Understanding Societal Terms

Important Terms to Know

• Economic: Deals with the financial aspects of a society or region.
• Cultural: Refers to the beliefs, customs, and traditions of a group of people.
• Political: Focuses on the systems of governance and power within a society.
• Social: Examines the relationships and interactions between people in a society.
• Cause: The reason something happens.
• Consequence: The result of an action or event.
• Way of Life: Describes how a group of people live, including their activities, beliefs, and traditions.
• Physiographic region: A geographical area defined by its landforms.
• Dwelling: A place where someone lives.
• Linguistic group: Individuals who speak the same language or a closely related group of languages.
• Subsistence Activity: The activities performed by a group of people to support their basic needs.
• Demographic: Statistical data related to a population (e.g., age, gender, location).

Bering Strait Theory

• First occupants crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia to North America around 30,000 BCE.
• Around 15,000 BCE, ice melted, forming a corridor allowing further migration.
• By 12,000 BCE, occupants had reached and settled in Quebec.

Algonquian Way of Life (Social and Political Organization)

• Nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving to follow game (hunting, fishing, gathering).
• Social structure was patriarchal (men/fathers in control).
• Dwellings were wigwams.
• Leadership (band chief) based on qualities like hunting skills and courage.

Iroquois Way of Life (Social and Political Organization)

• Sedentary lifestyle, staying in one place for a long time.
• Practiced agriculture (3 sisters: corn, squash, and beans).
• Social structure was matriarchal (women/mothers in control).
• Dwellings were longhouses surrounded by palisades.
• Leadership involved a village council comprising men appointed by clan mothers.

Inuit Way of Life (Social and Political Organization)

• Nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving to follow game (hunting seals, walrus, whale, caribou).
• Social structure was patriarchal (men/fathers in control).
• Dwellings were igloos (winter) and tents (summer).
• Also relied on parkas and dogsleds.

Roles of Men and Women (Iroquois and Algonquian)

• Iroquoian men: Hunting, fishing, building longhouses, trade, and community defense.
• Iroquoian women: Gathering, agriculture, childcare, cooking.
• Algonquian men: Fishing, hunting, making tools, canoes.
• Algonquian women: Gathering, childcare, cooking, clothing preparation, and homemaking.

Passing of Knowledge

• Elders passed on myths, legends, and history to the next generation to maintain cultural continuity.
• There was no written language system.

Gift-Giving

• Reciprocity was involved in gift-giving.
• It was a way to create trade and military alliances.

Alliances and Rivalries

• Alliances were partnerships between groups.
• Rivalries involved conflicts and/or competition between groups.
• The Iroquois Confederacy was one example of a lasting alliance.

European Exploration Motives (15th-16th Centuries)

• Blocked traditional trade routes to Asia by the Turks.
• Searching for new routes to Asia.
• Desire for wealth (gold) and increase in power.
• Missionary zeal to convert indigenous peoples to Christianity.

Cod Fisheries (Newfoundland)

• 1497: John Cabot discovered the Great Fishing Banks.
• European fishermen temporarily settled.
• Cod fishing and whaling became a major economic activity.

Voyages of Jacques Cartier

• Explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• Claimed land for France.
• Explored the St. Lawrence River.
• One of his expeditions had several deaths due to scurvy.

Economy Policy - Mercantilism

• Colonies provided raw materials to the mother country.
• Manufactured goods from the mother country were sold to colonies and other countries for profit.
• Colony's economy was based on providing materials to the home country.

The Seigneurial System

• Method of dividing land in an orderly fashion, providing food and population.
• Land was divided into long narrow strips perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River.

Fur Trade

• The French were interested in establishing a colony to exploit the fur trade.
• Indigenous people hunted fur and traded with the French.
• French artisans would turn the furs into goods for sale.

Review - Chapter 1

• Question 1: Physiographic regions influenced aspects of the first occupants' societies (e.g., agriculture, settlements).
• Question 2 (a): Maliseet and Mi'kmaq moved regularly to follow resources and hunting/fishing.
• Question 2 (b): Camps near waterways because of access to water and fish.
• Question 3: The Iroquois' sedentary lifestyle linked to agricultural practices.
• Question 4: Leadership through chiefs reflected decision-making processes in First Nation societies.
• Question 5 (a): Oral tradition, storytelling, elders, and demonstrations passed on culture and knowledge.
• Question 5 (b): Crucial role in preserving culture and knowledge.

Review - Chapter 2

• Question 1: Colonization's economic role was based on mercantilism, providing raw materials to the home country.
• Question 2 (a): Company of One Hundred Associates initially tasked to develop the colony.
• Question 2 (b): Obligation to develop the colony and extract resources for the French state.
• Question 3: Alliance was an exchange of fur for military support and trade.
• Question 4 (a): One Hundred Associates obligation was related to the colonization process.
• Question 4 (b): Benefits of the company could have included trade advantages and some level of control over the region.
• Question 5 (a): The seigneurial system, a method of land division.
• Question 5 (b): Involved long narrow strips of land perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River, with rivers used for transportation.

Review Questions (cont.)

Further questions cover additional aspects and details, such as the role of the Catholic Church, effects of colonization on territories, factors impacting First Nation population decline, objectives of the royal government, and the role of the Sovereign Council.