First Nations of Canada Grade Five Social E. Larson

Who are the First Nations? They were the first group of people or nation to live in Canada. They are the aboriginal or indigenous people in Canada. They include the Inuit and the Metis. They were mistakenly called “Indians”, because the early explorers thought they had discovered India.

How did they get there? They arrived 20 000 years ago. They crossed a land bridge that was created around the ice age, between Alaska and Siberia. The ice age was a time in which all of the Earth was covered in Ice. Humans migrated from Asia into North and South America. They settled into all parts of the continent.

First Nation Lifestyle Over the years, many different and unique groups of first nations developed with their own unique and distinct lifestyle. Many different tribes of first nations inhabited all parts of Canada and North America. Each of their lifestyles depended on where they lived. What the land was like and what it provided for them to survive.

What does lifestyle include? Housing- what they used for shelter Transportation-how they got from place to place Diet- what foods they ate Lifestyle- how they gathered food, whether they were nomadic or settled Clothing- what type of clothes did they wear

Groups of First Nations There are over 200 distinct groups of First Nations Each has its own distinct culture and way of life. Many are similar and also very different. Each developed depending on the land in which they lived.

Inuit

Inuit The Inuit lived in the arctic and subarctic regions of Canada. They were nomadic, as they needed to move with the animals. It is very hard to find food and their diets are high in protein and low in fruits and vegetables.

Housing They lived in igloos. Igloos are homes made up of snow and ice.

Diet The Inuit are primarily hunters and fishers. They hunt walrus, seal, muskox and polar bear.

Transportation The Inuit used sleds, pulled by husky dogs to get around in the winter. They also used kayaks to travel around in the water

Inuit Clothing Inuit clothing is warm because of the cold and harsh conditions of living in the arctic. The clothes are made of animal fur and animal hide. They wore moccasins on their feet.

Inuit Hunting Tools

Haida The Haida are found in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia

Haida- Housing Haida lived in cedar plank homes. Cedar is cut into planks and The front of the home is craved in an intricate design.

Haida Lifestyle The Haida are a settled, rather than nomadic. They primarily get there food from the ocean. They are excellent fisherman. They also grow their own crops, so they were gardeners or farmers. They traveled around the islands in cedar canoes. The canoes are made by carving large cedar trees.

Cedar Canoes

Haida Art The Haida are famous for their totem poles. Each totem pole represent a family group, history or wards off evil spirits.

Haida Clothing Their clothes were made out of wood fibers and wool. They are known for their wide brim hats that protected them from the sunlight.

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi (meaning "original people"; c.f. Ojibwe: Anishinaabeg and Quinnipiac: Eansketambawg) is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta.

Blackfoot Lifestyle A group of 10 to 30 lodges(families), lived together as a band. There was one leader, a male, who was respected. They were a nomadic people, who traveled across the plains with the buffalo.

Blackfoot The Blackfoot used all of the buffalo. They used most of it for food, but also for many tools, clothing and shelter. They were very intelligent when hunting. They often forced the buffalo to jump off a cliff. Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump is a historical site in Alberta.

Diet They ate primarily buffalo. They were hunters and gatherers. They also feed on plants, berries, that they could find nearby. They made pemmican, a dried meat and berry mixture, that could be eaten in the winter.

Housing Because they were nomadic, the Blackfoot lived in teepees. They could be easily transported to a new site.

Clothing The clothing was made out of tanned animal hide. They were decorated with feathers, beads, bones, etc.

Cree The Cree people are the largest First Nation group in all of Canada. They can be divided up into two main groups: The Woodland Cree and the Plains Cree

Woodland Cree They lived in northern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba. They lived in wigwams. A wigwam is a teepee like shelter made out of birch bark. They travelled in birchbark canoes. They were nomadic

Woodland Cree They were hunters and gatherers They made clothes out of animal hide and fur. Specifically hare and caribou fur. They were excellent hunters and trappers and were one of the first aboriginals to trade with the Europeans.

Plains Cree They lived on the plains of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. They lived very similar to the Blackfoot. The hunted buffalo, lived in teepees and were nomadic. There clothes were made of animal hide and they used the bow and arrow.

Cree

Cree location and clothing

Haudenosaunee Was known as the Iroquois Confederacy- the people of the long house. This group is made up of six different tribes. As the group conquered another tribe, they incorporated the new tribes customs and traditions into their own, like a melting pot.

Housing They were about 20 meters long and could hold about 20 or more families Wooden poles (trees) were drilled into the ground and animal hide, grass or bark was woven between the trees.

Diet The Haudenosaunee are primarily farmers, but also fishers and gathers. There main crops were corn, beef and squash. They were a settled group, only migrating when the soil lost its fertility.

Confederacy The Iroquois had one of the earliest forms of government. Each tribe had their own land and they made decisions together. They lived in the lands of southern Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba.

Clothing Each group had their own distinct style. They used animal hide, feathers, bones and fur to decorate their clothing

Mohawk First Nation The Mohawk, a member of the Haudenosaunee, are easily distinguished by their style of clothing and hairstyle.

Huron This tribe of people were part of the Iroquios Confederacy. They were the first group to encounter the Europeans, Jacques Cartier. They culture died out because of disease and war.

Beothuk

Additional Resources http://polsonpark.limestone.on.ca/projects/grassroots2003/Ms.%20Blondel's%20Class/index.htm