FIRST CONTACTS

First contacts between the Aboriginal populations of North America and other world peoples was an ongoing process that continued from the earliest estimated dates at the beginning of the 800's right through to the twentieth century.

In the late 1500's and early 1600's there was great demand for furs in Europe. Their own supply of furs was becoming scarce as the number of fur-bearing animals declined. North America was to prove to be a good source of furs for the Europeans. The Aboriginal peoples had always traded fur pelts for other goods from the many different cultural groups across the continent. When the Europeans arrived, the Aboriginal people were eager to trade their furs for iron goods.

By the 1580's, more and more Canadian furs were being sent back to France and more and more European traders and settlers were arriving in Canada to stay. These newcomers were also being lured by the tremendous opportunities for land ownership, something that may have been out of reach for them in Europe. Land in North America was literally there for the taking since the Aboriginal populations that had lived there were not considered lawful landowners.