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Preface
The
recent orientation of Canadian school cur¬ ricula in the direction
of social studies has brought sharply into focus the great lack of
teaching material in this field. This little book has been designed
to meet this need insofar as Canadian Indians are concerned. It
attempts to describe the various Indian types in the Dominion, and
to present the modes of life followed by the principal Indian groups
across Canada as they existed just previous to the coming of the
Europeans, outlining briefly the food habits, clothes, habitations
and social customs. Since only the most important characteristics
could be mentioned in such an elemen¬ tary text, much has had to be
omitted; the most notable omission, perhaps, being that several
groups have not been discussed at all, such as the people of the
Cordil¬ lera region and the Mackenzie River Valley. Since they
partake in many respects of the surrounding cul¬ tures, the omission
should not be considered as com¬ plete. As for the Eskimo, they have
not been mentioned for the reason that their culture is so highly
special¬ ised that it deserves a separate treatment.
It is hoped that the book will prove suitable for supplementary
reading in the intermediate grades and at the same time provide
teachers with abundant ma¬ terial for classroom discussion. It has
been based, for the most part, upon talks delivered at various times
to school groups in the galleries of the Royal Ontario Museum of
Archaeology.
The author wishes to acknowledge a debt of grati¬ tude to Miss
Sylvia Hahn for her very attractive sketches which illustrate this
book; they were made chiefly from specimens in the Royal Ontario
Museum of Archaeology. He also wishes to thank Mr. Bernard McEvoy,
and Miss K. Doody, both of Longmans, Green and Company, for their
help and very patient assistance in seeing the book through the
press.
Kenneth E. Kidd
September, 1951
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