2.4.3 Cultural Contact
Completion requirements
2.4.3 Cultural Contact
How did Canadian society develop as a result of historical globalization and imperialism?
We know that long before the arrival of settlers from Europe, Canada was inhabited by the First Nations people. However, the arrival of explorers and settlers from France, England, and other European nations changed Canada forever.
The Vikings: Historical evidence shows that the first Europeans in Canada were the Vikings. They founded a colony in Newfoundland at L'Anse Aux Meadows in about 1000 CE. Some natural resources were taken and some trade with the First Nations people occurred, but the Vikings did not remain for long.
The French: New France was explored by traders in search of fish and furs, and it was settled by immigrants who farmed in Acadia (Nova Scotia) and along the St Lawrence River (Quebec). The native people were at first helpful to the newcomers, helping them with food, survival techniques for the long winter, and local medicines to overcome scurvy. Jesuit missionaries arrived as well, converting many First Nations people to Catholicism.
French voyageurs and coureurs de bois began exploring rivers and streams further west. Upon contact with Europeans, the native people began trading furs, fish, and other natural goods for tools, weapons, and other items from France.
The British: Shortly after the French, the British arrived in Canada, landing in the Maritimes. Aided by the native people, they explored much of Canada, searching for a passage to Asia, forming colonies, and obtaining furs and other natural resources. They brought their political and economic systems to the new world. They travelled far inland, establishing trading posts across the country and building farms and settlements on native land in many areas of Canada, including areas of the Maritime provinces and the area around the Great Lakes. The British formed alliances with several native tribes who assisted them with exploration and settlement in exchange for weapons and other goods. This gave power to certain tribes who expanded their own areas of control.
Maps of Aboriginal Contact: The maps below show the areas where Aboriginal societies were known to exist.
Obviously, native tribes had spread across Canada before the arrival of the French and English.
The maps and descriptions beneath show both the awareness of the extent of Aboriginal people and the loss of the Aboriginal population
( depopulation) that occurred as explorers and settlers arrived from France, England, and other parts of Europe .
Known Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, 1630
European knowledge of Aboriginal societies in Canada was restricted to the Iroquois, Sioux, Beothuk, and Algonquins.
Aboriginal population of Canada: about 250 000
Known Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, 1740
This map shows the awareness of Aboriginal peoples after one hundred years of Aboriginal-European contact.
Aboriginal population of Canada: no larger than 200 000
Known Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, 1823
This map shows the distribution of Aboriginal peoples at the height of British rule when the Hudson's Bay Company dominated the fur trade.
Aboriginal population of Canada:
150 000 (reduced by disease, starvation, and warfare)
L'anse aux Meadows, NewfoundlandCourtesy Government of Newfoundland
A battle between the Iroquois and the Algonquian tribes, by Samuel de Champlain. Quebec 1609
Courtesy Library and Archives Canada
Courtesy Library and Archives Canada
Aboriginal men posed in an automobile,
Saskatchewan 1915
Courtesy Ronald R. Mumford,
Library and Archives Canada.
Saskatchewan 1915
Courtesy Ronald R. Mumford,
Library and Archives Canada.
The Vikings: Historical evidence shows that the first Europeans in Canada were the Vikings. They founded a colony in Newfoundland at L'Anse Aux Meadows in about 1000 CE. Some natural resources were taken and some trade with the First Nations people occurred, but the Vikings did not remain for long.
| Watch this YouTube video about the Vikings. |
The French: New France was explored by traders in search of fish and furs, and it was settled by immigrants who farmed in Acadia (Nova Scotia) and along the St Lawrence River (Quebec). The native people were at first helpful to the newcomers, helping them with food, survival techniques for the long winter, and local medicines to overcome scurvy. Jesuit missionaries arrived as well, converting many First Nations people to Catholicism.
French voyageurs and coureurs de bois began exploring rivers and streams further west. Upon contact with Europeans, the native people began trading furs, fish, and other natural goods for tools, weapons, and other items from France.
The British: Shortly after the French, the British arrived in Canada, landing in the Maritimes. Aided by the native people, they explored much of Canada, searching for a passage to Asia, forming colonies, and obtaining furs and other natural resources. They brought their political and economic systems to the new world. They travelled far inland, establishing trading posts across the country and building farms and settlements on native land in many areas of Canada, including areas of the Maritime provinces and the area around the Great Lakes. The British formed alliances with several native tribes who assisted them with exploration and settlement in exchange for weapons and other goods. This gave power to certain tribes who expanded their own areas of control.
Maps of Aboriginal Contact: The maps below show the areas where Aboriginal societies were known to exist.
- Brown shows the area known to Europeans.
- Dots represent the specific location of various Indigenous tribes.
Obviously, native tribes had spread across Canada before the arrival of the French and English.
The maps and descriptions beneath show both the awareness of the extent of Aboriginal people and the loss of the Aboriginal population
( depopulation) that occurred as explorers and settlers arrived from France, England, and other parts of Europe .
Known Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, 1630
European knowledge of Aboriginal societies in Canada was restricted to the Iroquois, Sioux, Beothuk, and Algonquins.
Aboriginal population of Canada: about 250 000
Known Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, 1740
This map shows the awareness of Aboriginal peoples after one hundred years of Aboriginal-European contact.
Aboriginal population of Canada: no larger than 200 000
Known Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, 1823
This map shows the distribution of Aboriginal peoples at the height of British rule when the Hudson's Bay Company dominated the fur trade.
Aboriginal population of Canada:
150 000 (reduced by disease, starvation, and warfare)
Maps used with permission © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, Department of Natural Resources. All rights reserved.