Marie-Josèph Angélique was a young Black woman who lived in New France (now Quebec) in the early 1700s. She was enslaved and sold to a wealthy couple in Montreal named François Poulin de Francheville and Thérèse de Couagne. Marie-Josèph was a domestic servant in the de Francheville house and was subjected to horrible treatment. All three of her children died at infancy and Marie-Josèph endured much abuse at the hands of the de Franchevilles.
Minds On
Wants and needs for survival
In this learning activity, you will be investigating the daily lives and lived experiences of diverse peoples in Canada in the early 1700s, including First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and Black individuals and communities, and analyzing how these experiences compare to life in present-day Canada.
Before we explore daily life in the past, take a moment to think about what day-to-day life looks like today. Consider what people need for survival and what they might want to make life more enjoyable.
Begin by brainstorming a list of needs and wants and recording this list orally, digitally, in print, or in a method of your choice.
Use the following prompts to help you generate your list:
-
What items do you need in your life for survival?
Hint: Be specific. What do these items look like? Why are they so important? - What items do you need in your life to thrive in modern day society?
-
What items do you enjoy having in your life, but could survive without?
Hint: Think about recreational and leisure activities or items (wants).
Complete the following Wants and Needs for Survival Chart in your notebook, in the fillable and printable document provided, or in another format of your choice.
| Wants | Needs |
|---|---|
Press the Activity button to access the Wants and Needs for Survival Chart.
Action
First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities
In this section, you will be exploring the daily life of three Indigenous communities in Canada between 1713 and 1800. As Indigenous communities are very diverse, each nation, community, settlement area, and territory had their own ways of ensuring the land and the people were cared for based on their specific traditions, teachings, and geography.
In this learning activity, there are only a few examples of the ways in which First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities were organized and the beliefs they held about the land. It is also important to note that many Indigenous communities still follow traditional ways today.
Explore each of the following Indigenous communities: the Haudenosaunee, Métis, and Inuit.
As you are exploring, consider the following about each community:
- What style of housing did the Indigenous community have? What was it made from?
- What were the roles and responsibilities of the elders, men, women, and children?
- What beliefs or ceremonies did that community take part in?
- What leisure activities did that community take part in?
- Was there anything else you found interesting?
Terminology
Before you explore the communities, press the following tabs to access some definitions of words you may be unfamiliar with.
Reserves are lands set aside by the federal government for the use and benefit of a First Nations community.
Clans provided structure into a community’s roles and responsibilities, and for many communities, its governance structure.
Egalitarian means that all people were equal and deserved equal rights and opportunities.
Matrilineal is a type of lineage that is passed down through the women of the family.
Indigenous communities
Press the following tabs to learn more about the Haudenosaunee, Métis, and Inuit communities, and how they lived between 1713 and 1800.
Haudenosaunee means "people of the Longhouse." Today, the Haudenosaunee live on well-populated reserves and off-reserve communities in Canada and the United States.
The Haudenosaunee shared their culture and learned their values, laws, and acceptable behaviours through storytelling. They are known for their agricultural skills and traditional Clan System.
The Haudenosaunee Clan is matrilineal and is represented by different birds and animals that are divided into three elements: land (bear, wolf, deer), water (turtle, eel, beaver) and air (snipe, hawk, heron). The Clan Mother was responsible for making all the decisions that would impact the clan, ensuring all members had their needs met and were taken care of. Many Haudenosaunee communities still follow traditional Clan Systems that have been passed down through their mothers.
Haudenosaunee families lived together in a single longhouse within a village of longhouses year-round. Fields were grouped near longhouses and ranged from ten to hundreds of kilometers depending on the size of the community. Longhouses were built from saplings, thick bark from elm trees, and animal hide for door coverings. They were separated into compartments with a bed for each family, a sitting area, and a shared fire.
Each member of the Haudenosaunee family held different roles and responsibilities.
