unit 4 - part 3 1/11/07 6:32 pm page 1

Unit 4 - Part 3 1/11/07 6:32 PM

UNIT 4 — THE HUMAN LANDSCAPE—WHO WE ARE

BIG IDEASBIG IDEASHuman systems,

including cultures,change over time and from place toplace in Canada.

Diverse natural environments across

Canada have influenced the

diverse cultures andeconomies of

Aboriginal peoples.

Aboriginal peoples are widely

distributed, living in rural and urban places.

Many factors haveinfluenced current

demographic patterns of

Aboriginal peoples.

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THE LAND BEFORE CANADA What do you know about Canada’s First Peoples? Have you everexperienced an Aboriginal cultural event, such as a powwow or drum-ming circle, or visited an Aboriginal interpretive centre, museum, orfriendship centre?

What’s in a Name?Aboriginal peoples use names from their own culture for themselvesand neighbouring nations. For example, people of the Gitxsan Nationon the west coast call themselves the Gitxsan or “People of the Riverof Mist.” The community of Anishinabe people located in Temagami,Ontario, call themselves the Teme-Augama Anishnabai or “DeepWater People,” from the Anishinabe term Te mee ay gaming, meaningdeep waters.

Many different names were given to Canada’s First Peoples by set-tlers, who were mainly European, and by governments. Aboriginal isa term used by Canada’s Constitution to refer to the descendants ofthe original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada. This term

ABORIGINAL INUIT METIS

FIGURE 4.22 A First Nations powwow is a popular celebration where many differ-ent kinds of dances are performed, often for competition. Drumming is an importantpart of Aboriginal culture.The rhythm made when pounding the drum reflects theheartbeat of Mother Earth and brings a feeling of balance to drummers and listeners.

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PART 3 — CANADA’S FIRST PEOPLES 183

FIRST NATIONS ORAL TRADITIONS RESERVES

includes all First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people. ExplorerChristopher Columbus called the first people he met Indians becausehe mistakenly thought he had arrived on the shores of India on theother side of the world. Now, the word Indian is mainly used whenreferring to the federal government’s “Indian Act.”

Inuit is a term that refers to Aboriginal people who live inCanada’s Arctic regions. About five per cent of Aboriginal peoples areInuit. Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language. The singu-lar form, a person, is an Inuk. The word Inuit is pronounced in-yu-eet.

Metis are descendants of European fur traders and Aboriginalpeoples, who settled in the Interior Lowland region. Approximately30% of Aboriginal peoples are Metis.

First Nations is a term that refers to a distinct group ofAboriginal peoples who share the same culture and history. This termbegan in the 1970s to replace the term Indian, which many peoplefound offensive. Today, many Aboriginal peoples refer to themselvesas the First Nation of their ancestry or of smaller communities withina larger group. For example, the New Credit First Nation is part ofthe Mississauga First Nation of Aboriginal peoples.

Naming PlacesMany places in Canada that you may be familiar with bear the namesthat Aboriginal peoples gave them. Place names have helped to pre-serve Aboriginal heritage. Some places have recently been renamed toreflect Aboriginal heritage. For example, the people of Frobisher Bayin Nunavut voted to rename their community Iqaluit, which means“place of many fish” in the Inuktitut language.

ACTIVATE YOUR LEARNINGPOWER

Here are a few examples of the hundreds of place names reflecting Aboriginal heritage:

Canada is from the Huron-Iroquois wordKanata meaning “village.”Toronto is from the Mohawk word tkarontomeaning “trees standing in the water.”

Winnipeg is from the Cree words win-nipi meaning “murky water.”Saskatchewan is from the Cree wordsKisiskatchewani Sipi meaning “swift-flowing river.”

