3.1.1 Aboriginal Peoples

When Europeans explored Canada, every region was already lived in. They called the people "Indians" because the first explorers believed they had arrived in the East Indies. Ways of life differed from place to place. The Huron-Wendat around the Great Lakes, like the Iroquois, both farmed and hunted. The Cree and Dene of the Northwest hunted and gathered their food. The Sioux moved from place to place, following the bison, or buffalo, herds. The Inuit lived off Arctic wildlife. On the West Coast, people dried and smoked fish to keep it. Groups often fought each other for land, resources and prestige.

Then came European traders, missionaries, soldiers and colonists. Their arrival changed native life forever. Huge numbers of Aboriginal people died of European diseases, because their bodies had no protection against them. Even so, the two peoples did not only fight. Over the first 200 years of living side by side, Aboriginal people and Europeans built close trading links, religious links and military alliances. Those bonds became the base on which Canada was later built.