Men were often in charge of hunting and trapping expeditions. They typically hunted for deer, bear, beaver, and fish. They also cleared and prepared fields for farming. Women generally planted and tended to crops. They also searched for and collected berries and foods that could be picked in the forest, such as mushrooms, roots, and nuts. Children helped tend to the crops and guarded fields and early sprouts from pests. Elders were well-respected wisdom keepers who taught children traditions and helped to raise them.
The Haudenosaunee made their clothing from natural surroundings (e.g., woodland animals) and added beads, feathers, and porcupine quills that represented symbols of Clans, or as an expression of their creation story.
Throughout the year, the Haudenosaunee held 13 ceremonies that followed the seasonal changes in the year. These ceremonies often included music and dance, and expressed thanks to the natural world, spirit world, and creators. During their leisure time, families intertwined arts, sports (such as lacrosse), games, music, and dance into their daily activities.
Source: “Historical Life as a Haudenosaunee.” Haudenosaunee Confederacy, 23 Apr. 2021, www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/
Choose at least one of the following questions to answer in a method of your choice:
- What is a traditional Clan system and how did the Haudenosaunee community follow it?
- What important role did the Elders play in the Haudenosaunee community?
- How were men, women, and children’s roles different in the Haudenosaunee community?
The Métis are people of both First Nations and European heritage. The Métis were first established in the Red River region (present day Manitoba) and typically lived along major trading routes and waterways across Canada. Today, the Métis live all across Canada, with the majority located within the prairie provinces: Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
The Métis were spiritually influenced by both their Indigenous heritage and their European heritage. Their household often consisted of extended family and was part of a larger village. The most typical style of home for the Métis was a log house or cabin that was made from round logs with notched ends and flat roofs. They used mud and hay as insulation. When on buffalo hunts or trading expeditions, the Métis camped in tipis or canvas tents that were brought over by Europeans.
Each member of the Métis household had different rights and responsibilities. Prior to the fur trade, each person’s role, regardless of gender, was meant to change to meet the community’s needs. Both men and women taught the children the skills they needed to survive. The men and their older sons were hunters, traders, and farmers. The buffalo hunt was a big part of their lifestyle, so they were often gone for long periods of time hunting buffalo. They also hunted moose, elk, deer, wild birds, and trapped fish. While the men were hunting, the women often took care of the children, prepared food, made and mended clothing and snowshoes, and gathered plant foods and medicines. The women provided land knowledge and survival skills to the men. They were skilled in surviving Canadian winters and provided medicine, food, and interpretation to fur traders. The children were seen as gifts from the creator that were to be cherished. At a young age, children had a lot of chores and responsibilities around the house. For example, they gathered berries and caught fish. Grandparents were respected for their wisdom and experience and handed down Métis culture to the children.
When they were not working, Métis communities took part in music and dance at community events, art, beadwork, and embroidery. Their clothing was inspired by French-Canadian fur traders and was often made from animal skins and hides.
Source: “Culture and Heritage: Traditions.” Métis Nation of Ontario, 26 Apr. 2021, www.Métisnation.org/culture-heritage/symbols-and-traditions/
Choose at least one of the following questions to answer in a method of your choice:
- What are the differences between the role of a man and woman in a Métis community?
- How do the roles and responsibilities of men and women differ within a Métis community?
The Inuit are Indigenous Peoples who live in the Northern Regions of Canada. The Inuit homeland is known as Inuit Nunangat, which refers to land, water, and ice contained in the Arctic Region.
In the Arctic there are only two seasons – winter and summer. The winters are very long, cold, and dark. The average temperature in the winter is -34 degrees Celsius. The summers are very short, temperatures hover around zero degrees, and the sun never sets. Due to the extreme weather conditions in the Arctic , there are not many trees or suitable farmland. Most Inuit were nomadic hunter and gathers, which meant that they had to keep moving to follow the herds of animals for food.
