A history of the native people of Canada /

"Volume I 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.

Volume II examines developments across Canada such as the gradual replacement of the earlier spear-thrower by the bow and arrow. Pottery was introduced from the south 3,000 years ago; a thousand years later silver was being fashioned into ornaments. Burial mound ritual spread from the south to eastern Canada, the communal hunting of bison became increasingly important on the Plains, and large pit house village occupied the salmon rivers on the Canadian Plateau. In addition, during this period the first evidence of ranked societies composed of slaves, commoners, and nobles appeared on the West Coast, and the Palaeo-Eskimo art approached its pinnacle.

It is hoped that these volumes will contribute to a greater appreciation of Native history prior to the devastating events initiated by the European occupation of Canada." -- Provided by Publisher