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The Wild Life
Long before the arrival of Europeans on the Canadian
prairie (the wide grasslands of what is now called Alberta, Saskatchewan and
Manitoba), the First Nations people lived in a harmonious relationship with
their natural surroundings. Every item of their culture, from sewing needles to
homes was obtained from nature. Their homes were called teepees and were like
large tents made from the skins of deer. These people - tribes with names like
the Blackfoot, the Peigan and the Blood people - were nomadic, which means that
they travelled from place to place following the animals they hunted or the
growth of the berries and fruits on the bushes and trees.
They had horses, although horses came to North America
after escaping from the Spanish explorers who brought them here to explore the
areas around Mexico and Texas. Boys and girls were both expert riders. They did
not use saddles or reins or stirrups; they rode "bareback". Their
clothes were made from deer skins and buffalo skins and decorated with the
parts of other animals - tails from squirrels and gophers, quills from
porcupines and the delicate bones of birds.
These children of nature did not ever have to go to
school. They did not have to study to get into a prestigious college, nor did
they have to worry about finding a job after graduation. This does not mean
their life was easy. The winters were very long and very cold and there were
sometimes wars between tribes. There were also the very great dangers involved
in the buffalo hunt. Warriors rode at top speed (with no saddle) beside the
huge buffalo shooting arrows to bring them down. The chances of a buffalo
turning suddenly or of falling off the horse were very great. We must remember
that there were also no hospitals in those days.
Even so, the young people of the tribes must have
enjoyed a very pleasant lifestyle: fishing and gathering berries in summer,
hunting in the forests in the early morning, dancing around the fire at night
and listening to the old people tell stories and legends from long ago.
Task 1. Choose the correct answer:
1. Riding "bareback" means riding without any equipment on the
horse.
? True
? False
2. First Nations people never killed deer.
? True
? False
3. First Nations people had no enemies.
? True
? False
4. Mathematics was not a priority for the kind of life they led.
? True
? False
5. The First Nations people did not develop a written language.
? True
? False
6. People were rarely killed while hunting buffalo.
? True
? False
Task 2. Type an appropriate word or phrase to complete
this sentence:
1. ________ modern horse-riders, First Nations children
rode bareback, without saddles or reins.
2. ________ their teepees and their clothes were made
from animal skins.
3. The European settlers who came to the prairies settled
down to farm the land; _____, the First Nations people were nomadic.
Task 3. Using your imagination, try to describe a typical
summer morning in a teepee village. Your description should include an
introductory paragraph, a body paragraph and a concluding paragraph.
Introductory Paragraph
Your introductory paragraph should be a summary of the main features of
the First Nations culture.
Body Paragraph
Your body paragraph should involve a comparison and contrast of their
culture and your culture. Remember, if you are comparing two things you look
for similarities, if you are contrasting two things you look for differences.
One useful construction is: “On the one hand... . On the other hand... .” If
can be used in one sentence if the sentence is not too long and if you separate
the two clauses with a semi-colon: “On the one hand... ; on the other hand...”
Here are some other words and phrases that introduce opposing ideas:
but; nevertheless; otherwise; on the other hand; conversely; on the
contrary; despite; however; yet; still; unlike
These words and phrases can express similarities:
also; too; likewise; both; similarly; in the same way
Concluding Paragraph
Your concluding paragraph should be a description of how you feel about
this lifestyle. Would you like to live in a culture which does not involve
buildings, cars, schools, exams, jobs, and salaries? What are the advantages
and disadvantages of this lifestyle?
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