The Inuit chose to live in small, family-based groups rather than large, permanent settlements. Families who got along well together would live in camps near one another, and at times, build larger dwellings so that the families could live together. The Inuit people built different homes to accommodate the winter and summer climate of the Arctic. In the winter, the Inuit built and lived in igloos that are made from frozen snow. In the summer, they built homes out of animal bones and hide. These homes were easy to rebuild in different locations as they moved for hunting and gathering. As hunters and gathers, they lived mainly on meat, such as caribou, and whale. In the summer, they would dry out meats and preserve them for the winter months. They were also able to gather some berries, seaweed, and eggs for food.
Inuit society was egalitarian. Instead of there being one person to make decisions, Inuit adults would discuss problems and solutions and then come to decisions through consensus. Inuit communities generally lived with one family in each shelter, which included parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and children. Men spent the majority of their days hunting, gathering, and fishing. Women did domestic work, such as cooking, cleaning, sewing, and raising children. Children stayed home and helped with common chores, played outside, and learned from those around them. Typically, children would travel to diverse families and learn through the oral tradition of stories about their culture and traditions.
The Inuit people believed all things had a spirit. A spirit could be found in both living and non-living things, such as people, animals, inanimate objects, and forces of nature. They believed when a spirit died, it would continue living in another spirit. For example, children were often named after a deceased relative or community member to ensure the spirit and name could keep living. The Inuit used a Shaman or ‘Angakos’ to communicate with the spirit world.
Source: Findlay, Heather, and Anna Sajecki. “The Inuit: Religion / Ceremonies / Art / Clothing.” Canada’s First Peoples, 2007, firstpeoplesofcanada.com/fp_groups/fp_inuit5.html.
Choose at least one of the following questions to answer in a method of your choice:
- Why did the Inuit people in the Arctic follow a nomadic way of life?
- What do you think is one advantage and disadvantage of an egalitarian society?
Press Answer to reveal the possible responses to the questions about the three Indigenous Communities.
Haudenosaunee What is a traditional Clan system and how did the Haudenosaunee community follow it?
- A Clan system is similar to a government. One person, the Clan Mother, makes decisions for the rest of the clan.
- The Elders taught the children traditions and helped to raise them.
- Men mostly hunted, trapped, and cleared fields for farming. Women planted and tended to crops and collected berries. Children helped with the crops and fields.
- The men were hunters, traders, and farmers. The women took care of the children, prepared food, made and mended clothing, and gathered plant foods and medicines.
- Answers will vary.
- They chose to follow a nomadic way of life in response to the climate and extreme weather of the Arctic that didn’t support farming or staying in one spot.
- Possible advantages are: everyone is treated equally, everyone gets a say, all voices and opinions are heard, everyone is considered when solving a problem, everyone’s perspective or point of view is heard, etc.
- Possible disadvantages are: it might take longer to solve a problem or make a decision, what happens if people cannot agree on something, could lead to conflict if someone is not heard, etc.
Knowledge check
Now that you have explored the three Indigenous communities, let’s try matching the following statements with the Indigenous community that it applies to.
Now that you have matched each idea with the appropriate Indigenous community, you have a better sense of some of the differences in the aspects of life for each community.
Did you notice any similarities between the three Indigenous communities?
Record your ideas in a method of your choice.
Press Answer to reveal the possible answers to the following question.
Some similarities between the three Indigenous communities include:
- similar gender roles (men were hunter/gathers, women picked berries and took care of the home)
- respect for elders and/or grandparents and their wisdom and knowledge
- knowledge of the land and lived primarily off the land
Colonizers in New France
As you explore the daily life of a colonizer in New France, think about how they compare to what you just learned about Indigenous communities in Canada.
Are they similar? How? What are some ways that they are not similar?
Trois-Rivières River, New France, 1733
Seigneurial System for Saint-Hyacinthe
Lake Huron
Press the Colonizer button to access a definition of the word.
Colonizer: a person from a different country who migrates to a new country to take control of it, often displacing Indigenous communities.
