The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.

It is indisputable that the majority of European countries formed the largest portion of active colonial masters within the era of ancient exploration. Powerful nations such as France,
Spain and even Britain developed a high interested for the inhabitation of new territories where
they could easily benefit from the natural resources and other raw materials.  The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay. It should be noted
that prior to the invasion of most European countries in foreign nations, native tribes had already
migrated from other locations and become a part of the local community. Canada is one such
country where the native or aboriginal ethnic communities had settled within this country in
different parts of the land. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.

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It was until the French invaded Canada that they made the discovery of the numerous
native societies that had occupied vast proportions of geographical territories. Indians, the Huron
and even the Jesuits were some of the common native communities that were present in Canada.
The same applies even to other countries such as America were native citizens such as the
Hindus, Hispanics, Latinos and even the Jews settled much earlier in this western country. The
common denominator with this indigenous tribes is the fact that most of them were highly
qualified in unskilled labor. They were either farmers, hunters, fishermen or gatherers that relied
on these activities for their livelihood. It is for this reason that the French believed that they
could exploit this abilities to their own advantage. The arrival of the French also meant that they
had a significant transformation in the lifestyles of the majority of these tribes.  The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.This paper is a
detailed essay that discusses the impact the French had on the majority of native societies.

Task for the Essay
Prepare a coherent and comprehensive essay that discusses the impact of the French on
the native societies.
Body of the Essay
a) The French Settlement And Claiming Of Foreign Lands
It is agreeable that the entrance of a foreign community into a new area is bound to bring
in visible changes to the local citizens. The same case it true for the French and other colonialists
whose arrival into certain countries came with a huge revolution in terms of how people lived
and interacted with one another 1 . Specifically, the arrival of the French in most native societies
brought a lot of ramifications for them such that it impacted on their culture and traditional
beliefs. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay. This invasion of this European nation took place between the sixteenth and seventeenth
century and the effects they had were conspicuous within the societal constructs of gender,
religion, equality and even class 2 .
The colonial people from France initially settled in parts of Canada and the northern part
of America and immediately took interest in the presence of the native tribes. They realized that
the latter were very different from the local citizens since their ways of life revolved around
farming and agriculture. The French studied the indigenous communities and learnt that they
were excellent farmers and fishermen that relied on cultivated crops and domesticated animals

