Focus Questions

• What were the different ways in which Mi'kmaq, Haudenosaunee and Anishinabe societies were structured?

• How did the structure of Aboriginal societies affect decision making in each society?

• How do environment and geography affect culture and identity?

• How can connections to the past be important to identity?

Who Were the First People?

Read the story Life in an Anishanabe Camp. 

This is a glimpse of what life was like for many of the first people, in Canada. The Anishanabe are one of the many groups of people who migrated to Canada either across the Land Bridge between North America and Asia or when the two continents were much closer together.1

Over the next few weeks, we will take a closer look at three of these groups of first people.

• Mi'kmaq

• Haudenasaunee

• Anishanabe

We will compare see how their environment and geography affected their culture and their identity. 

Read page 8 and 9

During this next section, you will need to keep the sheet Comparing First Nations Societies close by so you can complete the chart.

Form a group of 2 or 3. In your groups, read through each of the sections and complete the Comparison sheet below. You may decide to have each of you read the stories then share the information with your group and they can add the information to their own chart.

• Mise'l and Membertou

• Beesh and the Wedding Promise

• Santee and Gantowisa

Assignment

You are an advisor to a king in Europe and are reporting back to the King on what life is like on this journey to Asia. Your team has finally found land after spending months at sea.  Believing you have found Asia, the crew decides to explore this side of the land.  

Your group has been given the task to report back to the King of England, France, or Spain on the diverse social and economic circumstances in the New World.  Spending 1 year with a group of Indigenous people has given you first-hand experience as to what life is like in their community and brings new meaning to living off the land.

Your letter is to include recommendations on how your country should proceed with developing a positive relationship between Europeans and the Indigenous people.  To do this you will need to research the life of the people you have come to live with.

You will find all the material in Workspace: Exploring the New World