Long before Montréal was founded, Natives camped for centuries on the point where the Little Saint-Pierre River met the St. Lawrence River – right where Pointe-à-Callière stands today.

What cultural family did they belong to? Were they nomads or more sedentary? What were they doing on the point? It’s up to you and your students to find out! Fragments and objects unearthed during archaeological digs on the site offer a number of clues.

Follow the traces left by Natives on the Pointe à Callière site and learn more about the diversity of Native cultures.


WHAT WILL THE STUDENTS DO AT THE MUSEUM?

• Examine authentic objects and documents showing how Native history extends back thousands of years.
• Soak up the atmosphere of the 17th-century fur fair, when Natives and Europeans met to trade.
• Compare lifestyles of the different First Nations and see how they related to their territory.
• Relive the excitement of the signing of the Great Peace of Montréal by Natives and the French in 1701, and all the solemnity of the event.

CONCEPTS COVERED DURING THE WORKSHOP

Nomadic and sedentary lifestyles, languages, diet, clothing, hunting, fishing, gathering, agriculture, bartering, political realities, means of transportation, communication channels, techniques and tools, women’s role, Native territory.


COMPETENCIES DEVELOPED

The activities in this workshop are in line with the aims of the Quebec and Ontario education programs and help develop the following subject-specific competencies:

Elementary cycle 2
In Quebec	In Ontario
Social Sciences SOCIETIES STUDIED: IROQUOIANS, ALGONQUIANS AROUND 1350 AND AROUND 1701 Perceive the organization of a society in its territory Situate the society and its territory in space and time; Make connections between characteristics of the society and the organization of its territory; Define the influence of people or events on social and territorial organization; Make connections of continuity with the present. Interpret change in a society and its territory Locate a society and its territory in space and at two points in time; Recognize the main changes in the organization of a society and its territory.	Social Studies EARLY SETTLEMENTS (GRADE 3) Use a variety of resources and tools to gather, process, and communicate information about interactions between new settlers and existing communities, including First Nation peoples, and the impact of factors such as heritage, natural resources, and climate on the development of early settler communities. FIRST NATION PEOPLES AND EUROPEAN EXPLORERS (GRADE 6) Describe characteristics of pre-contact First Nation cultures across Canada, including their close relationships with the natural environment; the motivations and attitudes of the European explorers; and the effects of contact on both the receiving and the incoming groups. (Grade 7) Describe how settlers and fur traders interacted with the First Nation peoples.

SECONDARY
In Quebec	In Ontario
Social sciences NATIVE TERRITORY (CYCLE 1) Understand the organization of a territory Grasp the meaning of human actions with regard to the territory. SOCIAL PHENOMENA COVERED: THE FIRST OCCUPANTS, POPULATION AND SETTLEMENT (CYCLE 2) Examine social phenomena from a historical perspective Explore social phenomena of the present in the light of the past; Consider social phenomena in terms of duration; Look at social phenomena in their complexity.	Native studies ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN CANADA (GRADE 10) Identify significant events and issues that have had an impact on Aboriginal peoples and their communities (identity). Demonstrate understanding of the continuity and change that characterized relationships formed between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society. The activities at the Museum look at these questions from a historical perspective, from the arrival of Natives in North America to the Great Peace of 1701.

Our experienced interpreter-guides know how to adapt the workshop to students’ ages and interests, to make it a rich and varied learning experience.


RESERVE TODAY!

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