First Nations Societies PDF

First Nations Societies Who are the diverse First Nations who have contributed to the building of the country we now call Canada? “The roots of Canada are in the Aboriginal People.” Your textbook uses the word - Sir Wilfred Laurier. Ab...

First Nations Societies Who are the diverse First Nations who have contributed to the building of the country we now call Canada? “The roots of Canada are in the Aboriginal People.” Your textbook uses the word - Sir Wilfred Laurier. Aboriginal, although it is not really used anymore. 2  Key Concepts: Culture CULTURE: a way of living that a group of people share together. Examples include: - Religion - Food - What we wear (and how and why we wear it) - Language - Marriage traditions - Music - etc. No matter what a culture looks like, one thing is for certain: Cultures change. "Culture appears to have become key in our interconnected world, which is made up of so many ethnically diverse societies, but also riddled by conflicts associated with religion, ethnicity, ethical beliefs, and, essentially, the elements which make up culture. But culture is no longer fixed, if it ever was. It is essentially fluid and constantly in motion." - De Rosse 3 Primary and Secondary Sources A primary source is created by A secondary source is created by someone who witnessed the someone who was not witness to event, or is an object/artifact that the original event. existed at that time. They often use primary sources - Diaries as a reference. - Photographs - Journal Articles - Objects (arrowheads) - Textbooks - Paintings (98% of the time) - Letters - Persuasive Essays 4 Is this a Primary or a Secondary Source? Head tax certificate for Chong Do Dang, 11 Feb. 1922 5 6  Pluralistic Societies What do you think the word pluralistic means? Canada has always been a pluralistic society, meaning that the land has been made up of people with different languages, worldviews, beliefs, governments, cultures, etc. The Mi’kmaq, Haudenosaunee and Anishinabe are First Nations groups in Canada. They were the first three groups to come into contact with European explorers. 7  Indigenous Groups in Canada There are three groups of people in Canada who are recognized as Indigenous, or Aboriginal, peoples. The First Nations The Inuit The Metis French for “mixed blood”, The original inhabitants of Several different peoples they were the the land, along with the who live in the coastal descendents of First Inuit There are more than regions of the Canadian Nations and Europeans. 630 F.N. communities in Arctic and Greenland. The Canada, which represent word Inuit means “the more than 50 Nations and people” in the Inuit Indigenous languages. language of Inuktitut. 8  Point of View What is your favourite t.v. show? What factors might be influencing this decision? Point of view: an individual’s personal viewpoint Bias: like or dislike of something or someone that is not necessarily based on fact. 9  Location, location, LOCATION England Scandinavian Countries France Eastern Canada Why were the Mi’kmaq, who lived in Eastern Canada the first Indigenous peoples to come into contact with European explorers? 10  Values and Viewpoints While First Nations cultures are very unique and vary from group to group, there are some similarities. There are some worldviews that are shared by many First Nations groups including the Mi’kmaq, Anishinabe and Haudenosaunee. These worldviews include: - Everything that is living is connected - Elders are highly respected for their wisdom and experience - A spiritual world exists, including a Creator - People must live in harmony with each other and nature 11 Elders Traditional teachings have been passed down orally by Elders. Elders are traditionally the most respected members of Canadian Indigenous communities. They are the leaders of their communities. 12  Values and Beliefs The Haida are an Indigenous group who have traditionally occupied Haida Gwaii, an archipelago just off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, for at least 12,500 years. “How Raven Stole the Sun” is a Haida creation myth about how the world was created. What other creation stories have you learned about? 