In the past, the way of life of Aboriginal peoples was strongly connected to nature: their food came from hunting, fishing, agriculture and gathering; their dwellings were designed for nomads who followed the herds, or for the sedentary people who cultivated the land; their clothing was made of resources from the environment; the society was even structured according to whether it was necessary to hunt in small groups or cultivate the land in villages.
Over time, this way of life changed: the arrival of the Europeans, for example, changed trade between nations. Later, governments tried to get rid of Aboriginal cultures. By creating reserves, they forced the Aboriginal peoples to live in very small areas and to abandon their traditional ways of life. Thus, becoming sedentary whether they wanted to or not, the Aboriginal people became more and more dependent on resources from the outside world, such as food, clothing and work.
Today, Aboriginal people live in houses like most Quebeckers, they travel in motor vehicles, buy their clothes in stores, use technologies … More and more, those who choose to live in the city outside the reserve sometimes feel very distant from their communities and come together to help each other face their challenges.