Unit 1

New France and British North America

Lesson 3

Haudenosaunee

The Haudenosaunee (previously given the name Iroquois by European settlers) are also called “People of the Longhouse”. They became a part of the Six Nations Confederacy, which includes the following nations: Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora. Haudenosaunee peoples are still in existence, but this article references their life between 1713-1800.

Economic Activity

These First Nations people were known for their agricultural skills, as they planted crops of corn, beans, and squash (the three sisters). They also gathered berries, nuts and also took part in hunting and fishing. The Haudenosaunee lived in villages consisting of a few or many longhouses. These villages were surrounded by protective walls with up to several hundred people in one village. They only moved when the farmland no longer produced good crops.

Family Structure

Their family structure was a Clan System, which followed a matrilineal (based on the mother/female line) structure. The female was the Clan Mother and head of the longhouse.

All related females lived in the same longhouse. The husbands and children would also live in the longhouse. Children called their birth mother and their mothers’ sisters “mother”. In addition, all the children in the longhouse called each other brother or sister.

History, values, and beliefs were passed on through oral stories told by elders to clan members as children and continued throughout their lives.

Daily Life

Daily life for the Haudenosaunee was divided along gender roles. Men were responsible for hunting, trapping, clearing land for new crops, building, carving and making things like bowls, mortar and pestle, bows and arrows. Women took care of planting, tending and harvesting the crops. They also cured hides, made clothing and made meals.

The Haudenosaunee were affected by the new illnesses and diseases that were brought to North America by European explorers and settlers.

Inuit

The Inuit are Indigenous people who live in the Northern Regions of Canada. Inuit peoples are still in existence, but this article references their daily life between 1713-1800. Their homeland was called Inuit Nanangat, which accounted for the land, water and ice around their land. They were peaceful people, who felt that family was most important. Their language was called Inuktitut. Inuit were nomadic and moved seasonally, following game and resources. Their family structure consisted of 5 or 6 people. The Inuit were a very community focused culture. Food sources were community property and everyone worked together to help out the other community members.

Seasons

Summers were very short – no more than two months - and winters were very long. In the winter months, there were periods of complete darkness when the sun did not rise for weeks. During the summer months, the Inuit lived in smaller family groups while they hunted and fished. In summer, they hunted caribou, seals and walrus. The Inuit lived in tents and used walking, kayaks and umiaks (a large hide covered boat) as sources of transportation. Umiaks could be several metres long and wide and could carry 10 to 15 people.

Winters were long and cold. In the winter, the Inuit travelled on foot or by dog sled. They lived in large settlements of up to 100 people. The water was frozen, so they spent their time ice fishing and hunting beavers. Igloos or driftwood turf homes were used as temporary winter housing. Whale oil and seal blubber were used as heat and light sources during the long dark winter months.

Interactions With Europeans

When Europeans arrived to explore the far north the Inuit acted as guides, traders, and taught these European newcomers survival skills. European explorers and traders shared their knowledge and traded with the Inuit peoples. These explorers brought diseases like Smallpox from Europe, that killed large numbers of Indigenous people, who had not been previously exposed to these diseases. The explorers overfished and hunted taking large amounts back to Europe. This left the Inuit with very little resources, so they had to find new areas to live.

Métis

Historical Background

The Métis Nation are people of both First Nations and European heritage. The name was given to children born to European men (explorers, fur traders, settlers) and Indigenous women. The Constitution of Canada formally recognizes The Métis as a Canadian Indigenous group. Historically, Métis communities were created along fur trading routes. Their lives were a mix of European and First Nations cultures. Métis people are still in existence, but this article references their life between 1713-1800. The marriage of these two cultures helped create trade connections among the Europeans and Indigenous people.

Settlements

Métis communities were established in the Red River area of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, as well as around the Great Lakes area of Ontario, Quebec, near the Mackenzie River in British Columbia and The Northwest Territories.

Daily Life

Some Métis farmed and lived in cabins. Other Métis led a nomadic life, living in tents and following buffalo herds. Common transportation methods used were dogs, horses and oxen to pull carts, wagons, toboggans and sleds.

Métis women were used as translators between the European and Indigenous languages. They were skilled in surviving Canadian winters with their cooking and sewing skills. They made clothing that would be useful for the winter. Métis men acted as guides and interpreters for the fur traders and explorers, as well as farmers, fishermen, and hunters.

Traditional Métis food included: bannock, berries, fish, buffalo meat, garden vegetables and pemmican. Pemmican is a mix of fried buffalo meat and fat with berries. When stored properly, it can last up to a year. It was a key food for fur traders due to its long shelf life.

This map shows the different territories where various First Nations peoples settled. The dots on the map do not represent permanent settlements. Most First Nations peoples built homes that could be taken apart and rebuilt in a different location. Analyze: How do you think First Nations peoples’ mobility affected these borders?