Comment

How did contact impact Indigenous peoples?

When Europeans made contact they exploited the Indigenous people living on the land. Eventually, after treaties were made Indigenous communities had a very small income. That alone impacts the way Indigenous people live, and as said in the video some people left reserves as all they were getting to live by was 3-5 dollars. Contact left the Indigenous people to adapt to the Europeans way and not the Indigenous way even though Indigenous people lived there first. Indigenous people were just scraping by from the HBC economic control over Indigenous People. Indigenous people's culture was being lost.

Personally, contact is where inequality started. The Europeans went there to take over, and when treaties were made it was like Indigenous lives were taken under custody and controlled over. Europeans thought of them as different humans which is where everything went wrong. Indigenous people should have been treated equally were as mentioned in the video there was no equality at all. 

What did they believe they were signing up for in their alliances?

I actually struggle to answer this so I am sorry that this is a more opinion-based answer. I believe or think that Indigenous people thought when they signed the alliance it would last forever, and they would work together. It would have shocked Indigenous people when Europeans the ones they had an alliance with ripped them off with treaties. When signing the alliance. In the video Sunshine in Huronia shortly after the alliance, they went to fight the Iroquois, and as much as they didn't get along, I don't believe they wanted to fight one another. I believe the Europeans used the Indigenous people to fight someone in their way to settle on the land. In the video, they pushed the fact it needed to happen at this certain date and time which makes me believe they used indigenous life for battle. For the Indigenous people when alliances happened they probably thought it meant they were safe from also having to fight Europeans for land and they were safe and could keep hunting, and keep their land, and traditions. I struggle to answer or find a clear answer to this so I am open to anyone opinion or help.

How different does the Fur Trade look through Indigenous eyes?

While Fur Trade expanded for most Indigenous peoples it meant the loss of some of their traditional territories. Weapons, alcohol, tools, and diseases were spread, leading Indigenous people to fear the extinction of their people. In the video, it said when an Indigenous person had to hunt for a month they were giving 25 dollars which covered supplies let alone the food they would have to eat. They were exploited by trade and used to earn more money. Where HBC didn't see it as see fur trade as exploitation but a way to make money, as said in one of the videos Europeans were concentrated on money, and spread their faith/religion.

PermalinkReply