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UNIT 4 — THE HUMAN LANDSCAPE—WHO WE ARE184

Traditional Cultures—Diverse yet SimilarIf you look at census data, Canada’s Aboriginal peoples are often considered as one group of people, but the reality is that they arequite diverse. At the same time, there are many similarities amongAboriginal peoples, as there are among all people. In the past, manyAboriginal peoples were hunters and gatherers, and some were alsofarmers and fishers. All depended on the land and traded the bountyof the land with other Aboriginal groups. All lived in organized soci-eties with a form of government, spiritual beliefs, and a set of agreedupon values. Many Aboriginal peoples still follow some of their tradi-tional economic and cultural activities despite the changes they haveexperienced ever since their first contact with explorers, fur traders,and settlers.

Endangered Cultural DiversityWhat languages did your ancestors speak? Do you speak the same language they did? Language is an important aspect of culture.Currently, there are around 50 Aboriginal languages spoken acrossCanada, but most are facing extinction. Three Aboriginal languagesare expected to survive into the next few generations: Cree, Ojibway,and Inuktitut. Inuktitut is the language spoken by the Inuit people ofNunavut, Canada’s newest territory.

Just as geographers and other scientists are concerned about theloss of biological diversity as species of plants and animals die out,many people are also concerned about the loss of different languages.This is because these languages represent a vast store of intellectualknowledge, strategies, and behaviours stretching back thousands ofyears.

Before Canada Was a NationSome geographers and anthropologists who have studied the historicalmovements of people believe that groups migrated to North Americabetween 30 000 and 11 000 years ago, travelling across a land bridgethat once existed in the Bering Strait. Many Aboriginal peoples, how-ever, dispute this theory. Their understanding of creation comes fromtheir oral traditions, and they believe that they have lived on the landnow known as Canada since time began. Oral traditions are the history, knowledge, and values as told in stories and legends that havebeen passed along for thousands of generations.

MAKE A PERSONALCONNECTION

What language(s) and culturalcustoms are important in yourfamily? How will you preservethe language and customs of

your ancestors?

spiritual beliefs:

sacred or religious aspectsof human belief

European languages arebased more on nouns, andnaming and judging things.Aboriginal languages arebased more on verbs thatdescribe interdependence.

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FIGURE 4.24 More than 100 friendship centres acrossCanada, such as this one in SlaveLake, offer cultural programs andassistance for people living inurban areas.

Gwich’In

Labrador Inuit

SwampyCree Wood

Cree

Ojibwa

OdawaHuron

Seneca

Cayuga

Onondaga

Oneida

Mohawk

Mahican

Abenaki

Mi’kmaqWuastukwiuk

Passamaquoddy

Penobscot

Menomini

Potawatomi

Algonquin

Innu

(Montagnais)

Innu

Tobacco

Beothuk

JamesBay Cree

Assiniboine

Saulteaux

SiouxCrow

Gros Ventre

Siksika

Shuswap BloodSarsi

Peigan

Han

TagishTutchone

TeslinKaska

TahltanTsetsaut

GitksanSekani

Wet'Suwet'EnTsilhqot'In

Kwakwa Ka'Wakw

Beaver

PlainsCree

HaidaHaislaHeiltsukNuxulkNuu-Chah-NulthComoxCowichanNitinatSongish

Chinook

Tsimshian

Tlingit

Nisga’A

Dene

Dene Th’A

InuvialuitCopperInuit

NetsilikInuit

CaribouInuit

IgloolikInuit

Baffin LandInuit

Chipewyan

– –

Polar Inuit

Greenland Inuit

Squamish SalishLillooet

Nlaka'PamuxLake Okanagan

Kutenai

USA

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Northwest Coast

Plateau

Great Plains

Eastern Woodlands

Arctic

Cultural Areas

FIGURE 4.23 This map showsthe Aboriginal groups that livedon the land when the firstEuropean settlers arrived. Onereason why Aboriginal culturesare so diverse is that the placeswhere they lived have differentnatural environments.

