Nearly 1.4 million people reported First Nations (North American Indians) descent, such as the Cree, the Ojibway and the Mi'kmaq, alone or from other origins. They constituted the largest group of Aboriginal descent. Soon after founding these colonies, the two powers consolidated alliances with the First Nations to support their commercial interests, which included the fur trade. The British allied themselves with the Iroquois Confederacy (now known as Haudenosaunee or Longhouse House Village, this group consisted of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca First Nations) and the First Nations of the Allegheny Range.
The French allied themselves with the First Nations north of the St. Lawrence River (the Hurons, the Algonquians, the Odawa and the Montagnais) and in Acadia (the Mi'kmaq, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy). Using the long-established indigenous trade routes of the Interior, the English and the French and their First Nations allies developed a vast trade focusing on beaver pelts, which spread across North America. This trade spurred new European exploration throughout the Great Lakes Basin, on the prairies and on the Mississippi River.
Five First Nations were part of the first series of pilot projects, and all have distanced themselves from third-party management. This long history of trade, trade, and competition brought about important changes for the First Nations populations of the Northern Plains. As for the principles that guided their daily conduct, many First Nations shared value systems similar to those in the Seven Teachings of the grandparents of the Anishnaabe peoples. The Department of India worked to strengthen damaged alliances, trying to ensure fair agreements on land delivery and protecting First Nations lands.
The Northwest Company, aided by the paddling and hauling skills of French-Canadian, mixed race and First Nations travelers, went directly to the origin of leather. The objectives of these deliveries were to meet the requirements of the transfer; guarantee Canadian sovereignty; open land to settlement and exploitation; and reduce potential conflicts between First Nations and colonists. While the idea of addressing specific First Nations claims was first proposed in the 1948 joint committee report, it was not implemented until 1973. The Department also distributed gifts and weapons every year during meetings and conferences with First Nations chiefs and leaders, including in U.S.
territories. The HBC's desire to purchase bison skins and pemmican (a type of canned bison meat popular with merchants and travelers) transformed buffalo hunting in the Plains First Nations from subsistence hunting to extensive commercial exploitation. In 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended the designation of a National First Peoples Day as a way to focus attention on the history, achievements, and contributions of Canada's Aboriginal peoples. These power struggles, particularly between the British and the French, transformed their respective trade associations with First Nations into vital military alliances that provided much needed support on both sides.
In 1860, the Indian Land and Property Management Act (Indian Land Act) brought about another fundamental change in First Nations' relations with the Crown. First Nations peoples were the original inhabitants of the land that is now Canada, and they often occupied territories south of the Arctic. The basic social unit of all First Nations in this part of the country was the extended family (lineage), whose members claimed to be descended from a common ancestor. As the colonists demanded more and more property, they began to pressure the colonial administration for land held by the First Nations.
As First Nations were responsible for educating their children, the legacy of the residential school system became increasingly evident. .
