The St. Lawrence River is one of the most important waterways in the western hemisphere. It has been home to a multitude of peoples and has provided both food and commerce for centuries.   It is both a cornucopia and a highway. First Nations have lived along its banks for more than a millennium and when Europeans began arriving I the late 16th century they entered into a diverse and complicated world, patterns that had been shifting and evolving for centuries prior. Two of the main groups thriving in this world were the Algonquin and Innu, and they would see the possibilities that the newly arrived French could bring, but also were very aware of the destabilizing nature that came as a result of the European arrival. 

Book recommendation: Flesh Reborn: The Saint Lawrence Valley Mission Settlements Through the Seventeenth Century by Jean-Francois Lozier, published by McGill-Queen's University Press in 2018

 

 

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