Download Chapter 2: Contact and Colonization

Canadian History 11
Chapter 2: Contact and Colonization
Aboriginal Societies:
On the eve of contact, Canada contained six major cultural regions of native peoples:
1. Woodlands – boreal forest hunter-gatherers (land and marine mammals); wigwams,
birch bark canoe.
2. Southern Lowlands – rolling hills, temperate climate – agricultural food base;
longhouses.
3. Interior Plains – nomadic buffalo hunters; tepee – lightweight, easily transported;
pemmican.
4. Northern Subarctic – nomadic hunter-gatherers; bark-covered shelters.
5. Pacific Coast Peoples – sea resources, fishing; permanent settlements, rich artistic
heritage.
6. Arctic – hunters of land and marine mammals; igloo, caribou, seal.
Complex and Diverse Societies:
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While culturally varied, the native peoples shared a common worldview rooted in
their close relationship with the land. Humans were an integral part of the
environment, rather than being in control of it or above it.
The natural and spirit worlds were inseparable. All native technologies reflected a
deep knowledge and understanding of the natural environment.
Many of their technologies have found their way into Canadian culture – canoes,
parkas, sleds, snowshoes.
Government structures:
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Smaller, nomadic groups had egalitarian governments where group interests took
priority over individual welfare.
Sedentary/agricultural societies lived in permanent settlements with larger
populations, requiring more complex systems of government based upon centralized
authority.
Economy:
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There was considerable contact amongst various tribes, trading surplus goods with
one another.
Contact:
Europeans arrived around 1500 CE, gradually disrupting the delicate balance that existed
between the native people’s lifestyle and their environment.
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At first, both sides benefited, as Europeans relied on native knowledge, technologies
and skills to adjust to life in North America.
The aboriginal peoples found European technologies useful in their daily lives.
Contact was spread over two centuries, and gradually transformed the aboriginal
cultures in the process.
Canadian History 11
European Societies
In 16th century Europe, several factors combined to set the stage for a burst of global
exploration and expansion that ushered in the Modern Age of history:
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Various kingdoms and city-states were competing for supremacy on the continent of
Europe
Economic growth – many nations wanted to expand their ambitions and sought
wealth and power beyond Europe to do so
New seafaring and military technologies made exploration possible
Western European nations were seeking trade routes to the spices, silks and
precious gems of Asia, a route controlled at that time by Italian city-states (Pisa,
Genoa, Venice) and Islamic influences in the Middle East
The “three G’s” combined to encourage European expansion – Gold, Gospel and
Glory
Church and State:
The Reformation, which began early in the 16th century, eventually split Europe into rival
Roman Catholic and Protestant states. The Roman Catholic nations of Spain, Portugal and
France launched a Counter-Reformation committed to spreading Roman Catholic beliefs
and values, carried out by Roman Catholic religious orders. Missionaries would play a
critical role in the early history of North America.
Colonialism and European Expansion:
Various European countries – Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, France and England –
practiced colonialism as they sought to expand their influence in Europe and the New
World. Colonialism and expansion became the main themes of the day in the Europe of the
16th and 17th centuries.
Portugal:
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15th & 16th centuries – explored down the Atlantic coast of Africa, around the tip of the
continent and into the Indian Ocean to India, China, Japan and south Asia
Portuguese – Spanish rivalry led to Columbus’ voyage westward under sponsorship of
Spain’s Ferdinand and Isabella
Spain:
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In the face of Portuguese success at reaching the Far East, hired an Italian
navigator, Christopher Columbus, to set off westward in search of an all-water route
to the riches of the east
Discovered Haiti and Dominican Republic of today
Spanish eventually invaded and conquered all of Central and most of South America
Columbus’ voyage in turn inspired John Cabot’s voyage of 1497, under the service
of the English flag
Canadian History 11
England:
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Cabot’s 1497 voyage led to the discovery of Newfoundland, Labrador or Cape
Breton
Cabot noted the abundant fishing resources available – particularly the Grand Banks
cod fishery
Fish was a staple and valuable European commodity in Europe, as the Roman
Catholic calendar prohibited the eating of meat for 153 days a year
By the early 1500s, Newfoundland cod was a regular commodity in European
markets
France:
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Inspired by the exploration successes of its European neighbors and rivals, send
Jacques Cartier to the New World
Cartier’s 1534 voyage led to the exploration of the Gulf of St Lawrence and St.