1 Bruce, G.T. 1986. Natives And Newcomers: Canada’s Heroic Age. Reconsidered
2 Anderson, K. 1985. Commodity Exchange And Subordination. Montagnais-Naskapi And Huron Women. for their continued survival 3 . It was at this point that this European settlers realized that they
could benefit from the native tribes if they formed an amicable alliance.
Hence, instead of competing with them for land, they settled in a different part of the
country and began to engage with the aboriginal people on a seasonal occasion. The
establishment of strong and robust trading ties was advantageous to both sides since the French
discovered that they could benefit a lot from the sale of fur that was shaved from the animals of
the natives 4 . The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay. On the other hand, the natives also benefited from the purchasing or exchange of
cooking pots, weapons, horses and even the close relationships that they had formed. What’s
more, the fact that both communities lived within close proximity with one another means that
the French could occasionally get time to be taught how to hunt for the good fur animals.
It was in this process that the French began to lean the languages spoken by the
indigenous people and in due time, they were able to relate freely with one another 5 . The
settlement of the French in Canada was a peaceful process due to the fact that they did not
displace the native tribes that they found living in the area. For example, the France colonial
masters that arrived in Canada and settled in Quebec respected the aboriginals and even worked
closely with them so that they could understand the fur trade business. Further, they showed a lot
of respect to them such that they had a high sense of regard for their ways of life, their practices
and social norms.
It was this appreciation that led the natives to see that the French were actually good
people and they began to treat them as their friends 6 . In fact, apart from associating together in
the fur trade and other businesses, intermarriages also began to take place between the French
and the aboriginals. It was this close and mutual alliance between both groups that saw them
profit from many ventures and also grow significantly in terms of skill acquisition and mastery
of various trade activities. The second part of this essay explores the impacts that the French
people had on the native communities and tribes.
b) Impacts Of The French On Native Tribes And Societies
The prosperity of the fur trade and its subsequent expansion into other countries is
perhaps one of the obvious impacts that the French brought on the native tribes. Their entry into
countries such as America and Canada saw them begin to exhibit interest in the sale of fur,
considering the fact that their continent was quite cold during winter seasons 7 . The French
realized that the native communities happened to be highly skilled in the fur business and they
were experts in trapping these animals. Hence, they formed an alliance with them such that they
could collect this fur in the winter and cold season and then use them to manufacture coats.
What’s more, the fur trade business opened up additional positive impacts with one of them
being intermarriages 8 .
3 Greer, A.2005. Mohawk Saint Catherine Tekawitha And The Jesuits. Toronto Oxford University Press.
4 Rushford, B. 2003. A Little Flesh We Offer You. The Origins Of The Indian Slavery In New France.
5 Bruce, G.T. 1987. Children of Aatentsic. History of the Huron people to 1660. Montreal and McGill Queen’s
University Press.
6 Anderson, K. 1985. Commodity Exchange And Subordination. Montagnais-Naskapi And Huron
7 Badie, Bertrand. 1989. "The impact of the French Revolution on Muslim societies: evidence and
ambiguities." International Social Science Journal 41, no. 119:
The process of learning about the ways of life of the indigenous societies saw the French
marry from their tribes on several occasions. This angle of trade was quite different as it showed
the native communities that this European people were more concerned with their lives and not
just their expertise. In fact, the close alliance and mutual respect that existed between the natives
and the French is highly admired and praised since it clearly demonstrated that colonial masters
can actually get along with their subjects 9 . Apart from the trading business, the native societies
from both Canada and even North America began to get dependent on the goods that they
received from the people of France.
Firearms and ammunition had the highest level of demand because it allowed the
indigenous people to hunt for their food and furry animals as well. Further, these riffles were also
advantageous since they doubled up was weapons of warfare. The native people got to replace
them with their inferior arrows and bows which meant that they enhanced the level of safety in
their environment 10 . Additionally, the native tribes also got to learn about French food items and
how they were prepared. For example, the Indians bought a lot of chicken, bananas, potatoes,
pumpkins and tobacco from the French. Within a short span of time, the diet of the native
societies improved and became much healthier and nutritious since there was a greater variety in
the choice of what to eat. In terms of communal living, the native societies began to change the
design of their homes and the idea of land ownership 11 .
This strategy was meant to incorporate the French into their fold and continue to live with
them in a harmonious and peaceful manner.  The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.In return, the French taught the indigenous
communities how to build homes that would be more adaptable to the immediate environment.

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The use of materials that were readily available in the environment proved to be very
instrumental to the natives and cost effective as well. Further, the impact of the French on most
aboriginal communities touched on matters of religion and spirituality. At one point, the French
wanted to convert the Indians and other settlers to Christianity. This move led to the creation of a
lot of resistance such that the native people saw it as an infringement on the right to worship 12 .
Additionally, the settlement of the French among the native people saw a huge shift in the
languages that were spoken. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.

8 Greer, Allan. 1986. The people of New France. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 974.Trigger, Bruce G.
Natives and Newcomers: Canada’s Heroic Age.
9 Parkman, Francis, 2008. The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century: France and England in North
America, Vol II. Fairford:
10 Sider, Gerald. 2006. "The Walls Came Tumbling Up: The Production of Culture, Class and Native American
Societies." Australian Journal Of Anthropology 17, no. 3: 276- 290.

