StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
It is possible to think that the European settlement in Canada only had a negative impact on the aboriginal people but there are good reasons for this thought. The first and primary impact of European settlement on the aboriginal people in Canada was displacement and removal…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.4% of users find it useful
The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada"

The Impact of European Settlement on Aboriginal People in Canada It is possible to think that the European settlement in Canada only had a negative impact on the aboriginal people but there are good reasons for this thought. The first and primary impact of European settlement on the aboriginal people in Canada was displacement and removal from their native lands. As European settlement took place in Canada, the natives were swept aside and forced to move to different areas as changes in the use of land show us (Schneider, 1996).

Of course such changes did not come immediately from European contact since the contact between Europeans and Aboriginal Canadians had been established since the time of the Vikings. From fishermen on the coast, to traders for fur and other commodities, it is interesting to note that the story of the contact between Europeans and aboriginals does not start from the voyages of discovery but has its origins in the journeys of the Vikings. However, the real impact on aboriginal people only becomes clear when French and British explorers started making journeys into Canada rather than remain on the Canadian coast.

Their journeys took them to areas where farm output was better and this allowed larger settlements to be created by the explorers (Schneider, 1996). The story of these connections between Europeans and people from the old world was quite similar to the situation which developed in America and elsewhere in the world.The aboriginals were struck with disease and conflict. Diseases which were unknown to them and for which their bodies had no real defenses were laid up against them. Smallpox and other ailments destroyed entire settlements of natives and they were not able to counter the disease with their medicine.

As the concept of the disease and the manner in which it spread remained alien to them, they were also unable to take real precautions against the disease which spread quickly (Wikipedia, 2008). The aboriginals were also impacted in terms of religion and education as the Europeans attempted to civilize the nations of the new world. At the same time, there were several nations which were on friendly terms with the European settlers such as the Algonquin and others included in the Wabankaki Confederacy.

With these nations, trade and exchange took place to a great extent which was mutually beneficial for all parties. However, the trade was often replaced with broken contracts and war. For example, the French were continually troubled by the Iroquois who had been given arms by the British in order for them to fight against the French. The natives suffered through disease, proxy wars and being led into situations where they could not do anything to save their land from being taken over by outsiders (Wikipedia, 2008).

While the impact on aboriginal peoples is a matter for historians, it also gives us several important lessons for the future. Whenever there is conflict between nations over resources which are limited, it is perhaps a better idea to come to terms with negotiations, common understandings and communication rather than war. Similarly, perhaps in the future the same lessons could be used in situations where we have first contact with species from another world. Most importantly, we learn that every culture has value and every culture has something to offer to us as a civilization.

Word Count: 602Works CitedSchneider, D. 1996, ‘Effects of European Settlement and Land Use on Regional Patterns of Similarity Among Chesapeake Forests’, Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, vol. 123, no. 3, pp. 223-239.Wikipedia. 2008, ‘History of Canada’, [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Canada

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada Essay”, n.d.)
The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1544415-the-impact-of-european-settlement-on-aboriginal-people-in-canada
(The Impact of European Settlement on Aboriginal People in Canada Essay)
The Impact of European Settlement on Aboriginal People in Canada Essay. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1544415-the-impact-of-european-settlement-on-aboriginal-people-in-canada.
“The Impact of European Settlement on Aboriginal People in Canada Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1544415-the-impact-of-european-settlement-on-aboriginal-people-in-canada.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The impact of European settlement on Aboriginal people in Canada

The Loss of Australian Languages following the British Colonization

There was a marked difference in the state of the aboriginal people before the colonisation period and after the colonisation period.... A number of different estimates have placed the numbers of indigenous people before the British invasion between 250,000 people and 1 million people.... The aboriginal population lost many things including their rich collection of languages and dialects because they were neglected over time....
13 Pages (3250 words) Essay

Learning Journal: Focusing On the Various Issues In Exploring Urban Native Communities

This paper talks that Urban Aboriginal Communities in canada provides an important examination of the challenges and issues faced by native urban communities in such key areas as income, education, language and mobility.... This paper makes a conclusion that in canada, most of the Aborigine people live in western Canadian cities though not exclusively.... Almost half of Canadian aboriginal people are city dwellers....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Mabo and Wik Decisions: Importance to Australias Mineral Industry

in Charlesworth 15), thus were incapable and powerless to exercise “sovereign authority” (Russel 41) over their lands; second, that “the aboriginal people are 'doomed to extinction' so that as a distinct community they will eventually die out and be assimilated within the white community” (Charlesworth 16); and third, that the aboriginal people are basically nomadic which the English colonizers' cultural ignorance of the Aborigines way of life misunderstood as the Aborigines' lack of interest to own and exploit the land (Ibid)....
11 Pages (2750 words) Research Paper

Pacts for Full Recognition of the Canadian Aboriginal Rights

As discussed above, that the land claims mainly focused upon the intense negotiation between Federal, Provincial Governments and third parties with aboriginals in canada.... These negotiations not only defined the rights of aboriginals in canada but also set up a legal infrastructure and framework which potentially governed the issue of rights.... The paper “Pacts for Full Recognition of the Canadian Aboriginal Rights” looks at measures of the Federal government of canada to make an economic and social adjustment between Métis, Indians, and Inuit....
20 Pages (5000 words) Coursework

Canadas Environmental Program for the Aboriginal Communities

The author of this term paper "Canadas Environmental Program for the Aboriginal Communities" points out that aboriginal people perceive of land as part of an experience.... (Cook and Lindau 2000:101) The aboriginal people should have a significant role in the decision-making processes on matters related to the exploitation of natural resources and the protection/preservation of the environment where Aboriginal communities thrive.... aboriginal people feel that land is part of their culture and spirituality....
9 Pages (2250 words) Term Paper

School System Established by the Canadian Government and Managed by Churches

The invasion and settlement of european settlers within Canada brought with them the devilish thought of the school.... It is due to that misinformed perception that forced them to interpret the socio-cultural differences between their culture and that of the Aborigines and consider the latter as savage, ignorant and children like who need guidance (canada 5).... Later, Davin recommended that canada should emulate the U.... This paper explores the residential schools that refer to the widespread school system with an ostensible purpose of educating aboriginal kids as well as training them on the Christian and Euro- Canadian ways of life....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework

Suicide in Aboriginal People in Canada

The paper “Suicide in aboriginal people in canada” suggests that it is a need to continue the search for optimal ways to prevent suicides in the population, but the paradox is that the current intervention of the competent persons with good intentions can have dramatic consequences in the future.... The highest numbers of suicide in the globe are recorded by the aboriginal people in canada but this is not the case for other aboriginal people in the world since there are many other groups of these people that have much lower rates of suicide....
11 Pages (2750 words) Coursework

Indigenous Australia: Contemporary Issues

That assumption of inferiority was based on the self-confidence of the settlers that their technical superiority and their Christian religion made them better than any indigenous people that they encountered on their way to fame, fortune, and land.... If the culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were mentioned to or taught to Australian students, it was from the perspective that they had been primitive people that had been civilized by the white settlers....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us