Inquiry

Who are the First Nations peoples of the Atlantic region ?



The first peoples to inhabit the Atlantic region were most notably Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Beothuk.


Consider these questions as you complete this inquiry:

  1. Where did these First Peoples live?
  2. What were their lives like?
  3. How did their lives change when the Europeans arrived?
Find the Bering Sea on the Wikicommons map of the Arctic above. Some scientists think some First Peoples came from Asia (Russia) to Canada via a land bridge in the Bering Strait. Others perhaps moved north from South America. Others perhaps sailed down the Pacific Coast into North America.



Resources for Inquiry


  1. Textbook
  • Read pages 42 and 45.   Consider the following questions: 
          • How did the First Nations people make use of natural resources?
          • Why did they travel around instead of living in one place?
          • Does the variety of food available to the people throughout the year provide a balanced diet?
          • How do we know these foods were available?
          • How do we know so much about what life was like so long ago?  (The answer to this question is on the top of page 45.)
  1. Library Book
  • The Kids Book of Canadian Geography, pages 20 – 21
  1. Websites
  • Mi’kmaq
  • Maliseet
  • Beothuk

Notebook


Click here to download, save to your Unit 2 Notebook, and complete First Peoples of the Atlantic Region chart.

Add new information to your chart as you complete the inquiry.

When you feel confident about the information you explored in this inquiry, complete the Lesson 6 Self-Check on the following page.