brutal, mean and cruel. It was not until June 11, 2008 when the federal government apologized to the Native Canadians for the way the Federal government treated native’s in the past.