The Purpose for Conflicts
Aboriginal Peoples in Canada: Short Essay
Work presented to Dr. Daigle-Hau
by
NCdt Labrecque, M
February 12, 2016
Royal Military College of Canada
Discuss the military alliance between European powers and Aboriginals in Canada.
Was one side “using” the other or not?
This paper will argue that the military alliance between European powers and Aboriginals in Canada was a diplomatic strategy to take advantage of one another’s strengths. In order to prove the thesis this paper will examine how the different European powers took advantage of the different Native tribes for land, resources, trade and for warriors. As well as, how the different Aboriginal tribes used the diverse European powers to their advantage for resources, trade, and weapons to defend their lands. Finally, how each individual group would use counter-techniques in order to pit their enemies against one another and take advantage of their enemy’s weaknesses and alliances. The discovery of the New World was supposed to be an expedition to find a new trading route to Asia but ended up discovering new land with an abundance of natural resources. However, the Europeans soon found out that they were not alone, and that the land was inhabited by Natives. The …show more content…
The Natives demanded that the French provide them with protection and take part in their wars. As the French expanded their territory with the assistance from their Native allies (Hurons, Algonquins, Micmac, and Innu) the Iroquois felt threatened and feared they would be cut off from trade resources. In the early 17th century, the French came out victorious with their Native allies against the Iroquois in defending the St. Lawrence Valley. However, later on, in the 1640s, the Iroquois become a formidable enemy and went on to exterminate the Hurons and harass small French settlements with raids. These events became known as the Iroquois