Charles Marius Barbeau’s Ethnography and the Canadian Folklore

Before the Europeans came to Canada, Natives had their own culture, traditions and norms. These differences were obvious to the Europeans who sailed to Canada, their interactions with the Native peoples proved these vast differences. One major difference noted was that the Iroquois organized their societies on different lines than did the patrilineal western Europeans. Iroquois women “by virtue of her functions as wife and mother, exercised an influence but little short of despotic, not only in the wigwam but also around the council fire.” “She indeed possessed and exercised all civil and political power and authority. The country, the land, the fields with their harvests and fruits belonged to her … her plans and wishes modeled the policy and inspired the decisions of council.” The Europeans were astounded by this way of life.

There are hundreds of Native American tribes and millions of people that are within North America that identify themselves as Native Americans. Each tribe has their own unique customs, language, and myths. However, within the confines of this paper I will take a broad view with regards to Native American customs and traditions from a small sample of tribes that were observed prior to the vast expansion of colonizing the west.

In this essay, the articles ‘Listen to the north’ by John Ralston Saul and ‘Which ‘Native’ History? By Whom? For Whom?’ by J.R. Miller will be analyzed, specifically looking at each authors argument and his appeal to ethos, logos and pathos. In the first article, ‘Listen to the North’, author John Ralston Saul argues that current Canadian policy when it comes to our north, and the people that reside there, is out of date and based on southern ideals that hold little bearing on the realities that face northern populations. He suggests instead that the policies and regulations should be shaped by people who know the territory and it’s needs, namely people who live there. In the second

Nobody deserves to be a ‘nobody’: unrecognized and unappreciated for their uniqueness. This is the reason why throughout history, Canada has been working to make sure that the Métis are not ‘nobodies’. Canada has provided enough recognition for Métis culture and rights through existing legislation. Historically, the Canadian government, or Dominion of Canada, has acted upon efforts to protect Métis land through legislation. Furthermore, Métis inherent rights to land, hunting, fishing and autonomy have been met with current and improved legislation. The Métis are now recognized as Aboriginal peoples and share the same rights through Section 35 of the Constitution. These pieces of legislation make it possible

Dietary modifications within a particular culture are indicative of the influences of an external culture and such transformations are frequently exemplified throughout the colonial history of North America. Indeed, the incorporation of European food goods, such as alcohol, into the diet of the Canadian Indigenous Peoples is representative of the immense impact which the first explorers had on these tribes (Lunn 1992). Furthermore, the transitional dietary modifications of the First Nations People of Canada’s North are a direct reflection of Western influence and the European attempt to assimilate these traditional societies according to Western idealism. Traditional dietary conversions correspond with the establishment and eventual

The explorers that partook in the great challenge of discovering what is now Canada, is a fascinating and appealing topic for Canadian Historians. This essay will examine the lives of Jacques Cartier, Henry Hudson, William Stuart, George Vancouver, and Sir Horatio Thomas Austin, who were all Canadian explorers. The themes that are compared for each individual are areas of discovery, First Nation contact, and life longevity and cause of death. Within the discussion, biographies of each explorers will be found in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, and the final source will be J.M Bumsted’s book, A History of the Canadian People. This Research Project will include a Graphic Analysis and an Essay. In the Graphic Analysis, the comparison

Turner, J.T. Arnason, R.J. Hebda, T. Johns, 2012). Before the arrival of Europeans, Aboriginal peoples mastered the cultivation of food crops in a range of fertile areas. The “three sisters,” which was a phrase used to describe the three crops: corn, squash, and beans as they were planted together where each plant depended and supported the growth and nutrition of the others. The myriad of food supplies made it possible for the Iroquoian First Nations to find stable communities. As many Europeans started coming and settling into Canada, they brought many illnesses along with them from some being from the long journey and others due to lack of food. The Aboriginal people made an assortment of various ways to heal wounds, coughs, and rheumatism. Since many were nervous about taking the medicine from the Natives, they soon realized that these people had in them vast knowledge about the land and its many natural wonders they inhabited in. Barks of spruce and juniper trees were used to make tea which contained vitamin C and berries and plants were picked and used as remedies for many things. Many plants were also used for utility uses. Woods played as a prime importance for fuels and as major items for things such as buildings, totem poles, and weapons including spears, bows, and arrows. Dyes, abrasives, and recreation items were also made from plants. All these things

The Canadian Inuit were a domestic, tribal, egalitarian society in the 19th century. And some cultural changes occurred; making the Inuit adapt and become more aware of other resources they could get hold of, for gathering and hunting for food. In the 19th Century, the Europeans discovered the Inuit culture and this provided new resources for the Inuit to gain an easier way to gather and hunt for food. But because of the European influence, the Inuit’s culture changed to adapt with European Individuals living in their land, and European resources that had been made access to them. By this cultural change in the 19th century there was “an increased diversity in the social structure and material culture of the Labrador Inuit society” (Auger, 1993:27). The Labrador Inuit was a significant Inuit Society to have an ethnographical research made to understand a little bit more to; how the Inuit was affected and how the food process was changed. It will also be discussed the significant ideas and techniques that the Inuit used to gather and hunt for resources.

