Population Settlement The First Occupants Settlement of Quebec

Population & Settlement The First Occupants

Settlement of Quebec l Occupation of Quebec took place over a long period of time l 15 000 years ago ice sheets that covered the territory began to melt l l Water filled up the lowlands and hills such as Mont Saint-Hilaire and Rougemont, formed islands This was known as the Champlain Sea l Eventually the water receded and more land emerged l Oldest traces of human life in Quebec date back to 10 000 BCE

Territory of Quebec - 1500 l By this time, Aboriginal groups each had their own nations, languages, beliefs, ways of life, and defined territories l They were divided into 3 linguistic families: l l l The Iroquoian (sedentary farmers) Algonquian (nomadic hunters) Inuktitut (nomadic hunters)

The Iroquoians l l l l Sedentary (semisedentary) Village Palisade longhouses Matrilineal Agricultural Saint-Lawrence Lowlands

The Algonquians l l l l Nomadic Summer camps & winter camps Wigwams Birch bark canoes Patrilineal Hunters & Gatherers Canadian Shield

The Inuit l l l l Nomadic Summer & winter camps Igloos (winter) Wigwams (summer) Patrilineal Hunters (seal & whale) Arctic

First Europeans. Scandinavians (The Vikings) l l l l Around year 1000 Leif Eriksson NFLD L’Anse aux Meadows Stayed 2 -3 years Built dwellings, raised livestock, & traded with Aboriginals (furs) Conflict arose Aboriginals forced Scandinavians to leave

European Contact – Jacques Cartier l His mission: l Find route to China l Bring back gold and riches l Claim land for King of France l First voyage in 1534: l Explored Gulf of Saint Lawrence and Gaspe area l Did not find any riches l Believed the river could be a route to China l Made initial contact with natives and brought some back to France

Jacques Cartier l Second voyage in 1535: l l Sailed further down the Saint Lawrence River with 3 ships Reached the Indian villages of Stadacona (now Quebec) and Hochelaga (now Montreal) Indians helped Cartier and his crew survive the cold winter and fight scurvy They returned to France in 1536

Jacques Cartier l Third voyage in 1541 -42: l l Mission was to set up a colony Cartier fought with Roberval (the leader of the voyage) They believed they found riches but it was nothing more than quartz and iron The mission failed and no one would return to the area for 70 years.