The first peoples
Indigenous peoples have lived in the lands now called Canada for many thousands of years, long before Europeans arrived. They built rich societies, with their own languages, governments, laws, trade networks, spiritual beliefs, art and science.
Today, the Constitution recognizes three groups of Indigenous peoples:
- First Nations: more than 600 communities with many distinct nations, such as the Cree, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Mi’kmaq, Haida, Dene and Blackfoot
- Inuit: peoples of the Arctic
- Métis: a distinct people who emerged later, during the fur trade, with mixed First Nations and European ancestry
There are dozens of Indigenous languages in Canada. Many are still spoken today, and communities are working hard to keep them strong.
Learning about the past
Indigenous history has been kept through oral tradition: stories, songs, teachings and laws passed from generation to generation. Elders are respected knowledge keepers who share this history. Archaeology, such as studying tools, homes and campsites, also helps us learn about the past.
Culture areas
Because Canada is so large, different nations adapted to very different environments. Historians often group them into culture areas: regions where nations shared similar environments and ways of life. Each nation within an area still had its own language and traditions.
| Culture area | Example nations | Environment | Food | Homes and travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Coast | Haida, Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth | rainy coast, forests, ocean | salmon, shellfish, whales, berries | cedar plank longhouses; large dugout canoes |
| Plateau | Secwépemc, Nlaka’pamux | dry valleys between mountains | salmon, deer, roots | pit houses in winter |
| Plains | Siksika (Blackfoot), Plains Cree, Nakota | grasslands | bison, berries | tipis that could be moved; dogs pulled travois (horses arrived later) |
| Subarctic | Dene, Cree, Innu | forests, lakes, cold winters | caribou, moose, fish, rabbits | birchbark canoes, snowshoes, toboggans; lodges and tents |
| Eastern Woodlands | Haudenosaunee, Wendat, Anishinaabe, Mi’kmaq | forests, lakes, fertile land | corn, beans, squash, deer, fish, maple sap | longhouses in villages; birchbark canoes |
| Arctic | Inuit | tundra, ice, sea | seals, whales, caribou, fish | igloos for winter travel, sod and stone houses, skin tents; kayaks, umiaks and dog sleds |
Ways of life
Respect for the land
Many Indigenous cultures teach that people are connected to the land, water, animals and plants and have a responsibility to care for them. Hunters often gave thanks to the animals and used every part.
Farming
The Haudenosaunee and Wendat grew the "Three Sisters": corn, beans and squash, planted together. Corn gave beans a pole to climb, beans enriched the soil, and squash leaves shaded the ground.
Governments and laws
Nations had their own systems of government. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca, later joined by the Tuscarora) was united by the Great Law of Peace. Clan mothers chose leaders and could remove them.
Trade
Nations traded over long distances. Copper, shells, obsidian, furs and foods moved across the continent long before Europeans arrived.
Art and ceremony
Indigenous art includes totem poles, beadwork, quillwork, carvings, masks, drums and songs. Ceremonies such as the potlatch on the West Coast marked important events and shared wealth.
Contact and change
When Europeans arrived, life changed greatly. Indigenous peoples shared knowledge that helped newcomers survive: how to travel by canoe, use snowshoes, treat scurvy and find food. But newcomers also brought diseases that killed many people, took land, and later created harmful laws and residential schools. Despite this, Indigenous peoples have kept their cultures, languages and nations alive.
Indigenous peoples today
First Nations, Inuit and Métis live across Canada, in cities, towns and their own communities. Many are leaders in art, science, sports, law and politics. Today, Canadians are learning about this shared history as part of reconciliation.
Try it yourself
- Find out whose traditional territory your school is on.
- Choose a culture area and make a poster showing its environment, food, homes and transportation.
- Compare how two nations adapted to their environments.
- Plant corn, beans and squash together in a class "Three Sisters" garden.
Quick recap
- Indigenous peoples have lived in Canada for thousands of years.
- First Nations, Inuit and Métis are the three recognized groups.
- Different nations adapted to different environments, grouped into culture areas.
- History is kept through oral tradition and Elders.
- Indigenous peoples had their own governments, trade, art and ways of caring for the land.