14 15 16 17 Vocabulary Terms Ethnic: pertaining to or characteristic of a people especially a group sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like. Ethnocentric: a viewpoint that judges other global cultures and ideas according to personal values and standards; believing one’s own ethnic Stereotype: an over generalized portrayal from one group; stereotypes can reflect people’s prejudices Sovereign: self governing and independent of external powers 18  The Mi’kmaq Mi’kmaq - a noun that means “the people,” it is used when referring to a group of Mi’kmaw or the entire nation Mi’kmaw - a noun for a singular person AND an adjective (the Mi’kmaw leaders) Your textbook, as well as many other references, do not use the word Mi’kmaw, and instead use Mi’kmaq as an adjective as well. “Micmac” is a mispronunciation of Mi’kmaq  The Mi’kmaq - Where did they live? - The Mi’kmaq people are from what is now Eastern Canada. They lived in the woods and on the coast of what we now call Nova Scotia, PEI and New Brunswick. - Hundreds of years ago, they were one of the first peoples to come into contact with Europeans. - The Mi’kmaw land was called Mi’kma’ki and was divided into seven districts. - The Mi’kmaq lived in groupings based on family ties called clans. 20 Map of Mi’kmaq Territory 21  Mi’kmaq: How did they live? ✘ The Mi’kmaq were hunter gatherers ✘ The Mi’kmaq were skilled hunters and their prey included moose, caribou, beaver, birds, shellfish, seals and walrus. ✘ They also gathered berries and nuts. ✘ The Mi’kmaq live in groupings called clans ✘ Clans: a small grouping of several families who lived together and shared resources 22 Government Structure The Mi’kmaq way of government is described as “decision making by consensus”. Government: the way a group of people organize themselves to make decisions and select leaders Mi’kma’ki was divided into seven districts. Each of these districts had a council and a chief. The district councils divided up land, settled disputes and made decisions relating to war and peace Together, the district chiefs made up the Grand Council, called the Sante Mawiomi. They made decisions that affected the entire Mi’kmaq nation 23  Decision Making by Consensus - When a decision is made by consensus, all the people affected by the decision have an equal voice. - There is a discussion and a final agreement represents a process that everyone agrees to. How are the students in this class making a decision? What other ways are there of making decisions?  The Role of Mi’kmaw Women ★ Mi’kmaw petroglyphs show many drawings of women wearing a peaked cap, which indicates the importance of women to the Mi’kmaq. ★ Mi’kmaw women gathered and prepared food, made clothing, cared for children and hunted small animals for food and clothing. ★ Mi’kmaw leaders were almost always men, but women’s opinions were listened to and valued. 25 - 26  The Haudenosaunee The Haudenosaunee are a group that includes six First Nations; Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and, in 1715, Tuscarora. They lived around the St.Lawrence River and Lake Ontario and shared a similar language called Algonquin. Each of the nations had a distinct culture, but we will focus on the things that they had in common  Haudenosaunee Worldview Haudenosaunee values included: ✘ The Seventh Generation Rule ✘ Decision making by consensus ✘ Sharing labour and resources ✘ Duty and loyalty to family, clan, nation and the confederacy ✘ Equality 28  Farming: The Three Sisters - The Haudenosaunee hunted, fished and gathered nuts, roots and berries. - Their land had fertile soil and a mild climate, which made for ideal conditions - They grew corn, beans and squash which were called the Three Sisters. The three crops were planted together so they could help each other grow. - Because the Haudenosaunee. needed to tend their crops, they became sedentary, and settled into permanent villages. Unlike the Mi’kmaw, the Haudenosaunee didn’t move over the winter. (nomadic) 29  Clan Mothers and the Role of Women ★ Women held a very important place in the Haudenosaunee society. Their society was matrilineal, and the head of each longhouse was a Clan Mother. Matrilineal: ancestral descent through the maternal line ★ Women decided where a village would be built, what crops to plant and where they would be planted, as well as whether or not the warriors would go to war. These were all matters of great importance to Haudenosaunee society. ★ After the harvest, women allocated food to each family according to need.. 30  Longhouses ★ The Haudenosaunee lived in longhouses which, prior to 1300 C.E., could hold 20-30 people. Later, they would become large enough to house as many as 100 people! ★ The people living together were all related/connected to one another on the mother’s line of descent ★ The women of the clan owned all the possessions in the longhouse ★ The Clan Mother was in charge of each longhouse 31  Examples of Longhouses Exterior of a reconstructed longhouse Inside a replica of a longhouse  Haudenosaunee Government The five Haudenosaunee nations south of the Great Lakes made an alliance called the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. Stories say that long ago the five nations were at war. A peacemaker arrived in a stone canoe and united the five nations. The Great Law of Peace was created that explained how the government should work and how people should behave. In 1715 the Tuscarora joined the alliance to make the Six Nations Confederacy.  