In this research paper, I will be explaining how western colonialism and racism destroyed the reputation of aboriginal peoples in Canada. The reason why I chose this topic because it shows the strong relationship to anthropology and after taking aboriginal studies 30, it also shows that I have a clear understanding about the history of aboriginal peoples in Canada, the struggles they have been through over the past decade and the challenges they still face today in modern day society. I’ll be addressing these issues in a couple of paragraphs on the discrimination and the inequalities of these “minorities” and how they had to assimilate into European culture, leaving their way of life behind them.

Across Canada and the United States there are many First Nations languages which are a part of the Algonquian language family, all of which with varying states of health. Although these languages share many characteristics of the Algonquian language family, the cultures, systems of beliefs, and geographic location of their respective Nations differentiate them. In being shaped by the landscape, cultures, and spirituality of the First Nations, the language brings the speakers closer to their land and traditions while reaffirming their identity as First Peoples. Using the Blackfoot Nation to further explore this concept, this paper will show that while language threads together First Nations culture, spirituality,

One of the most contentious issues in Canada’s history is that of the Metis. Some people feel this unique group of people does not deserve any sort of recognition, whereas others believe their unique history and culture is something to be recognized and cherished. The history of the Metis people is filled with struggle; not only struggles against other powers, but also a struggle for self-identification. Despite strong opposition, the Metis people of Canada have matured as a political force and have taken great strides towards being recognized as a unique people.

Stephen Hume’s essay titled ‘The Spirit Weeps’ appeared in the Edomonton Journal and in some of the southeren newspapers between February and June 1988.The essay disscuss about the pathetic condition of Canadian aboriginals.The exhibition named ‘The Spirit Sings’conducted as a part of 1988 Winter Olympics shows the inhuman behavior of the officials towards aboriginals. The authorities were celebrating with the ruins of aboriginal culture. Colonization entirely damaged the culture and tradition of natives. Now they took the role of preserver and show their interest to materials rather than humans.Hume presents his views about the descriminations of authority towards the natives of Canada.

For the purpose of this essay I am relating what little I know based on Indigenous Orality in Canada. Indigenous people are and have been recognized as a people who come from oral traditions. The traditions associated with Orality encompass several different aspects of Indigenous realities and ways of being (Wilson & Taylor, 2005). Orality could be argued to have shifted through technology and our connected world and has become the incorporation of traditional Indigenous stories and teachings that can be displayed throughout different mediums. With this contemporary definition in mind Orality plays a large role in Indigenous resurgence, and thus is relevant and needed in this digital world. The Concepts and teachings associated with Orality

Fanz Boas is most commonly viewed as the father of American anthropology due to his extensive influence on the lives and professions of future anthropologists in America. Boas brought to America the wonders anthropology has to offer at a time when it was not seen as a respected and vital form science. He gave many whom were passionate about the field a window of opportunity to study the field and be valued. Born and raised in Germany, he started out his career as a geographer. Upon completion of his first research project to Baffin Island he switched his line of work to anthropology. The purpose of this report is to examine Fanz Boas’s particular way of thinking, research methods and contributions to the profession of anthropology.

Boas’ reliance on empirical data to formulate theories underscores Kuhn’s central idea that paradigms are only changed through examination of new data. As data on cultures preceding Boas was slim at best, it is not hard to see how Boas could acquire data contrary to the existing viewpoint. This data collection itself was a new theory, the new invention required. Kuhnian thought states that preparadigmatic schools emphasize the collection of the facts, as Boas was emphasizing. Crisis within the paradigm is witnessed by the competition between the schools of thought. Emerging from this crisis is Boasian anthropology, with its reliance on empirical data as the basis for study. This data collection is subdivided into the four subfields Boas saw as a requirement for this new field. The four-field approach emerges as the dominant force in anthropology. With this approach the community changes its view of the field, and produces new methods and goals. These methods and goals have been used as a professional consensus in anthropology since the Boasian transformation.