The movement of one cultural group into the territory of another has always produced conflict: a conflict which is resolved at times by the obliteration of one group, but more often by a gradual fusion of elements drawn from both. This study examines the conflict between the Europeans and the Indians precipitated by the arrival of the French in the New World. The Indians were necessarily affected by the fur trade and the religious and social development of New France, and the meeting of contrary cultures resulted in most cases in the obliteration of that of the Indian. However, a fusion of Indian and European elements sometimes occurred, resulting in the birth of a ‘Canadian’ culture. The process has been repeated with the immigration of every new cultural group to Canada.
This study analyses the conflict and traces the fusion of Canadian culture in its initial stage. First published in 1937, the book has proved an importance contribution to an area of early Canadian history which has been receiving renewed attention. This edition contains the original text with the addition of an index and a new chapter appraising some of the leading developments of the past few years.