Geography

As explained in the general introduction to the content section of our website, geography - topography, location, climate, etc. - plays a crucial role in the cultural determination of different First Peoples communities. When discussing geography with a class, there are a number of avenues that could be taken. Below, we have provided links to a variety of maps 1) charting traditional territories of the various nations within Canada, 2) demonstrating what remains of those territories in modern day Canada, and 3) maps demarcating treaty land vs. unceded territory. We have also included links discussing the various relationships First Peoples held with the land from nomadic, migratory to sedentary, agricultural. Of interest may also be our page on environmental science.

1. An interactive map that you can click on to discover more information about the peoples inhabiting particular geographic swaths of Canada.
   
   http://firstpeoplesofcanada.com/


2. This interactive map allows you to enter a location and discover whose traditional territory it is.
   
   https://native-land.ca/


3. This map charts both treaties and land claims in Canada.
   
   http://www.cbc.ca/8thfire/map.html


4. This blog post discusses the relationship between First Peoples and the land and links it to law in Canada.
   
   https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/first-nation-relationship-to-the-land
   
   From the same blog - this post discusses Indigenous trade networks that existed prior to colonization.
   
   https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/indigenous-trade-networks-thrived-long-before-the-arrival-of-europeans


5. A thesis from University of Manitoba that provides a good introduction to the relationship between some First Peoples and the land...and then goes on to discuss a more specific instance.
   
   https://umanitoba.ca/institutes/natural_resources/canadaresearchchair/thesis/cfoley%20masters%20thesis%202004.pdf

An official map from Resources Canada, this image charts the various numbered treaties and unceded land masses in Canada.