Early life in New France was difficult due to harsh winters and the spread of disease. An organized society took form in 1663 with the establishment of the Church and the arrival of new colonizers. In 1706, there were three main settlements. The others were scattered along the banks of the St. Lawrence River and houses were grouped together in little villages. A colonizer’s home was mainly built from fallen timber and stone. They were low, stocky buildings, with a single doorway and a few windows. Behind each house was a small room used as a storeroom, and the barn and stable were not far away.
There were different roles and responsibilities for men and women in New France. Men were generally farmers, fishers, hunters, and fur traders. They farmed potatoes, corn, squash, wheat, peas, oats, rye, barley, and maize. Men were expected to participate in the fur trade to provide for their families. Women were expected to raise the children and feed and clothe their families. They also sometimes worked as nuns and nurses. When children were old enough, they would help run the farm, and men could spend more time fur trading. When children were old enough, they bought land. This land had been previously stolen or purchased unfairly from Indigenous communities. Education was the responsibility of the Church and was accessible to a minority of the population.
Colonizers in New France liked to sing and used theatre and musical performances as a form of entertainment. During leisure times, Billiards and Skittles were two popular games. Habitants went on outings in horse-drawn carriages in the summer and sleighs in the winter. They also enjoyed skating and sleigh races on the ice.
Source: Canada, Library and Archives. “Daily Life.” Library and Archives Canada, 9 Sept. 2020, www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/exploration-settlement/new-france-new-horizons/Pages/daily-life.aspx.
Experiences of Black Canadians in New France
During the seventeenth and eighteenth century, Black individuals faced systemic oppression rooted in colonialism and racism.
Legal foundations of enslavement
New France adopted the laws and regulations of the French legal system, where enslavement was both legal and widespread. To support and formalize this practice, the Raudot Ordinance was passed in 1709, officially making enslavement legal in the colony. After the Raudot Ordinance, enslavement in the colony grew exponentially. By the mid-1700s, several thousand enslaved people of African and Indigenous descent had lived in New France.
Enslaved individuals were subject to inhumane conditions under laws like the Code Noir, which allowed owners to punish enslaved people harshly. Legally, they were considered property, not people, and had no rights or protections under the law.
Daily life and living conditions
In New France, enslaved Black individuals were largely domestic servants to wealthy land and business owning families in settlements or urban areas like Louisbourg, Montreal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivières.
Life for an enslaved domestic servant in New France was marked by hardship and limited autonomy. Domestic servants performed a wide range of duties including cooking, cleaning, laundry, childcare, and serving meals. They were expected to be available at all hours, with little personal time or privacy.
Living conditions were grossly unfair. Enslaved domestic workers usually lived within the household, often in attics, kitchens, or outbuildings. Their clothing and food were minimal, just enough to sustain them, and they received no wages.
Marie-Josèph Angélique
In the following section, you will explore the story of Marie-Josèph Angélique, an enslaved Black woman living in Montreal in the early 1700s. As you read her story, consider the strength and resilience of those who resisted the systemic colonial oppression in this time of injustice.
Marie-Josèph AngéliqueTitle
© Canada Post Corporation, 2025. Reproduced with permission.
After François died of smallpox, Thérèse arranged to sell Marie-Josèph for 600 pounds of gunpowder to a Quebec City merchant. When Marie-Josèph began to fight back and rebel, Therese sent her to stay with a relative until the river thawed, and she could be transported to her new owner. In February 1734, Angélique tried to escape by reportedly setting a fire as a distraction and fleeing with Claude Thibault, an indentured laborer with whom she had a close relationship. They were soon captured and Angélique was returned to Thérèse.
© Canada Post Corporation, 2025. Reproduced with permission.
Two months later, a fire in Montreal destroyed many homes. Though there was no proof, people blamed Marie-Josèph for starting the fire. Because she was enslaved and Black, she didn’t have the same rights as others and had to defend herself in court. She was found guilty and punished publicly in Montreal. Her conviction was based on racial bias and assumptions, not evidence.
