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Canada Before Confederation. Review of Chapter One Aboriginal Societies. Values and Beliefs.
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Canada Before Confederation Review of Chapter One Aboriginal Societies
Values and Beliefs The Mi’kmaq people and other first Nations believe that this land existed before man’s short stay on Earth and will exist long after we are gone. Therefore it is something to be respected as it is a gift from the Creator for us to use. The women have a very noble respectful place in society. Women are the forefront of keeping our traditions, of keeping our ways of life that were given to us in the beginning of our time. And this is the way we are told that it should be.
Culture: Is a way of life or way of being that is shared by a group of people. This includes knowledge, experiences, and values that a group shares and that shape the way its members see the world. Pluralistic Society: This means our history has help us learn to values all cultures. We are a society that is made up of many groups of people. All of these groups have unique identities, ideas, cultures and ways of seeing the world.
Values and Viewpoints You have now read three stories from three different Aboriginal groups. The Mi’kmaq, Anishanabe and Haudenosaunee. Each group had different teachings about their history and origins. Diversity: The First Nations people have lived in all parts of the land we call Canada. They lived on the frozen lands of the Arctic, the mountains and islands of the west coast. They lived in the eastern woodlands, the prairie grasslands and the western plateau and on the subarctic tundra.
Worldviews So far, through the stories of the three groups you have learned how unique each group is. However these diverse peoples shared some core values. Core values are important. We use them in our school. They are ideas and beliefs about how people should live. Taken up together they make up a world view. Our three groups shared values relating to the Creator, the natural world, other people, and themselves. • People are not separate from nature • Trust the wisdom of Elders • A spiritual world exists • People must live in harmony with each other
Keepers of Knowledge Traditional teachings, such as the one’s who read about with Mi’sel, Beesh and Santow have been passed down orally from generation to generation by Elders. Elders have traditionally been the most respected members of Aboriginal communities. They have used their experience and wisdom to make good decisions, language, traditions, ceremonies and laws.
Oral and Written Histories Right now you are reading about First Nations’ way of life and events that took place in the past. Traditionally young First Nations learned about such things by listening. They listened to Elders speak of histories, places, names, family trees, laws and events that took place locally and far away. The information was memorized and passed orally from one generation to the next. It did not need to be written down. In this way the First Nations people developed a rich oral culture.
What’s in a Name? When someone calls you by the wrong name you may feel insulted. This is what happened to the First Nations when Europeans came to North America in the 1400s and 1500s. During that time Europeans tended to be ethnocentric meaning they judged other cultures according to their own European standards. Europeans named many places inaccurately. Such as Christopher Columbus who mistakenly thought he reached India. He called the indigenous peoples “Indians” rather than asking what they called themselves. Haudenosaunee – Iroquois Nehiyawak Cree Wendat Huron AnishanabeOjibwe Mi’kmaqMic Mac
Mi’kmaq of the East Coast • Lived in small villages of extended families called clans. This system helped them co-operate and share resources. • Each clan had a specific territory to hunt or fish. • Because of their diet and rich food supply many Mi’kmaq lived long and healthy lives and it was not unusual for Mi’kmaq people to reach 100 years of age.
Mi’kmaq Government • Allowed people to work in harmony, work together and make things done. GRAND COUNCIL Council of Elders Local Chiefs Villages or Bands The political structure. The Grand council was elected from the District Chiefs. The remaining District Chiefs formed the council. The Grand Council united the seven districts and resolved disputes.
Solving Problems • Each clan had a local leader called a Sagamaw. Usually someone who was a good hunter. • The seven districts had a leader and a council that governed the district. • The Grand Council was known as a SanteMawiomi.
Making Decisions • Most decisions were made by consensus. Suppose you and four friends are trying to decide on what topping to order on a pizza. To make this decision by consensus, the group would discuss the choices and try to persuade everyone to reach the same decision. Even if someone disagreed at first, the question could not be settled until a decision was made that everyone could live with.