Lawrence River, the first of three voyages in search of gold and riches
Contact made with Mi’kmaq, who sought to trade furs for European iron goods
Similar response from Iroquois along shores of St. Lawrence River
By 1600, there was a burgeoning fur trade fuelled by European demand for the beaver-felt
hats.
Tadoussac became the first center of the fur trade (at the mouth of the Saguenay
River)
Various Algonquian tribes brought furs to trade with the French
Aboriginal knowledge of the land, their hunting and navigational skills were vital to
the success of the fur trade
1608 – French under Champlain attempt to solidify their control of the fur trade with
a permanent settlement at Quebec – an attempt to move the fur trade further inland,
consolidate and control the flow of furs
1609 – Champlain forms an alliance with the Algonquin and Wendat (Huron), in
order to consolidate control of the fur trade in the area north of the Great Lakes,
agreeing to support these tribes in a war on their common enemy, the
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)
English enter the fur trade from the north:
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1668 – English capitalize on Hudson’s earlier exploration of Hudson Bay,
undertaking a fur trading expedition and founding a fur trade post on James Bay
1670 – creation of Hudson’s Bay Co. by royal charter – exclusive trading rights to all
lands drained by Hudson Bay and rivers flowing into it – almost 40 % of present-day
Canada
An intense French – English rivalry emerged, as each struggled to control the fur
trade in the North American interior
English advantage – Hudson Bay offered easier access to the western interior
French forced to establish long lines into interior, in order to obtain the furs first
Development of French coureur de bois – French and Metis traders who pushed
inland in search of furs before they reached Hudson Bay
This economic rivalry was the major cause of French – English tension in North
America
Canadian History 11
The Impact of Contact:
Original impact:
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An equitable exchange
Aboriginal technologies benefited Europeans – canoes, food preservation,
navigational and survival skills
European technologies changed aboriginal culture – guns, iron kettles, knives
As time passed, the initial interdependence was replaced by Aboriginal dependence
on European manufactured goods, causing social and economic disruption to
Aboriginal societies
Harmful effects of contact:
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Fur trade intensified the long-standing hostilities amongst aboriginal peoples, as
various tribes sought to dominate the most lucrative fur-bearing areas and
monopolize trade with the Europeans
As fur supplies from one area were exhausted, some tribes moved into territories
further inland, displacing other aboriginal groups
Depletion of animal resources hampered the operation of traditional aboriginal
economies
Introduction of infectious diseases to which the aboriginals had no natural immunity
or resistance – smallpox, measles, influenza – devastated native populations
Introduction of alcohol and subsequent addiction problems had devastating longterm implications for native societies
Natives moved from independence through interdependence to dependence on
Europeans for survival
Impact on Europeans:
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New foods that originated in the Americas began spreading through the world by the
late 1600s – corn, potatoes, squash, beans, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
The potato in particular had a significant impact in Europe, becoming a staple food
that helped eliminate famine and improve overall nutrition
Corn became a significant food for livestock and poultry, resulting in healthier
animals, greater supplies of protein-rich milk, cheese, meat and eggs
Other American products had a more negative impact – tobacco smoking became a
recreational habit in Europe
Demand for tobacco and other plantation crops (sugar cane) created the rich
plantation economies of the American South and Caribbean Islands
World-wide distribution of American resources fueled a global economic revolution –
Europe experienced a dramatic increase in wealth, expanding eight-fold in the span
of the 16th century alone
Old trade routes were almost forgotten by Europeans in favor of American trade
Result was the transformation of Europe from an old mercantilist economy to the
gradual emergence of a capitalist economy and society, with the development of a
global trading network controlled by Europe’s great powers