Aboriginal Economies

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Aboriginal Economies
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Aboriginal Technologies

• The common stereotype is aboriginal societies
  were primitive and did not have any technology.
• This is not true. Aboriginals had a different
  way of life and had a view of nature that was
  very different than the European view.
• There was no money or individual wealth.
• They respected the environment. People were no
  more important than a bear or tree.

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• Aboriginals had a very advanced knowledge of
  plant science that would later have a great
  impact on food development and medicine
  throughout the world.
• 60 percent of the worlds crops today were
  originally cultivated by aboriginal peoples.

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• Crops such as potatoes, corn, peppers, and
  tomatoes instigated a revolution in agriculture.
• People had more variety in their diets which made
  meals more balanced and nutritious which in turn
  increased the population of the world.

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• Aboriginals also developed sophisticated stone
  tool technologies and methods of transportation
  that were ideally suited for their environment.

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• Aboriginal economies were shaped primarily by the
  landscape and climate of their land.
• If their land had rivers they developed canoes.
• If there were large mammals such as caribou, they
  developed hunting tools for them.

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Farming Technologies

• Aboriginals provided Europeans with many new
  crops through trade, developed sustainable
  farming techniques, and demonstrated advanced
  food preservation techniques.
• European agriculture was focused on animal
  farming.

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Corn

• Through careful observation and genetic selection
  aboriginals developed many varieties of corn such
  as sweet corn, dent corn, and flint corn.
• They developed grinding and drying technologies
  that preserved food while keeping its
  nutritional value.

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• They also learned how to harvest wild food such
  as turnip, rice, and berries in ways that
  sustained their perpetual growth.

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The First Farmers

• The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) are considered the
  first farmers.
• They were located in the fertile region of the
  St. Lawrence Lowlands.
• Farming resulted in the Iroquois having one of
  the highest population densities in North
  America.

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• Women were responsible for harvesting and raising
  crops which gave them an elevated status within
  their society.
• Crops were harvested using hoes made from moose
  antlers and the shoulder blades of deer.
• Beans and corn were stored in chests of bark and
  squash was stored underground.

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Medical Technologies

• At the time of contact, aboriginal medicines
  focused on healing both body and mind.
• They became the basis of modern western
  pharmacology.
• Over 500 drugs in use today originated in
  aboriginal societies.
• The Wendat tribe saved Jacques Cartier's men from
  scurvy by developing a drink from birch bark
  which was rich in vitamin C.

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Trade Economies

• There is a great variety of resources in North
  America.
• These were extensively traded between aboriginal
  groups.
• Vast networks were set up this was evident in
  artifacts from Labrador being found in the St.
  Lawrence lowlands.

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• Most commonly traded tools included arrowheads,
  tools and shells.
• The mineral obsidian was also very important in
  creating hunting tools.
• Shells were used on clothing to symbolize
  importance within a tribe.

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Transportation Technologies

• Another important Aboriginal invention is the
  canoe.
• This was very important to the development of
  Canada as a Nation.
• It allowed for the discovery of the interior of
  the land.
• Trade was only made possible because of the
  canoe.

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Wealth and Social Standing

• Wealth had a very different definition compared
  to our society.
• Wealth was valued by spiritual powers and good
  relationships.
• Material possessions were valued but only for the
  prestige associated with giving them away at
  ceremonies.

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The Potlatch

• In the Pacific coast societies, sharing of wealth
  was evident in a ceremony called Potlatch.
• This was a feast in which the host family shared
  its wealth with poorer members of the
  communities.
• Gifts of food, artwork, and slaves were given
  away.