Aboriginal Cultures at the Time of European Colonization

Aboriginal CommunitiesToday, fewer than half of Canada’s 1.5 million Aboriginal peoples liveon reserves. A reserve is land that is legally owned by the federal gov-ernment but has been set aside for use by a First Nation group, usual-ly as the result of a treaty. Many Aboriginal peoples now prefer theterm First Nation community and no longer use reserve.

Many Aboriginal peoples live in cities where they participate inmainstream Canadian society and, at the same time, keep many oftheir cultural traditions. Some Aboriginal peoples move back andforth between their home community and the city. Some face poverty,homelessness, racism, and stereotyping. These problems have resultedfrom the changes that occurred as the people lost their lands, theirlivelihoods, and the ability to control their own destiny. Canada’s gov-ernment policies over the years have failed to significantly improve thelives of many Aboriginal Canadians. Many Aboriginal organizationsand agencies offer cultural programs and assistance in finding housingand health care for people living in cities.

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Living on the Land—Natural SystemsInfluence Economies and CulturesAboriginal peoples have strong connections to the land. Their identity depends on their relationship with the land and waters theyrely on for growth and prosperity. Just as natural systems influence the economy and culture of all peoples today, a wide range of landscapesprovided the Aboriginal peoples with many different plants and animals that shaped their lifestyles and traditions. For example, thepeoples of the Pacific coast had a wealth of foods, such as salmon andseals, and raw materials, such as wood from western red cedar trees.This wide variety of goods led to a vast network of trading routes thatcriss-crossed the North American continent for centuries beforeEuropean settlers arrived. The map in Figure 4.25 shows whereAboriginal peoples live today.

“The land is who we are and what we are. Our land is not just in one place like white people but over this whole bigger area.”

—Member of Kluane First Nation

DRAW CONCLUSIONSAS YOU READ

What could Aboriginal peoples teach non-Aboriginal people about using resources

wisely and respecting the environment?

FIGURE 4.25 This map shows whereAboriginal peoples live in Canada.

1000-1999

500-999

40-499

2000 +

Number ofAboriginalpeople

Total Aboriginal Population (2001 Census)

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187PART 3 — CANADA’S FIRST PEOPLES

ACTIVATE YOUR LEARNING

1. Use an atlas to determine the shortest distance in kilometres between North Americaand Russia across the Bering Strait. Suggestwhat conditions might have existed long ago tolower sea levels enough so that there was aland bridge between the two. Explain the waymany Aboriginal peoples feel about the theorythat their ancestors arrived in Canada thou-sands of years ago by crossing a land bridgefrom one continent to another.

2.Choose a place in Canada that has anAboriginal name. Use an Internet search engineto find the meaning of the name and the language the name comes from. You may wishto choose from the following names: Ottawa,Mississauga, Niagara, Wawa, or Pangnirtung.

3. Identify a place name near your home thatreflects Aboriginal heritage.

4. Study the map in Figure 4.23. Identify theAboriginal group that lived at the time of colonization in the region where you now live.

5.Compare the map in Figure 4.25 to the map in Figure 4.5. Be sure to use the legends. What do you notice about the difference inpopulation distribution between the two maps?

6.Conduct some research to learn more about aparticular First Nation. Organize your inquiryunder the following headings: Location, NaturalSystems, Traditional Economy, and CulturalTraditions. Use the most relevant informationthat you find to write a report that explains howthe area in which the First Nation now livesinfluences the members’ current way of life.

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UNIT 4 — THE HUMAN LANDSCAPE—WHO WE ARE

BIG IDEASBIG IDEAS

188

Many factors haveinfluenced current

demographic patterns of

Aboriginal peoples.

Aboriginal peopleshave a wealth ofknowledge and wisdom about

natural systemsand how they

interact.

Aboriginal peopleshave made manyclaims for land orfor compensation

for lost lands.

Canada’s settlementof land claims will

influence the country’s economic,

social, and environmental

well-being.

