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Until this great work
is completed, our dominion is little more than a geographical expression
- Sir John A. Macdonald |
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Travel through the eras of
history and the development of the various nations that
make up Canada today. |
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Canadahistory.com |
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Canadahistory.com |
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| The arctic tundra and the scrub of the
Northern forests were the home of this unique and very tough people. In the
land of the polar bear, the seal, the arctic fox and of course snow and
darkness, these people found a way to live and thrive. They were probably
the last of the native groups to immigrate to North America starting about
4,000 years ago and continuing to just before the
arrival of the Europeans. They lived along more then 12,000 miles of
coastline which extended from Siberia across to Alaska and throughout the
Canadian arctic to Greenland. Their population
around 1600 was estimated to be about 60,000. The name Eskimo is derived
from the Abnaki people and means 'the eaters of raw flesh" which is what
they may have been reduced to do without extensive sources of fuel for fires
and cooking.
The two main forms of transportation they used were kayaks
made from sealskin wrapped tightly around a frame and smaller sleds which
were pulled across the snow by teams of dogs.
They used two main methods for shelter depending upon
their area and the seasons. Some would use sod to build small walls around a
dug out area with a small pit in the middle for fire. Others would cut snow
blocks from the snowfall and build a domed shelter know as an igloo.
The nation consciousness was not as strong as other
American groups due to the severe climate not being able to support larger
numbers, hence the groups were families or multi-family groups with limited
growth potential and passing knowledge of other families in their areas. |
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They were users of flint blades fro spears, arrows and knives
and hunted seals, walrus, fish and whales. They extensively used seals for
most of the tools, clothes and other items they required to survive on a day
to day basis. The main exception to this was the increase in numbers
of a group when hunting due to the advantageous they could derive from a
larger group. |
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