Wikibooks: Canadian History/The People of the Lands

• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bering Sea; Canada; First Nations; inuit; Metis; Alaska; Siberia
• Online Access: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Canadian_History/The_People_of_the_Lands

=Aboriginals= Modern historians believe that Aboriginals arrived from Asia 30 000 years ago by way of a land bridge between Siberia and Alaska. Some of them settled in Canada while others chose to continue to the south. When the European explorers arrived Canada was populated by a diverse range of Aboriginal peoples who depending on the environment lived caca nomadic or settled lifestyles were hunters fishermen or farmers. They lived in every region of the country. Often their survival in Canada s harsh climate depended on cooperation sharing and respect for the environment. They probably migrated over the Bering Sea from Siberia after the last ice age between 10 000 and 30 000 years ago. At the time of European contact they had developed distinct nations throughout what is now Canada with a total population of perhaps 350 000. The Constitution Act of 1982 recognized three main groups of Aboriginal peoples in Canada the First Nations and [[the Inuit]] who were the first Aboriginal groups in Canada and [[the Metis]] who emerged after the settlement of Canada. Today there are more than 53 distinct languages spoken by Aboriginal peoples. Most of these languages are found only in Canada. People of the First Nations lived in all areas of Canada and were very diverse in their cultures and lifestyles. Those who lived on Canada s coasts depended on fishing and hunting while those who lived on the prairies moved with buffalo herds which they hunted for food clothing and tools. First Nations people who lived in central and eastern Canada hunted and grew vegetable crops. Today more than half of First Nations people live on reserves where they continue to practice their traditions and cultures. Others live and work in cities across Canada living with the rest of the general population although some may choose to continue some First Nations practices. The Inuit lived and settled throughout the northern regions of Canada. They adjusted to the cold northern climate and lived by hunting seals whales caribou and polar bears. The ...