ABORIGINAL PEOPLES TODAYMost Canadians are aware that there are huge differences in the quali-ty of life from one part of the world to another. But many do notrealize that inequities exist in our own country. Media headlines oftendescribe the poor living conditions that some communities are facedwith, such as the serious housing and water contamination problemsof Kashechewan on the west coast of James Bay.

For more information on Kashechewan, see page 306.

A Demographic DivideSome Aboriginal peoples have lost their means of livelihood and live apoor quality of life with fewer choices available to them. The livingstandards of Aboriginal peoples have improved over the past 50 years,but they still do not come close to those of non-AboriginalCanadians. The life expectancy of Aboriginal peoples is between fiveand seven years lower than that of other Canadians, while the infantmortality rate is 1.5 times higher.

Aboriginal peoples are the youngest, fastest-growing segment ofCanada’s population. Fifty per cent of all Aboriginal peoples are underthe age of 25, and 50% do not graduate from high school. Unemploy-ment rates for Aboriginal peoples are at 19%—higher than that of thegeneral population. In some Aboriginal communities, unemploymentrates can be as high as 80%. A big challenge for Aboriginal leadersand governments is to provide education for such a large group ofyoung people. They must also make planning decisions that will pro-vide job opportunities for them in the future.

Aboriginal YouthIf young people see a future in their own communities, they will bemore likely to stay in them. For example, the Lac la Ronge FirstNation, who are part of the Cree Nation and live on the edge of theCanadian Shield in Saskatchewan, have developed a number of jobopportunities that encourage their 7500 members to stay. Theseinclude working as miners, mechanics, welders, and truckers in localuranium mines; working on construction projects; harvesting wildrice; hunting; trapping; and fishing. Lac La Ronge leaders, throughthe Kitsaki Management Limited Partnership, have interests in manydifferent businesses, ranging from information technology to meatprocessing, that result in permanent jobs.

SPECIFIC LAND CLAIMS COMPREHENSIVE LAND CLAIMS

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189

The Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth(FAAY) is a scholarship and bursary program operated by theCanadian Council for Aboriginal Business. These awards encourageAboriginal youth to stay in school and take advantage of the opportu-nities available to those with higher education. MatthewIssumatarjuak and Karen Aglukark were two of several high schoolstudents who received FAAY awards of $750 in 2006.

PART 3 — CANADA’S FIRST PEOPLES

TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (TEK) PERMAFROST

There are more than 30 000 Aboriginal-owned

businesses in Canada.

Matthew Issumatarjuak Karen Aglukark

NATION BUILDER

TINA KEEPERTina Keeper is known to many Canadians as a Gemini award-winning actresswho starred as RCMP officer Michelle Kenidi in the CBC series North of 60. Tinais proud to be a member of a Cree nation and a Canadian citizen.

Born in Manitoba, Tina is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation.She graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and she has become a success-ful and influential woman. Tina has supported a number of social projects in hercommunity. She has actively worked to improve education, and prevent suicideand abuse. As well as receiving a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, she isa member of the Order of Manitoba. Tina continues to build her nation andCanada, and she was elected as the federal member of parliament representingChurchill, Manitoba, in January 2006.

FIGURE 4.27 Tina Keeper,Gemini award winner and federal member of parliament

FIGURE 4.26

Matthew is an 18-year oldInuk from Arviat, Nunavut.He is in grade 12 at JohnArnaludjuak High School in Arviat. This is his secondFoundation for theAdvancement of AboriginalYouth award. Matthew volunteers at the local elders centre and knows that the key to a better lifeis a good education. Afterhigh school, Matthew plansto train to be a pilot.

Karen is a 15-year old Inuk from Iqaluit, Nunavut.She is in grade 11 at JohnArnaludjuak High School inArviat. This is her secondFAAY award. Karen hastravelled throughoutNunavut to science campsand tournaments in severaldifferent sports. She plansto attend CarletonUniversity in Ottawa tostudy international law.

