HISTORY OF QUEBEC AND CANADA

Culture and Currents of Thought

The First Occupants – Around 1500

Native groups occupied the territory of Quebec thousands of years before the Europeans arrived: Their culture was related to

their environment, their understanding of the world and their values

Contact with Europeans would eventually decrease the numbers of aboriginals and force changes for some aspects of their culture

The First Occupants – Around 1500

The native group that occupied the Saint Lawrence Valley were the Iroquois: Sedentary farmers and gatherers

The native group that occupied the land directly to the North and South of the Saint Lawrence Valley were the Algonquians: Nomadic hunters

Native American Territory – Pre-Contact

The First Occupants – Social Relationships

Chieftainship: Representative of the qualities a tribe

valued Chiefs were considered spokesmen for

their tribes rather than ultimate rulers

Algonquian: most eloquent and/or best hunter would be the chief

Iroquois: most eloquent and/or best warrior would be the chief and had more decision making powers that the Algonquian chiefs

The First Occupants – Social Relationships

Gift Giving and Reciprocal Relations: Reciprocity: a gift had to be given for

every gift received Generosity was a highly valued quality

for all members of native communities Villagers lived together in long-houses

(Iroquois), shared food and helped each other with chores

The giving of gifts kept harmonious relations between the tribes (ceremonies and feast were held, chiefs gave speeches, and people danced and sang)

The First Occupants – Spirituality

Animism: Natives believed that every

living or inanimate object had a spirit or soul that could live immortally outside of the object

These beliefs were reflected in the ways the natives hunted and fished They believed the reason they

caught the animal was because it had given itself to them

They sacrificed some of what they caught to ensure that the spirits would favour them

The First Occupants – Spirituality

Animism: Natives believed that some

spirits were evil and could harm humans To avoid displeasing these

spirits, native peoples exercised extra caution

Some groups made offerings of food and tobacco to the spirits they feared

Others made sure not to allow the spirits of the dead to escape their bodies

The First Occupants – Spirituality

Dreams and Smoke: Natives believed they could

communicate with spirits Tobacco smoke was one way they

believed they could do this Believed that their power to

communicate with the spirits was dependant on the smoke (this is why the peace pipe is so important)

Natives also believed that spirits showed themselves in dreams: Dreams could tell the future

The First Occupants – Spirituality

The Shaman: Spiritual connector between

the human and spirit worlds Shamans acted as dream

interpreters, had healing powers and prophetic dreams. The Shaman would use music

and dance to drive away the evil spirits that caused sickness

His ability to make predictions that actually came true, secured his position in the tribe

The First Occupants – European Contact

In the 16th century, native peoples came into contact with Europeans: Natives were interested in some of the

material goods brought by the European explorers and settlers (including iron, steel and brass materials that soon became integrated into native culture – ie: brass pots that were stronger than native clay)

Wool and cotton were adopted for native clothing (previously they had only used fur and animal pelts)

Sedentary native groups grew Europeans foods such as cucumbers, onions, and apple orchards

Domestic animals became more common for natives

The First Occupants – European Contact

Other consequences were more detrimental to native culture: Firearms replaced bows, knives and clubs, which

made native wars much more deadly European epidemics and diseases had a significant

affect on native populations (ie: small pox and tuberculosis) The natives had never come into contact with these

diseases before the Europeans arrived, so their immune systems were not able to fight off the infections

The French Regime – 1608-1760

With the establishment of Quebec City the French settled permanently in the Saint Lawrence Valley: Climate and Geographic conditions forced the French

to adopt some native practices But Europeans also imported many elements of their

own culture, including the Catholic Church

The French Regime – 1608-1760

Imports and Adaptations: Clothing: The French brought with them their own

European style, but quickly learned that they needed to adopt some native styles in order to survive the harsh winters The capot – a winter fur coat with a hood that prevented

the cold air from touching the skin Moccasins – replaced shoes and clogs which were not

warm enough for Canadian winters Mitasses – thick leggings that replaced stockings Caps and Tuques – with flaps to cover the ears

The French Regime – 1608-1760

Imports and Adaptations: Travel: The French used native means of travel

including snowshoes, sleds, and canoes (These were particularly useful for navigating through the thick woods during the fur trade)

Diet: The French also introduced native produce into their diet including squash, corn and maple syrup

Customs: The French adopted the native custom of smoking the tobacco pipe

The French Regime – 1608-1760

Settlements and Housing: First major settlements were mainly trading

posts Groups of buildings and warehouses surrounded

by palisades Settlers depended largely on supplies from France

The Seigneurial system was introduced in 1627 Settlers were given areas of land that had to be

cleared Started with basic dwellings, then houses of wood The had only one room, which made them easier

to heat in Winter Windows were made of paper or leather because

glass was expensive Furniture was very plain and functional

The French Regime – 1608-1760

Settlements and Housing: By the 18th century, comfort levels increased

Cast iron stoves replaced tin or brick stoves and improved heating in houses

Larger living spaces and separate rooms appeared though they remained small

Roofs were made steeper to prevent snow from accumulating

Stone houses start to appear in Quebec City and Montreal

Furniture remained modest and was made by the people Higher class imported their furniture from France

The French Regime – 1608-1760

The Catholic Church & Natives: First objective of the church was to

convert the natives Missionaries settled in some native

villages In order to spread the religion they

had to learn native languages The city of Montreal, Ville-Marie,

was established by religious orders seeking to convert the natives.

Iroquois were more hostile to these attempts and attacked Montreal

The French Regime – 1608-1760

The Catholic Church & the people: Religious orders also took of

control of educating the people Education focused mainly on

religion Basic reading, as well as

arithmetic and writing were also important

But few children actually went to school on a regular basis, especially in very rural areas

The French Regime – 1608-1760

The Catholic Church & the people: Hospitals were also founded by religious orders

Hotel-Dieu de Quebec in 1639 Hotel Dieu de Montreal in 1642

The French Regime – 1608-1760

The Catholic Church & the people: Each Parish would have its own church and Parish priest This was the best way for the church to maintain control over

the colony The priest made sure that the instructions of the church were

obeyed: No working on Sundays and religious holidays All colonists had to receive communion once a year Records were kept of the people who attended mass

The Bishop could tell the priest to refuse those who did not follow these obligations

The mass also acted as a social event: people would gather after mass to hear decrees or public speeches (since there were no newspapers)

The French Regime – 1608-1760

The Catholic Church & the people: Resistance Church also banned people from participating in acts which it

felt were immoral Certain clothes could not be worn by women Consumption of alcohol was also condemned by the church Church also oversaw the dances and balls held by the upper class

Some people began to get fed up with the church’s ultimate control

The French Regime – 1608-1760

Absolutism in the colony: Before 1663, control was executed by the King through the

chartered companies. The power of the King was represented by the coats of arms that

decorated imposing structures and public places within the colony Demonstrations showed the power of the King: ceremonies for the

arrival of a new Governor or Intendant, births, weddings and deaths of members of the Royal family were also celebrated in the colony