Who are the First Nations and Inuit
peoples in Canada?

Before European settlers arrived in Canada about 500 years ago, First Nations and Inuit peoples had the country pretty much to themselves. They lived in groups called tribes, with many different ways of life and traditions. Some were nomadic, which means they moved from place to place while hunting and gathering food. Others were farmers who settled down in a particular area. The weather and the type of land where each tribe lived helped to shape their traditions and culture.

In fact, the groups who lived together in certain parts of Canada actually shared some similar ways of life. That’s because they hunted the same animals, had to survive the same weather and had the same resources (like trees) for building shelter and other things. So, one way to look at the different groups is by the region they lived in, because those living together in each region had cultural similarities (ways of life that were alike).

As you can see in the map, there were six similar cultural groups living in Canada. Click on each area to find out about each group and how their surroundings shaped their way of life.