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Claiming the LandAboriginal peoples are making claims to regain control of some oftheir traditional lands, resources, and rights. Land claims are one waythat Aboriginal peoples can establish legal title to land or receive mon-etary compensation for land given up. Some groups, such as the InnuNation, have made considerable progress in asserting their rights overtheir land and resources. Others, such as the Metis, have made lessprogress over the years in their quest for self-government rights orland claims.

The federal government of Canada is responsible for land claims.However, provinces and territories play an important role because theyare responsible under Canada’s Constitution for people’s property rights.

Two important government rulings include the following:1. In 1997, a very significant Supreme Court decision called

Delgamuukw defined the nature of Aboriginal rights in BritishColumbia, where title to the land had never been given up in treaties.The ruling stated the following:• The province had no right to extinguish Aboriginal title to the land.• Oral traditions could be used as evidence of occupancy of the land.• If any development, such as mining, logging, or building hydro-

electric power dams, is to occur, the government must ensure as little impact as possible, consult Aboriginal peoples, and, in some cases, provide them with fair compensation.

2. In 2004, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal and provincialgovernments must consult Aboriginal communities about develop-ment activities that could infringe on Aboriginal rights and title toland even if a land claim had not yet been settled.

As of 2006, there was still a large backlog of more than 750 claims yet to be settled. Some groups have been trying to settledisputes for more than 100 years.

There are two types of land claims: specific and comprehensive.Specific land claims address the breaking of or failing to fulfill origi-nal treaties, such as when some of the land provided by a treaty is notreceived. By June 2006, 275 specific land claims had been settled, butmany are still outstanding. Because some of the land may already beowned by others, financial compensation must be negotiated.

In October 2005, the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation set-tled a specific land claim that went back 150 years. There are 2232

In the 1930s and 1940s, itwas illegal for Aboriginal

peoples to hire a lawyer tohelp them negotiate withthe federal government.

More than 6000 Aboriginalpeople fought for Canada inWorld War I and World WarII. Some were promised land

upon returning from war,but most did not receive it.

To learn more about land claims,follow the link on the

Encounter Canada website.

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members of this nation, with 821 who live on the traditional reservein Muncey, just southwest of London, Ontario. Their ancestors surrendered land in a treaty in 1834 to a corrupt government officialwho stole the money that was to be paid to them. In 1998, the government of Canada rejected their claim. However, when they tooktheir claim to the Indian Claims Commission, which handles disputes,the government reversed its position and paid the Thames FirstNation $15 million in compensation.

Comprehensive land claims address claims to land, resources, orself-government in places not already covered by treaties. In these cases,Aboriginal peoples are laying claim to the land because they neversigned any treaties that gave away their rights to the land. Nunavutbecame a territory of the Inuit people in 1999 after the settlement of acomprehensive land claim. As of 2006, 20 comprehensive claims hadbeen settled, but many more are still outstanding.

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Gwich’in(Kutchin)

Nisga’a

Nunavut

NunavutYukon

SouthSlavey

NorthSlaveyDeh

Cho

Sahtu(Dene)

Inuvialuit

JamesBay

FIGURE 4.28 This map shows some comprehensive land claims in Canada. Largeregions of Canada were never surrendered by Aboriginal peoples, giving rise to claimsfor title to parts of that land.

Some Aboriginal communities are using GIS

to map travelling routes andvillage locations. They aredocumenting their use of

their territories over thousands of years in order

to help prove their title to the land.

In treaties made in 1787 and 1805, chiefs

representing the Hiawatha,Scugog, Alderville, Curve

Lake, and New Credit FirstNations of the MississaugaNation surrendered title tothe land now known as the

Greater Toronto Area (GTA) for 1000 pounds

(UK currency).

Some outstandingclaims in northern Canada

Areas without treaties where comprehensive land claims are made

Areas where specific land claims occur

Modern treaties as of 2001

Comprehensive Land Claims in Canada

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Different Ways of KnowingAboriginal peoples are now highly respected for their uniqueknowledge and wisdom about natural systems and how theyinteract. This knowledge, known as traditional ecologicalknowledge (TEK), has developed over centuries of living inclose harmony with the natural environment. Because theirsurvival depended on natural cycles, such as the migrationpatterns of caribou, Aboriginal peoples have an intricateknowledge of the ecology of their land.

