Chapter 3 Lesson 4 Inquiry
Completion requirements
Inquiry
Who were the First Nations of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands region?
The First Peoples lived in Canada for a long time before the Europeans came. Long ago five main Haudenosaunee nations in the New York made a confederacy. They agreed not to fight each other but to work for the common good. Three main Haudenoaunee nations lived in Canada: The Oendat people lived near Lake Huron. The Petun or Tobacco Nation lived south and west of the Oendat, and the Neutrals lived in the Niagra area.
When the Europeans arrived in North America, they learned a lot about living in Canada from the First peoples. For example, they learned about growing the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash.
The First Nations people felt that land could be used for survival, but not owned. Since all the necessities of life came from nature, they respected the environment. Their way of life was adapted to their surroundings. For example, the Oendat, great traders, were located near rivers and lakes so they built canoes made of birch bark to travel. They grew lots of corn to trade. They lived in balance with nature.
Europeans thought about land ownership in a different way. They believed land was a useful gift, and could be owned and passed on to future generations. Land ownership was difficult because land was not available to the common person in Britain and France. As more Europeans came to Canada, they began to build farms and settlements. European kings wanted resources from the colonies to gain more power and world influence. Soon the settlements took up more land and the First Nations peoples could no longer move around with the seasons to hunt. This caused conflict between the two groups.
The First Nations people formed alliances with the French because the French did not settle in large numbers and the French priests took the time to learn the Native languages and become friends. The French were not a threat to their land because they were fur traders and trappers.
The First Nations tried to avoid being drawn into French and British wars. They did not want one group or the other to become too powerful. This did not work when France and Britain (and therefore a large part of the world) went to war. The Europeans took advantage of conflicts between First Nations people and drew them into the more global war. When the British defeated the French, it opened the land up for British settlement.
Land use changed. For example, after the War of 1812 between Canada and the United States, the British were worried the Americans would take control of the St. Lawrence River. The British wanted another way to travel from Kingston to Montreal. They built the Rideau canal along the route from Lake Simcoe to the Ottawa River. This was a route many First Nations people had previously navigated.
First Nations peoples lost much because of the Seven Years War. As a result of the war, the British government began to make agreements with the First Nations peoples called treaties. You will learn about this in the next chapter.
When the Europeans arrived in North America, they learned a lot about living in Canada from the First peoples. For example, they learned about growing the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash.
The First Nations people felt that land could be used for survival, but not owned. Since all the necessities of life came from nature, they respected the environment. Their way of life was adapted to their surroundings. For example, the Oendat, great traders, were located near rivers and lakes so they built canoes made of birch bark to travel. They grew lots of corn to trade. They lived in balance with nature.
Europeans thought about land ownership in a different way. They believed land was a useful gift, and could be owned and passed on to future generations. Land ownership was difficult because land was not available to the common person in Britain and France. As more Europeans came to Canada, they began to build farms and settlements. European kings wanted resources from the colonies to gain more power and world influence. Soon the settlements took up more land and the First Nations peoples could no longer move around with the seasons to hunt. This caused conflict between the two groups.
The First Nations people formed alliances with the French because the French did not settle in large numbers and the French priests took the time to learn the Native languages and become friends. The French were not a threat to their land because they were fur traders and trappers.
The First Nations tried to avoid being drawn into French and British wars. They did not want one group or the other to become too powerful. This did not work when France and Britain (and therefore a large part of the world) went to war. The Europeans took advantage of conflicts between First Nations people and drew them into the more global war. When the British defeated the French, it opened the land up for British settlement.
Land use changed. For example, after the War of 1812 between Canada and the United States, the British were worried the Americans would take control of the St. Lawrence River. The British wanted another way to travel from Kingston to Montreal. They built the Rideau canal along the route from Lake Simcoe to the Ottawa River. This was a route many First Nations people had previously navigated.
First Nations peoples lost much because of the Seven Years War. As a result of the war, the British government began to make agreements with the First Nations peoples called treaties. You will learn about this in the next chapter.
Resources for Inquiry
Resources for Inquiry
- Textbook
-
Read pages 72 - 75.
- Library Books
- Early Settlers, chapter 1
- The Great Lakes, page 14
- The St. Lawrence Lowlands, pages 14 - 15
- Websites
- Wyandot Indian Fact Sheet.
- Kid's Site of Canadian Settlement – Mi’kmaq
- Kid’s Site of Canadian Settlement – Wendat (Huron)
- Google Images: Pictures of Longhouses
- Build a Longhouse - Try building your own longhouse online
Notebook
When you feel confident about the information you explored in this inquiry, complete the Lesson 4 Self-Check on the following page.