Contact

&

Colonization

On the eve of contact Aboriginal societies were flourishing

They depended on nature for survival

They had invented new technologies

They had diverse, complex societies

There were 7 major cultural regions in Canada:

Woodlands (Hunters & Farmers) / Plateau / Interior Plains /

Northern Subarctic / Pacific Coast / Arctic

Aboriginal Peoples had

adapted to their specific

environment

What they all had in common was their close

relationship with the environment.

Their food, shelter, technologies, and weapons

all reflected their environment.

Their forms of government

reflected their groups as well:

• Smaller, nomadic tribes had

egalitarian governments

which reflected the interests

of the group over the

individual

• Larger, sedentary tribes had

more centralized authority

The arrival of Europeans disrupted the

delicate balance of the Aboriginals

lives.

At the beginning, both sides benefited from

each other.

It is important to

remember that contact

didn’t occur

overnight…it was over

a 200 year period.

On the eve of contact, European societies

were vying for supremacy in Europe.

Most of their trade was with Asia, but it was becoming

more difficult.

o Expanding Islamic empires restricted travel over

their territory

o Travel to Asia was exceedingly far and costly

o A new route to Asia needed to be found

• During this time the Roman Catholic

Church greatly influenced values and

laws.

• The Reformation was a movement that

questioned Catholic practices and

eventually led to the formation of the

Protestant denominations.

The remaining

catholic nations

such as France,

Portugal, and Spain

launched the

counter-reformation

to spread the

values of the

Catholic Church.

The European nations practiced

colonialism whereby they exploited the

resources of the lands they conquered to

create wealth in their homeland

• Spices

• Silks

• Furs

• Timber

• Fish

• Food

• People

In the late 1500’s, Portugal,

Spain, and the Netherlands

were the imperial powers.

In the 1600’s, England and

France emerged as

dominant powers.

When Christopher

Columbus arrived

in the Caribbean

in 1492 he

thought that he’d

arrived in India

and had found

the precious

Western route to

the Orient.

News of Columbus’ discovery led to a wave of

European explorers crossing the Atlantic.

John Cabot sailed around land that he

called “New Found Land” and made a

discovery that would impact the entire

continent…

…a seemingly endless supply of cod fish.

Meat was prohibited to be eaten in Catholic society

153 days a year so fish was a true prize.

The arrival of the

fishing fleets

signalled the

beginning of European/Aboriginal

trade.

The fur trade also flourished and

competition for the best trade

routes developed between the

French and English.

The impact of contact

on Aboriginal Peoples

was profound.

European technologies

that they used such as

guns, knives, and

kettles changed the

ways in which they

performed traditional

tasks.

The fur trade intensified long-standing

hostilities among First Nations societies

The depletion of land and animal resources

hampered Aboriginal ways of life.

European infectious diseases such as smallpox,

measles, and a variety of flu strains decimated

Aboriginal populations

The introduction of alcohol also had

devastating effects

Contact led Aboriginal Peoples from a

lifestyle of independence to one of

interdependence and dependence.

The impact of contact on European

society was more positive:

o New foods were being served on European

tables such as potatoes, corn, tomatoes,

and beans

o Immense wealth was achieved through the

exploitation of resources and from

cheap/free labour

o A worldwide economic revolution took

place after the discovery of the Americas

o Contact transformed Europe into capitalist

societies and economic powers.

Worldview: Read and Respond

AND

National Geographic: America before Columbus