11 Jones, Kristine L. 2006. "Resilient Cultures: America's Native Peoples Confront European Colonization, 1500-
1800." Hispanic American Historical Review 86.
12 Parkman, Francis, 2008. The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century: France and England in North
America, Vol II. Fairford: The fact that the people from France intermarried with indigenous tribes means that they
got to teach them how to speak their language. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay. This led to the spread of the French dialect within
the native community and it slowly became a medium of communication. Presently, there are
some Canadian provinces that have a high number of French speakers and within other parts of
North America, French is considered the predominant language alongside English 13 .
The impact of the French on the lives of the native societies was also evident in matters of
gender roles and family. The colonizers from Europe had an open mind in matters of marriage
and they allowed their women to take up positions in leadership.
However, when they arrived and settled among the aboriginals, they realized that their
societies were highly patriarchal and the men were the sole custodians of power and authority 14 .
Hence, the French tried to change this mindset and teach the men that they could still remain
respectful and submissive even if they hold an influential position. This type of transformation
was not very well received by most native tribes such as the Jesuits and the Iroquois people in
the same way that they had resisted religion. It was until much later that they slowly continued to
adapt themselves and become acquainted with the ways of the French and they began to see
gender roles in a much different light 15 . It is indisputable that the arrival and subsequent
settlement of the French among the native societies brought immense change that had a positive
impact in their lives and of their successive generations.
Conclusion
The exploration of the French in foreign territories led to the discovery of a vital piece of
information that would later lead to the creation of very rich history and heritage. This European
colonizers mingled within a number of countries where they interacted with people from native
communities. It was after some time that they realized that the formation of a close union and
alliance would be more beneficial as opposed to trying and oppress them. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.
The impact that the French had on indigenous tribes is evident in terms of trade,
socialization, spirituality and even matters of gender. The farming culture of most aboriginals led
to the thriving of the fur trade where the French bought the fur and shipped it to Europe.
Likewise, the process of living amidst the native people saw a lot of intermarriages take place
and it is through this practice that a close-knit relationship was formed between the two groups.
The native tribes also benefited a lot from the purchasing of firearms and ammunition which
were used as hunting gear as well as weapons for warfare. The arrival of the French from Europe
into most foreign lands brought more gains that helped in transforming the lives of the native
societies for the better.

13 Jones, Kristine L. 2006. "Resilient Cultures: America's Native Peoples Confront European Colonization, 1500-
1800." Hispanic American Historical Review 86.
14 Badie, Bertrand. 1989. "The impact of the French Revolution on Muslim societies: evidence and
ambiguities." International Social Science Journal 41, no. 119:
15 Rushford, B. 2003. A Little Flesh We Offer You. The Origins Of The Indian Slavery In New France. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.

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Bibliography

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Women.1600-1650. Signs, Volume 11. No1. 48-62.
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ambiguities." International Social Science Journal 41, no. 119: 5. Academic Search
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Bruce, G.T. 1986. Natives And Newcomers: Canada’s Heroic Age. Reconsidered. Montreal
McGill Queen’s University Press.
Bruce, G.T. 1987. Children of Aatentsic. History of the Huron people to 1660. Montreal and
McGill Queen’s University Press.
Greer, A.2005. Mohawk Saint Catherine Tekawitha And The Jesuits. Toronto Oxford University
Press. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.
Greer, Allan. 1986. The people of New France. Toronto: University of Toronto Press,
974.Trigger, Bruce G. Natives and Newcomers: Canada’s Heroic Age. Reconsidered.
Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Parkman, Francis, 2008. The Jesuits in North America in the Seventeenth Century: France and
England in North America, Vol II. Fairford: Echo Library, 2008.
Sider, Gerald. 2006. "The Walls Came Tumbling Up: The Production of Culture, Class and
Native American Societies." Australian Journal Of Anthropology 17, no. 3: 276-
290. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed October 29, 2016).
Jones, Kristine L. 2006. "Resilient Cultures: America's Native Peoples Confront European
Colonization, 1500-1800." Hispanic American Historical Review 86, no. 2: 350-
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Rushford, B. 2003. A Little Flesh We Offer You. The Origins Of The Indian Slavery In New
France. William and Mary quarterly volume 60. 777-808. The Impact of the French on Native Societies Essay.