First Nations people originate from a diverse range of cultures and music traditions vary within this group of people. There are, however, some similarities which can mainly be found in the public, social music and private, ceremonial music. Before contact with Europeans, Aboriginal Canadians made traditional musical instruments from materials that were available in the areas that they inhabited. For example, the rattles that accompany social dance music were made from elaborately decorated gourds and animal horns. [Read more...]
The Inuit Igloo
March 9, 2011 By
An igloo is a shelter made from snow blocks that was predominantly built and used by the indigenous Inuit communities that inhabit Canada’s Central Arctic region along with those who lived in the Thule area of Greenland. Inuit communities in other areas also used snow to insulate their homes but the main structures were usually constructed from hides and whalebone. [Read more...]
The Settlement History of Canada
March 4, 2011 By
Circa 28,000 BC- The first people settled in Canada during the Wisconsin glaciation as falling sea levels allowed them to travel across the Bering Strait from Siberia to North America. This period of settlement in the history of Canada is known as the Paleo-Indian period. It is thought that the first people to settle in Canada did so in pursuit of Pleistocene mammals such as woolly mammoths, mastodons and giant beavers. These settlers, the Paleo-Indian Clovis people, are believed by many to be the shared ancestors of all indigenous Canadian people as well as those across the rest of North and South America. This theory has, however, been challenged several times over the last 30 years. [Read more...]
The Aboriginal People of Canada
February 28, 2011 By
It is thought that the first settlers in Canadian history were the Paleo-Indians who migrated to North America during the Wisconsin glaciation which took place between 17,000 and 50,000 years ago. At this time, sea levels fell and people were able to use the Bering land bridge to cross over from Siberia to North West North America. [Read more...]
The Significance of the Maple Leaf in Canadian History
February 22, 2011 By
Today, the maple leaf is instantly recognisable as the symbol of Canada and the Canadian people. However, the maple tree has a long history of playing an important part in Canadian life and the symbol of the maple leaf took around three centuries to emerge as Canada’s dominant symbol. [Read more...]
Languages of the Aboriginal People of Canada
February 18, 2011 By
There are many diverse Aboriginal languages in Canada and language is an important way for the indigenous people of Canada to feel a connection to their cultural identity. Today, less than 1% of the population of Canada speak an indigenous language. [Read more...]
Inuit Religion and Mythology
February 13, 2011 By
Traditional Inuit religion was based upon a form of shamanism which incorporated principles of animism. Although there was no central deity, an important figure in Inuit religion was an old woman called Sedna who lived with other important gods under the sea, their main source of food. According to their belief system, all objects and living things had a spirit. [Read more...]
Inuit Life
February 8, 2011 By
Although the last century has seen a great deal of change in the way that the Inuit live, they continue to retain many elements of their culture and traditions alive today. Included within the traditions that have been passed down through the generations are mythology, storytelling, traditional knowledge, dancing and music. Family life and community are as important to the Inuit today as they always have been. They continue to live in close villages where they endeavour to maintain a balance between tradition and the needs of the present. [Read more...]
Definition of Eskimo
February 4, 2011 By
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, the definition of the term ‘Eskimo’ is:
‘Eskimo is a member of an indigenous people inhabiting northeast Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and eastern Siberia, and traditionally living by hunting seals and other Arctic animals and birds and by fishing.
The two main languages of this people (Inuit or Yupik), comprises a major division of the Eskimo-Aleut family.’ [Read more...]
Aboriginal Art in Canada
February 1, 2011 By
The art of the Aboriginal people in Canada can be traced back thousands of years. Some believe that art in Canada originated during the last ice age between 12,000 and 80,000 years ago. However, the oldest examples that exist today date back to around 5,000 years ago. Red ochre paintings on natural rock, known as pictographs and petroglyphs have been found in sites such as those found in North West Ontario which are believed to be up to 5,000 years old. Carved figures of people have also been found which may be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old and totem poles are now thought to date back at least 2,500 years in Canadian history. [Read more...]