Haudenosaunee Government cont. ★ The Confederacy had a central council that was made up of 50 leaders. The council met at least once a year. ★ The council met around a fire and discussed issues such as trade, wars and treaties. Discussion continued until consensus was reached, or the issue was set aside for a later time. ★ The Haudenosaunee were aware of environmental impacts. When making important decisions, they tried to determine how that decision would affect seven generations into the future.  Iroquois Confederacy ★ An alliance is a union in which groups agree to trade and help each other. ★ The Iroquois Confederacy: the European name for the Haudenosaunee (the people of the Six Nations). ★ For the Iroquois, their Confederacy could be compared to a huge longhouse that stretched over the whole territory where they lived. The Mohawk protected the eastern door and the Seneca protected the western door. The Six Nations lived together under its roof as a family. The longhouse sheltered their bond with each other and protected them from their enemies.  Haudenosaunee Sovereignty Today ★ Haudenosaunee land is divided by the Canada-US border. ★ Some Haudenosaunee believe that they are a sovereign people and do not accept being governed by Canadian or American governments. They even issue their own passports, which are not recognized in the US or Canada, but are by some countries. ★ They have their own police force and a lacrosse team that travels the world.  The Anishinabe ★ The Anishinabe people lived farther west than the Haudenosaunee & Mi’kmaq. ★ But like the Mi’kmaq, they were traditionally hunter-gatherers.  Location, location, LOCATION! - The Anishinabe people lived in northern and central Ontario and Southern Manitoba. It is a term for Ojibwe, Algonquin, Nipissing, Odawa, Potawatomi and Oji-Cree, groups that share many cultural and linguistic characteristics. They moved westward over the plains Europeans called them “Ojibway”. and “Chippewa” 38 The Seven Main Values ★ Wisdom ★ Love ★ Respect ★ Bravery ★ Honesty ★ Humility ★ Truth”. 39  Wigwams: Birchbark Homes The Anishinabe lived in houses made of birchbark called wigwams  Think and Relate! Does your family ever include wild rice in its diet? Wild rice really isn’t rice at all. Rather, it’s a grass native to North America – largely around the Great Lakes – that produces a very healthy and tasty grain. Today many recipes include wild rice for its flavour and added nutrients, but for the Anishinabe, it was a staple part of their diet. Traditionally, harvesting wild rice was an important responsibility of the Anishinabe women. 41  The Role of Anishinabe Women ★ Men and women were equal when it came to work ★ Women cared for children and the home. They hunted small animals and harvested food ★ Maple trees and wild rice stocks were divided up among the families and indicated by a notch in the tree or coloured string on the stocks. ★ Women harvested rice communally (at the same time). They ensured that growing stocks were not damaged and that enough rice was unharvested to seed next year’s crop. 42  Anishinabe Clans ★ The Anishinabe belonged to seven different family clans that were named after animals. Each clan had a different role within the community ★ Each clan had a leader, and the leaders of the Crane and the Loon clans made decisions for the whole community. When they were in conflict, the Fish clan acted as mediator.. 43 - 44  Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump -Head-Smashed-In Buffalo jump is a Unesco heritage site in southern Alberta  Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump ★ The Piikani, Kainai and Siksika peoples used Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump for 5500-6000 years. ★ Hunters frightened the buffalo into a stampede and then they directed the animals over a steep cliff. ★ People would be at the base of the cliff, ready to clean and prepare the fallen buffalo. The buffalo meat was eaten and dried, the skin was used for blankets, clothing and rugs, and the bones were used for tools and grease. Every part of the buffalo was used.