The truth is that millions of Canadians are immigrants, as the land of Canada originally belongs to the indigenous peoples (also known as Indigenous Canadians, Aboriginal Canadians, Native Canadians), who are the earliest known inhabitants of the land.
Indigenous Canadians comprise of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and other minority tribes.
Chehalis First Nations in the early 20th century
Image Source: Culture Trip
Before the Europeans arrived in Canada in 1534 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe - First Nations occupied North America for thousands of years and satisfied all their material and spiritual needs with the resources made available to them through the natural world. First Nations formed simple, organized communities which sustained their economy, and built sophisticated political systems, spiritual beliefs and vibrant cultures.
European exploration and migration, however, would radically change the lives of Canada's indigenous people forever.
European (Spanish, Portuguese, French, Irish and English) settlers first arrived in Canada as fishermen who, because of the wealth of resources offered in these territories, developed informal trade systems with First Nations; they exchanged Europeans goods for fur. This partnership, however, soon soured as the indigenous peoples were systemically uprooted from their traditional homes, either through war, forced relocation, or threats of violence. Indigenous peoples were pushed into remote areas where they wouldn’t get in the way of European colonization.
Inuit women and child
Image source: Wikipedia
The indigenous people could not withstand the Europeans' technology and fell prey to the diseases the Europeans brought across the Atlantic. A great portion of Canada’s aboriginal population quickly declined to a small minority as their death rate skyrocketed and European immigration increased.
Europeans continued to dislike the indigenous race, mistrusted them and mistreated them. Indigenous peoples were cast to and seen as the lower brunt of society. It is only in recent times that descendants of the indigenous peoples have began to enjoy dignified treatment under Canadian law.
Indigenous people make up around 1.6 million of Canada's 37 million people.
It is important to know the history of the indigenous peoples of Canada, and to remember that we are all immigrants in a country that originally belongs to them.
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