Exploitation of the Canadian Aboriginal
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Exploitation of the Canadian Aboriginal
The Plains Natives of Canada, two major tribes being the Cree and the Blackfoot, faced many obstacles in their pre-treaty days. These obstacles made them more open to a change in life-style proposed to them by the inflow of Europeans to the West of Canada, Native land. Although these propositions seemed to be the answer to their problems, more issues arose then the Plains People were capable of dealing with. The largest issue was the onset of cultural shock due to the assimilation into European culture, and the loss of their traditions and identities.
In order to understand the reasons why the Natives of Western Canada felt obligated to sign a treaty that would end traditional life-styles, it is imperative to first consider the restraints that they were facing pre-treaty. Basically, the Plains Indians were nomadic, and relied heavily on their primary source for food and utilities. This treasured animal was the buffalo. Upon the introduction of horses and guns by European traders, hunting buffalo became easy and successful. The unfortunate effect of these untraditional hunts, was the disappearance of this food source. Also, Non-Natives contributed to this exhaustion of buffalo by hunting for hides...