For example, Aboriginal peoples living in northernCanada have an extraordinary understanding of animal behav-iour, clouds, stars, northern lights, wind, snow, currents, andsea ice. Many Inuit travel for hundreds of miles across sea iceand learn about its formation and properties, and how it isinfluenced by winds, currents, climate change, and other fac-tors. Incorporating this knowledge is essential in decision-making as sea ice continues to melt because of climatechange. This affects the wildlife that depends on the ice and,in turn, the people who depend on the wildlife.

“If there is to be mining, oil exploration, or hydroelectric dams, we know that they will affect our wildlife, ice, and marine areas. We have knowledge in those areas.

Our knowledge is in our heads: our father’s and grandfather’s knowledge is in ourheads. We are trying to put that knowledge to use…because we can get a much better

and bigger picture of the area when we have people from all areas of Hudson and James Bays participating.”

—Peter Kattuk, Sanikiluaq, “Voices from the Bay,” Northern PerspectivesMAKE A PERSONAL

CONNECTION Think about some knowledgethat you have that was passed

down from your father ormother, or your grandfather orgrandmother. Did they teachyou how to do something or

why you should behave a certain way?

The Great Circle

...everything an Indian does is

in a circle...because the Power of the

World always works in circles, and

everything tries to be round...the earth

is round like a ball, and so are all the

stars. The wind, in its greatest power,

whirls. Birds make their nests in circles,

for theirs is the same religion as ours.

The sun comes forth and goes down

again in a circle. The moon does the

same, and both are round. Even the

seasons form a great circle in their

changing, and always come back again

to where they were. The life of a

[person] is a circle from childhood to

childhood, and so it is in everything

where power moves.

—Black Elk - Oglala Sioux

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Nunavut—Land of the NorthNunavut: land of the mid-night sun, of northern lights,of the polar bear, of dog sled-ding, and of permafrost, thecontinuously frozen subsoilfound in polar regions.Nunavut, Canada’s newestterritory, covers two millionsquare kilometres. More than30 000 people live there.

Nunavut—Now andin the FutureHow do you get mail in yourcommunity? Imagine tryingto deliver mail to people incommunities that are hun-dreds or thousands of kilometres apart and where there are no roadsor railroads! The unique nature of the northern environment inNunavut provides challenges that are very different from the chal-lenges faced when providing services to cities and communities insouthern Canada.

For example, transportation has had to be adapted to the vast ter-ritories, isolated communities, long dark winters, and freezing bliz-zards of the cold Arctic climate. Providing water and sewage treatmentin the Arctic environment can cost more than 100 times what it doesin southern Canada. In many Nunavut communities, winter drivingconditions make it difficult for water to be trucked in and sewage tobe trucked out.

Because consumer items and many foods have to be shipped tocommunities by air, they are very expensive. Four litres of milk inKugluktuk can cost about $15. A Food Mail Program that sets andhelps subsidize shipping rates offsets some of the high cost of food.

For more information on transportation, see pages 374 to 380.

N U N A V U TIqaluit

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FIGURE 4.29 Canada’s newest territory—Nunavut

One can of pop may cost anywhere from

$1.50 to $3.85, dependingon the transportation needed to get it to a

community.

Telecommunications inNunavut, such as the use

of the Internet, TV, or radio,must use satellites.

This is a very expensive way to communicate.

subsidize: monetaryassistance given by thegovernment

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To investigate a list of the many current jobs available in Nunavut,

visit the link on the Encounter Canada website.

Opportunities for a Sustainable FutureNunavut has great potential for the future. It spans a very large area,and it has excellent tourism opportunities. Nunavut also has a wealthof resources, particularly metals, such as copper, iron, nickel, and sil-ver; gold and diamonds; oil and gas; and uranium.

