Unit 3
Peoples of the Subarctic

Unit 3 focuses on the peoples who have historically occupied the lands of the Subarctic, a broad swathe of boreal forest spanning Canada and the interior of Alaska. It is often divided into two sub-areas: the western area, occupied principally by Athapaskan speakers but with some Cree (Algonkian) in the south; and the eastern area occupied solely by Algonkian¹ speakers. Two cultures from the area are explored here: the Chipewyan and the James Bay Cree. Unit 3 will also explore the impact of epidemic disease in Subarctic Aboriginal communities.

Objectives

When you have completed Unit 3, you should be able to

1. describe the geographic and environmental characteristics of the Subarctic culture area.
2. identify the geographic locations of the major cultural groups of the Subarctic region.
3. compare Chipewyan and James Bay Cree societies with regard to
   • economy (resources, technology, division of labour, seasonal mobility);
   • social organization (group membership, marriage rules, non-kin relations);
   • political systems (leadership, social control, warfare); and
   • ideological systems (rituals, beliefs, worldview).
4. explain how people adapt to the low productivity and high unpredictability of Subarctic resources.
5. understand the impact of the fur trade on Subarctic economies and social organization.
6. describe how the extension of the federal government into the Subarctic affects Aboriginal society there.
7. distinguish between the Cree concept of power and the Euro-Canadian concept of power.
8. explain why mega-developments are not necessarily stable elements in local economies or societies.
9. understand the land and self-government provisions of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, 1975.
10. describe the social and political goals of the contemporary Cree and the Chipewyan Aboriginal groups.
11. discuss Thornton’s contention that the indirect effects of epidemic disease episodes had more effect on Amerindian population decline than did the direct effects.

¹Both Athabascan/Athapaskan and Agonkian/Algonquian spelling variants are used in Anthropology.