First peoples, explorers and New France

Mariam is thirty-six. She came from Afghanistan and lives in Ottawa with her family. At dinner, her son, who is fourteen, looks up from his homework. Mom, where does the name Canada come from? Mariam doesn't know. She laughs and says, let's find out together. After dinner, they open the free study guide side by side.

So here's the question. Who lived here first, which Europeans came, and where does the name Canada come from? Remember, this is a free, independent course. It is not a government course.

The official study guide, Discover Canada, has a chapter called Canada's History. It begins with the Aboriginal peoples, who lived here long before Europeans came. They lived in many different ways. The Huron-Wendat and the Iroquois were farmers and hunters. The Cree and the Dene were hunter-gatherers. The Sioux followed the bison herds. The Inuit lived from Arctic wildlife. West Coast peoples dried and smoked fish.

About one thousand years ago, the Vikings reached Labrador and the island of Newfoundland. The remains of their settlement, at L'Anse aux Meadows, are a World Heritage site. Much later, in fourteen ninety-seven, John Cabot sailed from England. He was an Italian who had moved to England. He was the first to map Canada's Atlantic shore.

Next came Jacques Cartier. Between fifteen thirty-four and fifteen forty-two, he made three voyages for King Francis the First of France. Here is the answer for Mariam's son. Cartier heard the Iroquoian word kanata. It means village. From that word came the name Canada. By the fifteen fifties, the name was on maps.

Then came Samuel de Champlain. In sixteen oh-four, Pierre de Monts and Champlain started the first European settlement north of Florida. It was first on Saint Croix Island, and then at Port-Royal, in Acadia. In sixteen oh-eight, Champlain built a fortress where Québec City is today. Much later, in seventeen oh-one, the French and the Iroquois made peace.

The fur trade was the big business of this time. In sixteen seventy, King Charles the Second gave the Hudson's Bay Company a special right. Only the company could trade in the lands whose rivers drain into Hudson Bay. The trade was driven by beaver pelts. The men who travelled by canoe were called voyageurs and coureurs des bois. They formed strong alliances with First Nations.

Let's make it stick. Say three names in date order. Cabot, Cartier, Champlain. Here's the trick. They are also in alphabet order. In the alphabet, Cabot comes before Cartier, and Cartier comes before Champlain. So the alphabet gives you the dates. Cabot, then Cartier, then Champlain.

Here's a common confusion. Cartier and Champlain were both French, and their names sound alike. Cartier made voyages, in the fifteen hundreds. Champlain came later, in the sixteen hundreds, and he built the fortress at Québec City. Cartier, voyages. Champlain, a fortress.

The mistake people make is thinking Canada's story starts with the explorers. It doesn't. The guide starts with the Aboriginal peoples, who were here first. Even the country's name comes from an Iroquoian word. When you study early Canada, start with the first peoples.

Here's the one thing to remember. The name Canada comes from kanata, the Iroquoian word for village, and the explorers came in order, Cabot, Cartier, Champlain.

This week, read the first part of the Canada's History chapter, up to the fur trade. Say Cabot, Cartier, Champlain out loud, with their years. Then tell someone at home where the name Canada comes from. Next time, British rule, the Loyalists, and the War of eighteen twelve.