The New World: The First Nations

the First Nations were criticized and judged for moving to Canada and keeping their own cultural beliefs. The natives held onto their religion and culture because it was a part of them and their past and they also would not give it up willingly because they have been through too much to give up. “The federal government and most non-native Canadians believed that life for the First Nations people would be greatly improved if they gave up their culture and became part of mainstream, Christian Canadian”(Freeman-Shaw, Hastings-Winner 38). Canadian society was so full of itself that they considered everyone else and their culture to be less than their own. The Canadians thought everyone would be happier if they shared to same religion and beliefs

The diplomatic agreements between First Nations and Europeans were built on pre-contact foundations. Europeans inherited sets of relationships and rivalries among Aboriginal peoples into which the newcomers had to fit themselves. But, as in the case of commercial relations, the insertion of the Europeans, with their different interests and strengths, into pre-existing political systems complicated and modified indigenous alignments. This relationship between the Europeans and the First Nations was a very important development in both European Western development and First Nations attempt to expand their technological expansion. From the very first days of their presence in northeastern North America, Europeans encountered First Nations well versed in creating political agreements among themselves by means of kinship and ritual. The Europeans were not the only people who had their own way to get through the treaties; the First Nations people did too.

The impact of colonization on First Nations peoples in Canada is unsurpassable, regarding every aspect of Aboriginal life and well-being. Throughout Canadian history, the government has been aiming to assimilate and annihilate Aboriginal people by way of racist policies, ethnocentric institutions, discriminatory laws and destructive capitalist behaviours. Because of this, Aboriginal people have suffered many losses, both physically and culturally. One of the main perpetrators of enacting this loss is the education system. The education system in Canada has and continues to threaten the relationship First Nations peoples have with the land. The connection First Nations peoples have with the land is crucial to their cultures, traditions, ceremonies and beliefs. Colonization and colonialism jeopardize this relationship and that is what this essay will address.

First Nations is a term used to define Aboriginal people in Canada who are not Métis or Inuit. First Nations people are commonly identified by other names, such as Indians, Natives, Native Canadians, and Native Americans. Using any general term almost always involves an explanation as these names can cause problems. After watching the Ted talk I realized having only one viewpoint to a story can limit the ideas we are able to obtain from it. The Ted talk connects with First Nations as it opens our minds allowing us as viewers to get a new perspective on our prior knowledge. This has led me to question what we are being taught about First Nations and whether it’s the truth.

Since the colonization of Canada First Nations people have been discriminated against and assimilated into the new culture of Canada through policies created by the government. Policies created had the intentions of improving the Aboriginal people’s standard of living and increasing their opportunities. Mainly in the past hundred years in Canadian Society, policies and government implemented actions such as; Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reserve systems have resulted in extinguishing native culture, teachings, and pride. Policies towards the treatment of Aboriginal Canadians has decreased their opportunities and standard of living because of policies specified previously (Residential schools, the Indian Act, and reservation systems).

The fascination with Native Americans has been a constant with outsiders since explorers first “discovered” the New World. The biggest surge in this fascination came in the mid-19th century when the Indian Wars were starting to come to an end and the belief that Native Americans were disappearing, walking into the sunset never to be seen again. This led to an increase in the collecting of anything Native American, from artifacts to stories to portraits. The inevitable outcome of this was that Native Americans, who were never considered very highly to begin with, where now moved into a category of scientific interest to be study. This scientific interest in Native Americans is what many museums and other institutions based their collections and exhibits on and is one of the issues that many Native Americans have with how both their people and their culture were, and to some extent still are, represented in these places.

Beginning in the Sixteenth Century, Europeans sought to escape religious and class persecution by engaging on a journey to the New World. However, they were unaware that this “New World” was already inhabited by many groups of Native Americans, who had been established on the continent for thousands of years. At first, the two ethnic groups lived in relative peace. The colonists of Jamestown survived due to Powhatan’s tribe teaching them how to cultivate the land. However, things took a twisted turn as the colonists grew greedy. Due to cultural differences, there was stark tension between the Indian groups and European settlers in New England prior to 1750, which tremendously influenced early political means, social life, and the economy.