Marie-Josèph Angélique’s story shows how unjust life was for enslaved people in New France. She was charged and punished without proof. Even though she tried to fight for her freedom, she faced hardships at every stage. Today, she is remembered as someone who stood up against injustice, and her story helps us understand the struggles of Black and Indigenous Peoples in Canada’s early history. Marie-Josèph Angélique has been recognized by Parks Canada as a National Historic Person for her role as a symbol of Black resistance and strength.
Source: Marie-Josèphe-Angélique. (2016, November 7). Mémoires Des Montréalais. https://ville.montreal.qc.ca/memoiresdesmontrealais/marie-josephe-angelique
Resistance and resilience
Despite these oppressive conditions, enslaved individuals found ways to resist and hold on to their humanity. Some attempted to escape, formed relationships with others in similar circumstances, or quietly practiced cultural traditions.
Pause and reflect
Pause and reflect
Think about the resilience and strength of Marie-Josèph Angélique and those who faced severe systemic barriers during this time. Using a method of your choice, answer the following reflection questions.
- What events and experiences show Marie-Josèph Angélique’s resilience and strength in the face of oppression?
- What do her actions and treatment reveal about the attitudes and beliefs in New France during this time?
- What can we learn from Marie-Josèph Angélique’s courage and determination that connects to people today who stand up against unfair treatment? How does her story inspire us to speak out for what’s right?
Consolidation
Comparing daily life
Choose one of the Indigenous communities that you explored in the Action section (the Haudenosaunee, Métis, or Inuit), and compare their daily life with that of a colonizer and a Black person in New France.
Record your ideas in the three‑part Venn Diagram (or use another method you prefer). Place information that applies to all three communities in the centre. If something applies to only two communities, place it where those two circles overlap. Use the questions below to help you think about your comparisons.
- What style of housing did the community have? What was it made from?
- What responsibilities and roles did different members of the community fulfill?
- What beliefs or ceremonies did that community take part in?
- What challenges did each community face in maintaining their culture and identity?
- How were power and control established? What evidence of resilience or resistance can be found?
Complete the Venn Diagram in your notebook or using the following fillable and printable document.
Now that you have compared significant aspects of the daily lives of these communities, consider how these groups are living on the same lands in Canada during this period in time.
Can you predict any reason there could be conflict or disagreement between these groups? What potential challenges could this create in the future?
Press Hint to reveal information that will guide your thinking.
Think about the fact that Indigenous Peoples had been living on this land for centuries prior to colonizers arriving and attempting to live a diverse lifestyle on their land.
Connections
Connect to your daily life
Think back to the beginning of this learning activity, when you brainstormed your personal wants and needs. Now that you have investigated the aspects of daily life of several communities in Canada between 1713 and 1800, respond to the following prompts in a method of your choice.
- What are some similarities and differences between life in Canada between 1713 and 1800 and present-day Canada?
- How is your life similar and different to that of a Black or Indigenous child in New France?
- What were some of the systemic challenges, such as anti-Blackness, faced by Black people at this time in New France? How did they persevere through these barriers?
- How do they compare to the ones faced in present-day Canada?
Reflection
As you read the following descriptions, select the one that best describes your current understanding of the learning in this activity. Press the corresponding button once you have made your choice.
I feel...
Now, expand on your ideas by recording your thoughts using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.
When you review your notes on this learning activity later, reflect on whether you would select a different description based on your further review of the material in this learning activity.
Press Discover More to extend your skills.
Discover MoreExpand your learning using one or both of the two following activities:
- Your ancestry: Explore your own family background or the land where you live today. How might your community have lived during this time period? Can you find any connections between your ancestry and what you learned in this activity?
- Diary Entry: To further your understanding, continue to investigate one group and conduct independent research to gather more evidence about their daily life in Canada between 1713 and 1800. After investigating, create a diary entry as though you were a child living in one of these communities in a method of your choice. Detail what a day was like, including your roles and responsibilities in that community.