More Information about First Nations

Medicine Wheel

The medicine wheel contains four quadrants of life each representing  a certain aspect of holistic make-up: intellectual, spiritual, physical and emotional self. The four colours represent the four directions: red, yellow, white and blue (or black, green or darker colours depending on the Aboriginal group). Four is a very significant number in Aboriginal culture.

About First Nations 

First Nations people in Canada are people who used to be called'' Indians''. But early European explorers thought that they were in india when they landed in the North Amierca 

Who are First Nations?

First Nations are the various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Metis. There are currently over 630 recognized First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada.

History

The First Nations people  had settled and established trade routes across what is now Canada by 500 BCE-1,000 CE. Communities developed each with its own culture, customs, and characters. In the northwest were the Athapaskan speaking people, Slavey, Til Cho. The Blackfoot confederacies reside in the Great Plains of Montana and Canadian provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.''Blackfoot'' came from the color of the peoples' leather footwear, known as''Moccasins''.

How do First Nations live

The type of homes that aboriginal people built depended on the kids of materials they could find nearby, the kind of weather they had to shelter from, and how often they moved from place to place. Some tribes who did a lot of hunting and gathering created houses, like tips and wigwams, that could be packed up or left behind. Others who lived in permanent villages could make more solid homes from materials like logs and bark.                                                                    

 

 This is a typical home of the Haida people in British Columbia made of cedar

What do First Nations wear 

First Nations and Inuit people were able to create beautiful clothing from animal hides,fur,quills,feathers and even trees.They made the clothing as comfortable as possible while making sure that was warm in cold weather and cool in the summer.Each tribe had different kinds of clothing designs, mostly to suit the weather where they lived.For the Inuit,warm clothing was a must in the extremely cool temperatures of the arctic.

What do First Nations eat

First Nations and Inuit peoples used many different strategies such as:Hunting , gathering wild plants,framing and trading food between tribes.One thing was for certain; nothing was ever wasted,especially the animals. Often when and animal was killed,the hunter would give thanks to its spirit for giving up its life for them to eat. And every single part of that animal was used, not just for food but for clothing, tools, containers and much more. 

How did First Nations go places

First Nations people would walk from place to place and carried what they could.Dogs were hitched to an A-Shaped frame made of two long poles with hide stretched between the two poles.food, clothing ,tips and household belonging were carried on these poles.This method of transportation was called Travois.

Travois Means:A-Shaped frame with a plot form for carrying things.

 

First Nations Traditions

First Nations and Inuit culture and often reflected a deep understanding and respect for nature.Their stories,dances,songs,art and spiritual rituals had a great deal of meaning and symbolism for everyone in the tribe. On the Northwest coast, many tribes would have prayers and ceremonies every year to welcome and help the salmon who were swimming up the rivers to lay their eggs.