“Seven Generations” is a significant term to Aboriginal people across Canada. Our elders tell us of a popular legend that was based on the renewal of strength and sufficiency for Aboriginal people… It was told that after the First people lost the battle for their homelands the people lost a great deal of their strength. However, each generation of Aboriginal people would learn a new teaching and share this new strength with the next generation until we had reached seven generations. The seventh generation would be strong in numbers and have all of the seven teachings of their ancestors. Aboriginal youth in all parts of Canada account for almost 68% of the Aboriginal population - they are, in fact, strong in numbers and are proving to be strong individuals and leaders. The youth from our region have pieced together this project sharing some of their people’s history of this region and some of the local businesses which celebrate and share this history with tourists.
From the beginning….
First Nations peoples in Canada have for centuries endured whatever conditions the Creator saw fit to give them. Despite the impression given by many textbooks that the history of Canada began with the arrival of the first Europeans, First Nations peoples have recorded their own history of this country, going back thousands of years, through markings in the land and elders’ teachings passed down through the generations. The ability to give and take from the land is one of the many unique characteristics of First Nations peoples that has allowed them to survive the extreme weather conditions of the four seasons and to live with the many animals on our Mother Earth.
Through the odyssey of the European arrival and the subsequent clash of cultures to the alienation of their traditional lands, First Nations peoples have survived with their traditions and culture grasped firmly in hand. Today, native people are more and more coming forward to proudly display a culture and way of life almost lost during the 1900’s.
We invite you to share with us the history of the Ottawa-Carleton region with a look at the Ottawa River, traditional lodges, lifestyles, drum groups and dancers, beautiful native arts and crafts, cooking and preserving techniques, and traditional trading routes.
Take a tour of the Aboriginal Tourism Businesses to learn more about Aboriginal products and/or services offered in the Ottawa area or for plans on how to spend your next vacation.