A History of the Native People of Canada: Volume 1 (10,000-1,000 B.C.) (Mercury Series (0316-1854))

This is the first of three volumes on the history of the Native people of Canada as revealed by archaeological evidence. Over 12,000 years of Native history preceded the arrival of Europeans. This first volume begins with the spread of Ice Age hunters out of a land mass called Beringia that once joined Asia and North America. Most of the country was covered by glacial ice, and extinct animals such as mammoth and sabre toothed cats occupied the tundra and lichen woodlands. People of this first and subsequent migrations from Asia gradually adapted to the rapidly changing environment. Eventually, distinct cultures occupied all of Canada`s major environmental zones. Volumes two and three span the periods from 1,000 B.C. to A.D. 500 and A.D. 500 to European contact, respectively. It is hoped that these volumes will make a contribution towards a greater appreciation of Native history prior to the devastating events initiated by the European occupation of Canada.