Contacts and Encounters 1. Why is it difficult to truly understand the first meetings between Indigenous Canadians and Europeans?

-Because observing first moments are rare, and even more rarely recorded. 2. Was there any true incident of First Contact? Why or Why not? -First for the Europeans yes and well into the 20th century, but not for the indigenous people who
had been trading with the Spaniards for centuries.

3. What are the three basic types of contact as described by the article.
-Short lived peaceful meetings, Collisions, and longer-term relationships for trade or evangelization*. (Religion)

4. Examine in detail the role of disease in devastating the aboriginal population. -Contagious disease was not known of before the arrival of the Europeans. Aboriginal populations
were drastically reduced within decades of the arrival. - Diseases of the known world either did not exist or were so few on the Americas that the population had no time to develop immune responses to them. (Measles, Smallpox, typhus, typhoid, mumps and venereal disease.)

5. Make a list of all the skills that the natives had that Europeans needed to learn to be successful in Canada. -Hunting and fishing and preserving food, growing seeds, cultivating land, harvesting crops,
physical geography of the territory, constructing boats and learning how to travel, snow shoes, dressing warmly in winter and new ways of war against enemies.

6. Examine the report by Sieur de la Verendrye. Record one statement that seems to exemplify cultural superiority, and one statement that seems to be more balanced. -A savage named Peko reported to me that they had been beyond the height of land and reached
the great land. The savages of the interior have knowledge for the most parts of this river.

7. Why was communication so difficult between Europeans and indigenous peoples? What problems could this have caused?
Neither the europeans of the indigenous peoples could speak each other's language. First contacts would have depended on gestures and body language. This made many things hard to articulate and conceptualize and created misunderstandings. (Imagine a game of charades with aliens)

8. How did most of the First Nations people view the first Europeans? In its description of European society, does the article seem to agree or disagree with them?
- They first viewed them as supernatural beings but In many cases they were not impressed as they realized that they were humans just like themselves, underrate and regard to themselves as their

superiors. The article agrees with this by the statement of "To the modern mind Europeans' use of the word 'savages' to refer to the people of North America is richly ironic. As they themselves lived in garbage and stench infested cities.

9. What were the two generalizations Europeans made about Native culture? -Many Europeans believed that the indigenous peoples were savages and there religious and
spiritual beliefs were inferior to that of the European occupation.

10. Make a list examining the economic and social rules or mores that were the keys to aboriginal society. Summarize, with a statement, how this could effect relations between the two cultures. -Hunter/gatherers had no incentive to collect goods. - Native societies did not require political
institutions larger than the band. Chiefs were head men, but not kings. Natives had very little sense of territory belonging to them besides that they could use it. Native people treated their children with affectionate indulgence, seldom expressing disproval, but learned quickly for elders. To Europeans such behavior was seen as lazy and the extended periods of leisure that followed brief periods of work were indolent rather than seen as sensible.

11. How do most Europeans feel about Native spirituality? What actions were taken because of this?
-Aboriginal spirituality was often not readily apparent to the newcomers, and attempts were made to change myths and folklore to favor and inhabit Europeans. Mythology and history are often skewed. Europeans believed that shamans held religious stature, but they did not. Native religion had no institutional presence, not building or hierarchy. They believed that 'pagan superstition' must be uprooted and replaced with 'true faith'.

---------------------------------The first nation initially greeted the intruders as friends whose technology could enhance their lives. Only gradually did they realize that the Europeans sought to dominate the relationship.