Sustainability

In the 1700s and 1800s, families and communities had to provide food and shelter for themselves. In many communities today, planting and harvesting crops, vegetables and fruit is still an important way to live sustainably.

Press ‘Definition’ to access a definition of sustainability.

Definition

In this video, Hope who is from Wiikwemikong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, shares how her family plants and harvests vegetables on the land.

What does Hope’s family need in order to be able to have so many vegetables each year? What types of things do they have to consider when planting and harvesting their vegetables?

Complete the Mind Map activity in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable document. Record what communities need in order to grow crops and vegetables for food.

First Nations communities

As we learned from Hope and her family, there are certain factors that are needed in order to create a successful and bountiful (large and rich) harvest of crops and vegetables.

Think about the Indigenous peoples who were living in what is now known as Canada during the 1700s and early 1800s, as well as European settlers during that time. Did they consider these factors? Did they have access to what they needed to have a successful harvest?

First Nations communities, like Hope’s, have been living in what we now call Canada for thousands of years. They have always known how to develop a relationship with the land that provides food, shelter, and water while giving thanks for these resources that the Earth provides for them and only taking what they needed. This relationship has always been and continues to be strong.

When different First Nations communities lived on the same land they created agreements together called treaties.

Press ‘Definition’ to access the definition of treaties.

Definition

These treaties were created using what is called wampum belts as a record of their agreement.

The words of their agreement were woven right into the belts themselves. These treaties showed the respect each Nation had for the other that lived in the same area.

Question: What do you think it means to honour a treaty?

Answer

What about the settlers who came to the Great Lakes area?

In the early 1800s, thousands of British settlers came to this area from the United States or from Britain. This meant that a lot of resources were being used and this made it harder for First Nations communities to survive and thrive on their own territories.

The Anishinaabeg and the British government signed a treaty called the Robinson-Huron treaty. This treaty was written to show respect for each other in a formal agreement. Each community would choose an area that was good for their people and their future communities to continue to live in the way that they always did. The Anishinaabeg were to hunt, fish and harvest their vegetables in their own way.

The Anishinaabeg had carefully protected their natural resources such as trees, water, wildlife, and plants, but struggled to continue to do so with the increasing number of settlers on their territories.

First Nations communities lived alongside settler communities in areas such as Grand River, Bay of Quinte, and Manitoulin Island, as Hope’s community does today.

Source for information: https://www.anishinabek.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Robinson-Huron-Treaty-Rights.pdf

The Anishinaabeg had carefully protected their natural resources such as trees, water, wildlife, and plants, but struggled to continue to do so with the increasing number of settlers on their territories.

First Nations communities lived alongside settler communities in areas such as Grand River, Bay of Quinte, and Manitoulin Island, as Hope’s community does today.

The following is an archived map of the land provided to the settlers around Lake Ontario.

This is an old map of land that was given to settlers who came to what we call Ontario in the late 1700s. This map shows that each piece of land given was divided into a rectangle and was along the coast of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

• Why would the settlers need access to the water?
• What traditional activities might have been impacted by settler communities?
• How were the Anishinaabeg affected by the Robinson-Huron treaty?
• How were the settlers affected by the Robinson-Huron treaty?

Press ‘Answer’ to access answers to the questions.

Answer

The land that was along the water provided fertile soil, which means that it was deep soil filled with nutrients that would allow them to grow crops and soil. Land by the water in this area is also quite flat so the settlers were able to build their homes on this land as well.

For each sentence, select the missing word from the drop-down menu.

Because the settlers had what they needed in this area to build, grow crops and vegetables, and raise animals for food, they were able to grow into larger communities that still exist today in this same area.

The factors that helped shape settlements

For those who came to settle in Upper Canada, what is now called Ontario, let’s review the factors that helped shape these developments.

Choose three

For this task, you will choose three of the factors that helped shape settlement communities. For each factor, answer these questions:

• How did this factor shape settlement communities?
• What would happen if this factor did not exist?
• Would this factor help shape Hope’s community in Manitoulin Island? How do you know?

Record your factors in the following fillable and printable Factors Chart. You can also complete this activity in your notebook or use another method of your choice.

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity?  Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.