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Chapter 2 Images

All members of families and communities contributed to the seasonally-changing activities which sustained the people who lived on the land. Women and men passed down highly technical skills from generation to generation and reinforced these skills through games and physical activities. Aboriginal women mending a canoe at Lake of the Woods, 1872. Library and National Archives Canada, PA-074670 (p. 10)

The British Royal Family, Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales in particular, were fascinated by Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. Colonial administrators and Canadian politicians carefully orchestrated Native activities, including dancing and physical contests, to entertain and honour visiting delegations and to celebrate holidays. Victoria Day Aboriginal canoe race, Victoria, BC, 1899. Library and National Archives Canada, PA-112273 (p. 11)

The Blackfoot people travelled the plains by following herds on a seasonal basis. The teepee, made of different animal hides, was easily assembled and transported. Teepees could be adorned with painted symbols and figures, which honoured spirits and told stories. Blackfoot teepees, 1910. Library and National Archives Canada (A. Rafton-Canning), PA-029765 (p. 15)

The attires of the Aboriginal men and Euro-Canadians presented an interesting contrast. Each feature, whether hat, tie, or feather, represented similarly contrasting cultures which emerged out of specific ways of life, economies, and gendered social relations. Trading parties meet at Fort Pitt. Library and Archives Canada/Credit: O.B. Buell/Gilbert Bagnani collection/PA-118768 (p. 18)

The physical characteristics of the fur trader—endurance and strength—were buried under layers of clothing worn to combat the harsh Canadian winter. A trapper and the tools of his trade. Library and Archives Canada/Lord Alexander Russell fonds/C-003280 (p. 20)

The fish stocks, buffalo herds, bears, foxes, wolves, and other wildlife must have seemed to exist in unlimited supplies to the European men who arrived in Canada. Full-time traders and, later, farmers who wanted to earn income in the winter seasons harvested fur for more than 200 years. The fur trade at Fort Chippewa. Library and Archives Canada/Ernest Brown collection/C-0012299 (p. 24)