History of Quebec and Canada/Study Guide/Topic 1: Sociocultural Organization

What were the chief characteristics of the Algonquian Peoples? Algonquian Indians T.M. Martin/National Archives of Canada/C-90370.

The Algonquin, the Cree, the Ojibwa, the Micmac, the Naskapi, the Abenaki, and the Montagnais are important Algonquian nations who lived in the northern forests of Eastern Canada.

Characteristics of the Algonquians

They were nomadic meaning they moved their camp site from place to place in their search for food. The men hunted and fished. The women gathered berries, roots and seeds. They lived in wigwams or tents covered with birch-bark or animal skins. Clothes were made from animal skins and furs. In summer they travelled using canoes. In winter they used snowshoes and toboggans. Their social structure was a patriarchy, which means that the men were the leaders and the heads of the family. They believed in spirits and in the forces of nature. The medicine man or shaman had a prominent place in society since it was believed that he had the power to expel evil spirits and to influence the powerful forces of nature.

What were the chief characteristics of the Iroquoian Peoples ?

Iroquoian palisaded village (European rendition 1720) NAC/C-36345 The Iroquois call themselves Haudenosaunee meaning "people of the longhouse." They lived in and around the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Lowlands. Characteristics of the Iroquoians Iroquois villages were generally fortified and large. The distinctive, communal longhouses of the different clans could be over 200' in length and were built over a framework covered with elm bark. The Iroquois had a matriarchal social structure meaning the women owned all property and determined kinship. After marriage, a man moved into his wife's longhouse, and their children became members of her clan. They were sedentary, which means they had a way of life that involved living in a permanent community. Their villages were permanent in that they were moved only for military defensive purposes or when the soil became depleted (about every fifteen to twenty years). Agriculture provided most of the Iroquois diet. Corn, beans, and squash were known as "deohako" or "life supporters." The women owned and tended the fields under the supervision of the clan mother. Men usually left the village in the fall for the annual hunt and returned about midwinter. In the spring the men fished. Like the Algonquians, the Iroquoian religion was based on the worship of a great spirit who had power over the lives of all living things. It was the Iroquois political system, however, that made them unique, and because of it, they dominated the first 200 years of colonial history in both Canada and the United States. The Iroquois prevailed because of their unity, sense of purpose, and superior political organization.

1. WHICH TWO OF THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS DESCRIBE THE WAY OF LIFE OF THE ALGONQUIANS?

    1. They lived in the Canadian Shield in wooded areas with
       abundant game.  
    2. Their diet was based on hunting, fishing and gathering. 
    3. Many families lived together in long wooden houses.  
    4. They lived in large groups in villages; the mother was the
       head of the family.  
    5. Chiefs were elected by women; the chiefs made the important
       decisions.  

A) 1 and 2

B) 1 and 5

C) 2 and 4

D) 3 and 5

ANSWER: A B C D

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2. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING COMBINATIONS DESCRIBES THE ALGONQUIANS?

A) nomadic · wigwam · hunting · gathering · patriarchal

B) nomadic · longhouse · farming · hunting · matriarchal

C) sedentary · wigwam · hunting · gathering · matriarchal

D) sedentary · longhouse · farming · hunting · patriarchal

ANSWER: A B C D

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3. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERISTICS APPLIED ONLY TO THE IROQUOIS ?

1. Sedentary way of life

2. Methods of transportation

3. Hunting and gathering

4. Growing of corn

5. Religious beliefs

6. Matriarchal system

A) 1, 2 and 5 B) 1, 4 and 6 C) 2, 3 and 6 D) 4, 5 and 6

ANSWER: A B C D

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4. WHICH TWO OF THE FOLLOWING ROLES WERE RESPONSIBILITIES OF IROQUOIAN WOMEN ?

    1. They were the shamans (priests) of the village. 
    2. They were responsible for farming.  
    3. They elected the chiefs.  
    4. They went to live in their husband's wigwam.  
    5. They hunted and fished to feed the family.  

A) 1 and 2

B) 1 and 4

C) 2 and 3

D) 3 and 5

ANSWER: A B C D

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Go On To Topic 2: Mutual Influences