1. “I mean, what did they (Aboriginal peoples) ever do for Canada? Did they discover gas? Did they discover oil? They didn’t even invent the wheel.” -The Honourable James Richardson, Canada’s Minister of Defence, 1975

2. “When your people came we helped you because you were men, like us, and there was so much you didn’t know. We taught your people how to hunt, how to eat, how to travel. But your people learned only how to survive, you would not learn how to live…

3. Many of us died from your weapons and diseases. Many of us have died inside because you have taken away the surroundings on which our inner lives were built. This land is our soul. And it is upon the souls of thousands of people that this country has been formed.” -From a letter by Chief George Manuel, leader of the National Indian Brotherhood, in response to the Hon. James Richardson,

4. Imagine what it would be like if Bedford was invaded by people with advanced weaponry and communications technology. How would you react? Now imagine that, despite these invaders’ highly sophisticated technologies, they needed your knowledge and skills to get food, to travel, and to survive the cold Nova Scotia winters.

5. This is the situation in which Aboriginal peoples of the Americas found themselves when Europeans began to arrive in their land a few hundred years ago. The consequences of this early cultural interaction, both positive and negative, continue to influence Canadian politics, economics, and society today.

6. As you read this chapter, consider the following questions: What were the Europeans’ primary motivations for expanding into North America? What were the Europeans’ primary motivations for expanding into North America? How did Aboriginal peoples respond to European expansion and colonization? How did Aboriginal peoples respond to European expansion and colonization? How did this contact and expansion affect European societies? How did this contact and expansion affect European societies? In what ways were Aboriginal societies changed as a result of colonization? In what ways were Aboriginal societies changed as a result of colonization?