The First Nations have treasured an oral tradition of each group’s origin, history and legacy. According to them, there are eight unique genesis of their creation. Earth diver, emergence, robbery, two creators and their contests, world parent, two creators, brother myth and rebirth of corpse are the eight legends. Although all these stories vary with each group; all of them, maintain that their life evolved in North America continent itself. But, archeological studies show that the First Nations are the descendants of the nomadic inhabitants.
Normadic had crossed the Bering land bridge from Siberia during the Wisconsin glaciation, 50,000 years back. As years passed the nomads started settling and establishing their civilizations. Till the time the Europeans arrived in the 15th century, many civilizations had perished while others lived in semi-nomadic conditions or in agricultural civilizations. When the Europeans had arrived in the 15th century, the Aboriginal population was around 200,000 to 2,000,000. But, by mid 16th century, around 40 to 80% population succumbed to the diseases brought by the Europeans like small pox, measles and influenza.
In the late 16th century the Europeans heavily engaged in the fur trade with the First Nations. The fur trade was very successful and attracted more colonists to Canada. By the 17th century, with the prolonged contact between the first Nations and Europeans, marriages started taking place between the two and the Métis came into existence. The Métis consider themselves different from the First Nations and have their own culture and languages. From the 18th century, the European Canadians started encouraging the First Nations to assimilate with them. The encouragement reached a crescendo in the 20th when they actually started forcing the First Nations to adopt their culture and ways. The First Nations also had good and peaceful relation with the Canadian Crown which exists till date.