Ever since the late 1400’s when the European discovered North America they brought along with them a practice of domination leaving the first nation people with very little rights forcing them to stand defenceless. Ever since the settlers arrived, the lives of the First Nation people have forever been damaged with the implementation of new ways of living. These changes have created an image

As the settlers moved west across Canada, they began competing for the same land and resources as the aboriginal people. It was decided for the greater good of Canada, they would need to aggressively assimilate the natives. “In the face of ensuing conflicts, the confederation government of Sir John A. Macdonald came to view First Nations and Métis as serious impediments to nation-building. Even as treaties to make large tracts of land

1. What fundamental factors drew the Europeans to the exploration, conquest, and colonization of the New World? What was the impact on the Indians, Europeans, and Africans when each of their previously separate worlds “collided” with one another? What caused the shift from indentured servant to African slaves as the dominant labor force in the southern colonies?

The Native Americans have a long history and tension with the American people. From the French and Indian war, which saw the indians pitted against the British colonists, to nineteen -twenty- four, when they finally gained citizenship, it was an uphill battle. The settlers turned Americans broke many agreements with the Natives, such as the selling of reservation land by the government or the declaration that tribes were dependent nations rather than foreign nations. In the cases presented to the Supreme Court by Native American tribes were often in favor of the white man, which disregarding the needs of the Natives.

The Treaty of Utrecht was written to give England power over the Iroquois territory and the Hudson Bay region (Conrad & Finkel, 2009). This was a problem for many of the First Nations because France put great efforts into developing alliances with the First Nations through the fur trades that became so strong that familial relationship began to form between the two groups. Because England and France were consistently fighting against each other, it was unsettling for many of the Native peoples to know that their enemy would have power over their territory with this treaty. Unlike the French, the English settlers did not recognize the

Canada is the third wealthiest country in the world in terms of oil mines. The Alberta Oil Sands employ thousands of people while keeping our economy in great conditions. Avatar (2009) dealt with humans searching for mines of extremely costly minerals on planets other than Earth. One may question what the highest grossing movie and one of the world's largest deposits of bitumen have in common. The oil sands are located in northern Alberta, where many indigenous tribes of Canada reside (resided). While the mineral mines of Pandora, are domain to Na`vi, Aboriginals of the planet. In many ways, Na’vi and the First Nations are similar. For instance, both communities value the lives of animals, believe in a holy creator, and create generations through

North America was a region in the world that was new to many especially the settlers who’d later live there. For thousands of years this region was unknown until men from other countries began traveling from sea to see this part of the world they never knew about. These people who came to what is now known as the United States of America sought to establish a new life. Before the English, Spanish and French colonies stepped foot on North America there were already Indian tribes who inhabited the land. Soon after reaching this land colonist began to settle in and began working and living. Each colony struck an alliance with the native tribes who lived near them. At the same time the colonists weren’t on good terms. The primary role of the Indians

For example, the discovery of corn in places such as Southern Ontario proved the complexity of trade routes as corn had originated in Mexico. Also, the Iroquois Constitution written somewhere around 1400, included rhetoric about land-ownership, freedom of religion and the rights of women. To quote Dr Poutanen, "Aboriginal peoples before European contact were dynamic, complex, and culturally rich as well as diverse." . The first Europeans had contact with Aboriginals around 1000 AD with the landing of the Vikings in Newfoundland. However, long-term settlement and engagement first appeared when Jacques Cartier claimed areas of the St. Lawrence for France in 1534 under Francis I. There were many different types of encounters including contact, collision and relationship. Initially, settlers and indigenous tribes were peaceful, sharing gifts and culture. As time progressed however, natives began to lose face with Europeans. Disease burdened the Natives as their bodies were not immune to European disease. Many thousands of people died and those who didn't were forced to abide by European rule. Even after fighting hard on the side of the British, the emergence of new settlers after the War of 1812 pushed Aboriginals to the brink of society. New settlers needed the land to colonize and farm. Some natives such as Louis Riel tried to resist; however it was futile. Europeans took control of the land and granted natives only a small portion of their rightful