The Role of Women • Mi’kmaq women played important roles in their communities. They were responsible for ensuring families had all they needed to live a good life. They raised children and took care of homes. They collected and prepared food and hunted small game for food and clothing. In government women voiced concerns in all matters. There were many female elders and their opinions were valued on small, local matters and on major questions such as going to war.
The Haudenosaunee of the Northeastern Woodlands • Included six different First Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onodaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarora under the Iroquois Confederacy • All spoke a common language of Algonquin Haudenosaunee Worldview • Collective thinking for future generations • Consensus • Sharing labour • Duty to family, clan, nation, Confederacy • Equality
The Original Farmers • The Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash) • Sharing the work and rewards. They also grew tobacco, melons, potatoes, turnips and other fruits and vegetables. • They picked berries and hunted game in their woods. • They believed that all resources such as land, crops, medicine, game, housing belonged to the entire community. The women handed out to each family according to need. The first to receive resources were children, then Elders, then women and finally the men.
The Role of Women • The society was matrilineal, meaning the head of each longhouse was a women. • She was known as a clan mother. • When married the husband would move into the woman’s longhouse. All people in the longhouse belonged to the same clan. The women owned all of the possessions in the house. • Each clan had a symbol, such as bear, wolf, turtle, snipe, deer, eel or hawk.
Life Givers Women were well respected for their ability to create life. They gave birth to children and grew food from the body of Mother Earth. For these reasons they were equal to men. Their responsibilities were • Deciding location of villages • What crops to plant • Decision to go to war • Controlling immigration (refugees) • Playing a central role in ceremonies • Helping trouble people and teaching children
Haudenosaunee Government • Formed alliances with other groups. An alliance is a union in which groups agree to trade and help each other and resolve disputes. One alliance was the Iroquois Confederacy. • Followed the Great Law of Peace. A set of laws that explained how the government would work and how people should behave in society.
The Anishanabe • Lived in northern and central Ontario / southern Manitoba • Europeans called them Ojibway or Saulteaux • Their name means “the people” • Over time some have moved onto plains where many still live today
World View They tried to live their lives to the seven main values: • Wisdom • Love • Respect • Bravery • Honesty • Humility • Truth
Cycle of Life • A hunter gathering society • Also grew wild rice “mamomin” which played a central role in their way of life.
Role of Women • Anishanabe believed in equality and balance. Men and women were equal partners in the annual cycle of work. Each had specific jobs for the community. • Women looked after children and maintained the lodge. • Hunted smaller animals such as rabbits, birds and porcupines. • Harvested rice, fruits, berries, nuts and roots.
Wild Rice Harvesters • Only women and children took part in the harvest • The harvest was communal. Everyone was supposed to harvest the rice at the same time. • Harvesters used traditional harvesting techniques. This ensured that unripe rice stocks were not damaged. • Most important, harvesters had to leave enough rice unharvested to seed the next year’s crop.
Solving Problems • The Anishanabe lived in extended family clans in lodges made of birchbark. • Each village looked after their own affairs but they had contact with each other and had short term alliances. • In order to meet the needs for protection, leadership, education, food and medicine the people organized themselves into seven clans named after animals that had duties to carry out for the good of the entire nation. • Bird, Deer, Marten, Bear, Loon, Fish
Making Decisions • Each clan had a leader, chosen based on courage, good character, or skill in hunting. The leaders of the loon and crane clan were leaders in matters outside the community. They worked together to create a balanced government. There could be times of conflict, though. In these cases they used the role of the Fish clan to help settle disputes between Cranes and the Loons.
Economies and Resources Economy: The way people meet their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Hunter Gatherer Economies: People gathered plants, hunted and fished according to the seasons. Most of the food was eaten fresh but some was preserved to eat during the winter. Farming Economies: In some places the soil and weather allowed for crops to be grown. These groups did not move around such as hunter and gatherer societies. Only when the soil was depleted did people move on. Trading Networks: First Nations traded with other nations. The Haudenosaunee traded tobacco and corn. The Anishanabe traded rice and copper. The Mi’kmaq traded sea shells. It was possible that the shells of the east coast would eventually end up on the west coast.
