First Nations and Inuit

Role in Exploration

First Nations people and Inuit lived in and explored their own parts of the country. When Europeans arrived, they shared their knowledge of the land with them. They led Europeans across the land, drew maps, worked as translators and did much of the work on expeditions.

Map-maker Extraordinaire!
When Jacques Cartier was in Hochelaga (now Montreal) in 1535, a Mohawk man touched Cartier's copper captain's whistle and pointed in the direction of where the copper came from. The Native man drew a map in the dirt for Cartier, showing the lakes, rivers and major portages. A 900-mile trip that the Mohawk carried around in his head!

Not Exactly Paper and Ink!
Matonabbee, a much-respected Chipewyan guide, was asked to go and map the largest rivers to the north, hoping that there might be minerals to be discovered. Matonabbee left in 1762 and returned in 1767 with a map leading to the Coppermine River, drawn on deerskin with charcoal.

How to Win a Race to the South Pole
Skills learned from the Inuit gave the winner an edge! Roald Amundsen, travelling by dog sled, beat Captain Scott to the South Pole by a month. He started out with 52 dogs and returned with 12, feeding the weaker dogs to the stronger ones as the journey progressed. Captain Scott died in his attempt. Could part of Scott's misfortune have been due to the fact that he used Shetland ponies to pull his sledges?

	Inukshuk means "person of stones". These rocks, piled by Inuit to look like a person, were built as landmarks to guide people across the Arctic.