The comprehensive land claim settlement gave the Inuit owner-ship of the mineral rights to ten per cent of the land, and they willshare the remaining resources with the federal government. They alsoreceived $1.1 billion over several years to invest in economic activitiesfor the benefit of the people and to protect some ecologically fragileplaces. Part of the comprehensive land claim settlement includes plansfor additional national parks and protected areas in 24 Arctic biore-gions.

ACTIVATE YOUR LEARNING

1. Explain how specific and comprehensive land claims are different.Study the map in Figure 4.28, and describe the locations in Canadaof both comprehensive and specific land claims.

2. You have learned that there are many land claims that have notbeen settled and that some land disputes have taken more than acentury to settle. Create a list of the challenges Canada faces in settling land claims.

3. What can you do to think beyond stereotypes and show respect for the cultural differences of different groups?

4. a) Describe two areas of knowledge in which mainstream Canadian society can learn from TEK.

b) Explain how TEK i) uses systems thinking ii) would lead to sustainable development of resources

5. Write a paragraph, explaining to someone who does not knowNunavut why it is so expensive to live there.

6. Conduct additional research online to predict what the future holdsfor human systems such as tourism and transportation in Nunavut.

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UNIT 4 — THE HUMAN LANDSCAPE—WHO WE ARE 195

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Your Venn diagram mustk/u – show that you understand that the complexity

of your background contributes to the complexity of human diversity within Canada

t – illustrate that you understand the critical rolethat immigration has played in the past and willcontinue to play in the future

c – communicate information by organizing it effectively using graphical organizers and imagery

a – show that you appreciate the importance of human diversity as a strength of Canadian culture

A S S E S S M E N T

The Great Canadian Cultural ConnectionDiversity is to be celebrated! This assignment asks youto create a cultural profile of yourself for sharing at aclass-wide or school-wide fair.

Consider the following Big Ideas from this unit as you complete this activity:• Canada is a remarkable country because of the

diversity of its people.• Cultural diversity means strengthened global con-

nections between Canada and the rest of the world.• Migration of people helps us to understand social

policy and regional differences.• Canada’s cultural diversity varies throughout the

national regions for a range of economic, social, and environmental reasons.

• Migration to Canada is an individual decision affect-ed by global, economic, and political factors.

How to Approach this Task 1. Complete the following cultural profile. You will need

to provide the following information about yourself. a) Cultural background: Describe the ethnic history of

your family for at least four generations (including your great-great-grandparents) if possible.

b) Languages: Describe the languages that are spoken at your home. This should include the languages that a parent or grandparent can speak even if they don’t use them regularly.

c) Religion: Describe the key beliefs that are honoured in your home. This can include religious convictions of your family as well as any special religious events, celebrations, festivals, and holidays.

d) Family life/traditions: Describe any specific family traditions that you have. Every family has traditions, from watching the hockey game on Saturday night to camping during the summer.

e) Clothing: Describe the type of clothing that you and your family members wear. This should include everyday clothing and any special or ceremonial clothing that you or your family members may have.

f) Food: Describe any special ethnic or cultural foods that you eat either regularly or at special events (holidays, etc.).

g) Sports and recreation: Describe the cultural activities in which your family is involved. This can include music, games, and other entertainment (e.g., opera).

Everyone has an ethnic heritage that can be sharedand celebrated. Keep in mind that culture and familybackground can be a very sensitive issue. Please pro-vide only the information that you are comfortablesharing with your classmates.

2. Create a small poster that contains a creative inter-pretation of your cultural profile. It should include lotsof pictures and colour. Make it as visually appealingas you can.

3. On the day of the cultural fair, you should bring yourposter to class, as well as a sample of one aspect ofyour culture. You could bring clothing, traditionalgames, religious items, or food. The idea is to sharesomething from your cultural heritage that would benew and exciting to other people in your class.

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