Unit 3: Political & Economic Organization

As has been stated, it is important to know the past to understand the present and to plan for the future. We have examined the cultural diversity of the First Nations and Inuit people before the arrival of the Europeans determining that these societies had developed rich social structures influenced by such factors as geographical forces, spiritual beliefs, availability of resources, and climate. Our understanding of the social, political, economic and cultural structure is based on science, legends, tales, spiritual stories and written observations by the very early explorers and traders.  Click on the Pre-European Political and economic Organizations of the First Nations and Inuit People to begin your lesson.

With the coming of the Europeans, social, political, economic and cultural structures were disrupted and, in many cases, destroyed as the two cultures influenced each other.  We will examine the interaction of the two cultures,  European and Aboriginal, and we will try to evaluate some of the repercussions of this interaction on both cultures. From a historical perspective, we will explore some of the current issues being addressed by Aboriginal political and economic organizations. The final aspect of this section will be to research some of the Aboriginal people who have successfully entered into the world of business to improve their quality of life while keeping a balance with traditional practice. Click on the 'Current Issues' lesson icon to begin.

*Note: A more in-depth study of the current successes and challenges of the Aboriginal peoples is studied in Aboriginal Studies 20 and 30.