Changing Communities

Change is inevitable. It is a part of the way the world and nature work.

As you listen to adults (perhaps your parents or grandparents) describe the ways in which the world has changed since they were young, you should try to understand that the world looked and functioned very differently in the past. It was not the same as it is today. As you look back farther and farther into the past, you may find that the world looks more and more different—and perhaps even strange—to you.

For example, the history of the people of the Boreal Forest is marked bya great deal of change over the centuries in spite of their best efforts to retain many traditions and customs.

The period of greatest change for the forest and its people began with the arrival of Europeans. The Europeans brought with them different ideas, beliefs, customs, technologies, and attitudes that changed, and still continue to change, the lives of the Aboriginal people living in the Boreal Forest.

For example, the Europeans introduced the concept of using money. Before the Europeans came, the Aboriginal People of the Boreal Forest did not use money; they simply traded goods and services for other goods and services. The use of money significantly changed the lives of the Aboriginal People not only of the Boreal Forest, but also of the world as a whole. The introduction of economy completely altered the Boreal Forests' economic system based solely on trade and barter. Items now had a set price and the Aboriginal People often found it challenging to adjust to the new monetary system.

The Europeans also brought guns with them. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Aboriginal People of the Boreal Forest did not know about or have guns. The use of guns greatly changed the way in which the Aboriginal People hunted for food and defended their traditional territories.

Today, the Boreal Forest covers a much smaller area in comparison to the time when the first Europeans arrived. Today, the Boreal Forest continues to dwindle in size. This is because the trees are being cut down to be used for building materials, furniture, paper products, hockey sticks, and so on. Some areas of the Boreal Forest are being demolished to clear way for the production of oil, coal and natural gas.

Any changes to the forest directly results resulting in changes to the lives and lifestyles of the people who call the forest home. Many of the traditions, customs and values of the people of the boreal forest are now facing the danger of disappearing altogether. It is very important to make sure that any changes occurring in the boreal forest are not so great that the ways of the people of the forest are lost forever. That is why it is also very important that young people begin to understand the difference between negative and positive changes how they can impact the lives of the people of the Boreal Forest.