| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Aboriginal | original or earliest known; native; indigenous. |
| First Nations | the name used by Canada's Aboriginal or indigenous peoples, which refers to INDIAN peoples and may sometimes include the MÉTIS and INUIT. |
| Inuit | simply means "people." they were earlier known by Europeans as "Eskimos" |
| Igloo | was a winter dwelling utilized by INUIT across the Arctic. |
| Kayak | A one-person closed-deck hunting craft, employed by Inuit groups. |
| Umiak | Used for moving family and possessions to seasonal hunting areas and for whaling expeditions. |
| Shaman | A religious or mystical expert (male or female) who in FIRST NATIONS and INUIT societies undergoes initiation experiences in altered states of consciousness. |
| Iroquois | A term which designates a confederacy of 5 tribes originally inhabiting the northern part of New York state, consisting of the SENECA, CAYUGA, ONEIDA, ONONDAGA and MOHAWK. |
| Indian Reserve | land set aside by treatys. |
| Longhouse | The basic house type of northern Iroquoian peoples such as the HURON and IROQUOIS |
| Tipi | A conical skin-and-frame dwelling, the tipi was an easily moved yet substantial structure used by the nomadic Plains Indians. |
| wigwam | an Algonquian domed or conical dwelling prevalent in the eastern half of N America. The circular framework of poles was covered with bark or reed mats |
| potlatch | A highly regulated event historically common to most Northwest Coast native groups |
| land claims | Enabled INDIANS, INUIT and MÉTIS to obtain full recognition of their rights under treaties or as the original inhabitants of what is now Canada |
| canoe | Principal means of water transportation of the woodlands natives and the VOYAGEURS |
| totem pole | The signboard, genealogical record and memorial of Northwest Coast Indian tribes |
| residential school | A variety of educational institutions. Residential schools are usually considered part of the assimilative policies that the Canadian government directed at native peoples from the 1880s onward. |
| buffalo | hoofed MAMMALS of the cattle family common to the Canadian prairie. |
| pemmican | Dried meat, usually BISON, pounded into coarse powder and mixed with an equal amount of melted fat, and occasionally saskatoon berries or other edibles. |
| travois | A device for transportation among Plains Indians, the travois consisted of 2 long poles, each lashed to the sides of the dog (and later horse) pulling it |
| sun dance | An annual Plains Indian culture ceremony given at midsummer when bands and tribes congregated at a predetermined location. |
| Indian Treaties | Treaties in Canada are constitutionally recognized agreements between the Crown and aboriginal peoples |
| epidemic | Affecting many persons at the same time, and spreading from person to person in a locality where the disease is not permanently prevalent. |
| coureurs de bois | Itinerant, unlicensed fur traders of NEW FRANCE known as "wood-runners" to the English on Hudson Bay and "bush-lopers" |
| voyageurs | An adventurer who journeyed by canoe from Montréal to the interior to trade with Indians for furs. |
| seigneurial system | An institutional form of land distribution and occupation established in NEW FRANCE in 1627 |
| Quebec | The largest province in Canada. |
| Jacques Cartier | Navigator; Cartier led 3 voyages of exploration to the St Lawrence region beginning in 1534. |
| Samuel de Champlain | Cartographer, explorer, governor of New France. The major role Champlain played in the St Lawrence River area earned him the title of "father of New France |
| Jean Talon | Talon was a determined, energetic and imaginative INTENDANT of New France from 1665-68 and 1669-72. |
| Montcalm | Military officer at Québec City to 14 Sept 1759. Defeated by the English at the Batlle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace