A1. Application: Life in Canada – Then and Now
Specific Expectations
A1.1
describe some of the similarities and differences in various aspects of everyday life (e.g., housing, clothing, food, religious/spiritual practices, work, recreation, the role of children) of selected groups and communities living in Canada between 1780 and 1850 (e.g., First Nations, Métis, Inuit, French, British, Black people; adults, children; people of different genders; enslaved people, indentured servants, habitants, seigneurs, farmers; people from different social classes)
- What were some differences between the ways in which First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and settler communities lived off the land?
- In what ways did the clothing worn by First Nations and settler communities differ?
- In what ways might the life of a farmer on a seigneurie in Lower Canada have differed from that of a farmer in Upper Canada? In what ways were the lives of these people similar?
- In what ways were the roles of children the same in First Nations, Métis, and settler communities?
- In what ways were First Nations communities different from Inuit communities?
- “The Inuit lived in small groups at seasonal hunting camps and moved to follow the animals. The Haudenosaunee lived in large farming villages and did not move seasonally.”
- “The Métis lived along the trade routes of the fur trade. They lived a semi-nomadic life harvesting on the land, but many of the communities also settled around the fur trading posts where they could get trade goods and garden produce.”
A1.2
compare what life was like between 1780 and 1850 in a few First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities (e.g., they learned off the land; produced agriculture and fished, hunted, and/or harvested; practised their own languages, cultures, and ways of life; participated in economic trading with settler communities when possible; shared knowledge with settlers) with the ways in which later colonial policies, including the residential school system, changed life in these communities (e.g., removal of children: loss of culture and language, impacts of assimilation on identity, challenges to developing family relationships, the breakdown of community; communities: loss of land and freedom to make decisions about the use of Indigenous lands and territories; loss of sovereignty)
- What types of food did First Nations peoples grow within their respective territories/communities? What types of food did Métis people harvest around the Great Lakes? In what ways did relocation and/or no longer having access to their territory impact this?
- Many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children were forced to attend a residential school far away from their family and community. What impact might the removal of children have on a community?
- What kinds of economic trade did First Nations peoples engage in with settlers? What were the positive impacts of this trade? What were the negative impacts?
- What kinds of knowledge did First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples share with settlers?
- What language(s) did First Nation(s) people in this area speak around the turn of the nineteenth century? What language(s) do they speak now? What are some reasons for this change?
- “Many Indigenous communities grew or gathered their own food. Haudenosaunee people harvested corn, beans, and squash. Some Inuit communities gathered berries, mosses, and lichens.”
- “When children were taken away to residential schools, they weren’t allowed to speak their language. When they went back to their communities, they had difficulty communicating with their parents and grandparents.”
- “Being taken away from their communities meant that many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people did not know who they were. They weren’t allowed to learn about their cultures. It affected their identity.”
- “I think that some settlers wanted to build their own farms and towns, so they moved the First Nations to places they didn’t want to go. This was often not good for the First Nations.”
- “Anishinaabe men and boys used to only hunt for their own communities until the Europeans wanted animals trapped for trade and selling, so the First Nations people started supplying fur to Europeans. This changed family dynamics because they were away for long periods of time. But they could also make money and get things like kettles and blankets by supplying the fur.”
A1.3
compare some of the roles of and challenges facing people living in Canada between 1780 and 1850 with those in the present day, including people in a few First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit communities (e.g., the roles of women, men, and children; challenges related to the environment, life on the land, work, community life, the law; treaty-making between First Nations and the Crown)
- What are the main differences between your day-to-day life and the life of a child living in Upper Canada in 1800?
- Where did people get their water? How did they heat and light their homes?
- How did Black individuals and communities support and welcome new settlers, such as migrants, refugees, and freedom seekers? How do Black individuals and organizations support newcomers today?
- “I make my bed and feed the cat, but kids then had to do a lot more chores. Lots of kids didn’t go to school either.”
- “People didn’t have electricity back then. They had fires for heat, and oil lamps and candles for light. I don’t know what I would do without electricity. I couldn’t watch TV, work on my computer, or play video games.”
- “When the beaver trade was over, the government required some First Nations and Métis people to start farming and growing food. Other First Nations and Métis people got more involved with the fishing industry. This shows how First Nations and Métis communities changed their roles when they faced challenges.”
A1.4
identify some key components of identity in Canada today, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit identity (e.g., bilingualism, multiculturalism, founding nations, religious freedom, nation-to-nation agreements), and describe some of the ways in which communities that were in Canada between 1780 and 1850 have had an impact on this identity (e.g., with reference to treaty rights and other agreements; Canada’s official languages; cultural symbols and contributions such as the birchbark canoe, lacrosse, kayak, inukshuk, or maple syrup; place names in Ontario and the rest of Canada; observances such as National Indigenous Peoples Day or Black History Month)
- Where did the word Canada and other words like Ontario come from? What are some other place names in Canada that are derived from Indigenous languages and cultures?
- What are some place names in Canada that reflect the background of settlers from Europe? What were the names of some of these places before settlers renamed them? How did the settlers choose these names?
- Who are the Métis? How is their culture different from First Nations and the Inuit?
- What impact did the existence of the Hudson’s Bay Company have on Métis identity?
- Why are Canada’s official languages English and French? Why are Indigenous languages not recognized in the same way?
- What are some rights that were promised to local First Nations through treaties or agreements?
- “I learned that what is now known as Toronto was once called Tkaronto, which means ‘the place in the water where the trees are standing’ in the Mohawk language. Some people still call it Tkaronto.”
- “The Métis are the people created by marriages between Europeans and the First Nations peoples. The Métis and the First Nations were an important part of the fur trade. They traded natural resources for European products.”
- “A treaty is a promise between nations that is meant to last forever. The promise stated that it would last as long as the sun shines, the river flows, and the grass grows.”
- “We live in an area that is included in the Two Row Wampum (Guswenta). This wampum represents the promises made between the Europeans and the Haudenosaunee.”
- “Some First Nations used wampum as a way of communicating agreements and conflict resolutions.”