Chapter 4 Lesson 5 Inquiry
Completion requirements
Inquiry
What was life like for the first Europeans who came to the
Canadian Shield?
In the past, money was not needed as much because goods could be traded or bartered. People exchanged goods, such as chickens or beaver pelts, for items they wanted or needed, such as axes and mirrors.
Coureurs de bois (runners of the woods) were traders who left New France to trade with other people groups. To trade with other people groups, coureurs de bois would need to know various languages. The coureurs de bois did not work for any company. They were independent business people. The French government soon tried to outlaw their independent activity because they were cutting into the government profits.
Coureurs de bois (runners of the woods) were traders who left New France to trade with other people groups. To trade with other people groups, coureurs de bois would need to know various languages. The coureurs de bois did not work for any company. They were independent business people. The French government soon tried to outlaw their independent activity because they were cutting into the government profits.
Resources for Inquiry
Resources for Inquiry
- Textbook
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Read pages 103-105.
- Library Books
- Discovering First Peoples and First Contacts, pages 28 – 29
- Early Settlers, pages 58-87
- Websites
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Canadian History Wordpress:
Coureurs de Bois: Runners of the Woods
- Maison St. Gabriel Quebec Museum: Life in the Wilderness
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Hudson’s Bay Company:
- Coureur de Bois Etienne Brule, Radisson Video:
- Etienne Brule: Life among the Hurons
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Canadian Museum of Civilization:
Etienne Brule
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Great Upper Canada Adventure
- Interactive game about being a new settler in Canada.
Digging Deeper
You may enjoy the library book, The Journal of Etienne Mercier.
It is a fictional account of what Etienne Mercier may have written in a diary
about his life as the first coureurs de bois who left any writings behind.
Canadian Métis author, David Bouchard, wrote it.
It is a fictional account of what Etienne Mercier may have written in a diary
about his life as the first coureurs de bois who left any writings behind.
Canadian Métis author, David Bouchard, wrote it.
When you feel confident about the information you explored in this inquiry, complete the Lesson 5 Self-Check on the following page.