
Episode 1: Worlds Collide (pre-1608 – 1759)
- Turtle Island (Pre-1608)
- Samuel de Champlain builds the first European settlement (July to December 1608)
- Champlain tips the balance in the war between the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee (Summer 1609)
- The Filles du Roi arrive in New France (1660 - 1670)
- Pierre Espirit Radisson & Medard des Groseilliers make a deal with the English (1659-1670)
Why did the Europeans want to colonize Turtle Island?
Turtle mountain had all sorts of raw materials that the Europeans and French needed. They wanted to build permanent settlements on Turtle island, so that they could market, import, and sell the materials. They also thought it could be used for trade among other countries.
Why is it called Turtle Island?
Artistic interpretation of an island growing atop a turtle's back. Turtle Island is the name many Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking peoples mainly in the northeastern part of North America use to refer to the continent. In various Indigenous origin stories, the turtle is said to support the world, and is an icon of life itself.
Who created the Turtle Island story?
There are a number of contemporary works which continue to use and/or tell the story of the Turtle Island creation story. The Lenape story of the "Great Turtle" was first recorded by Europeans between 1678 and 1680 by Jasper Danckaerts.
How did the Innu grow on Turtle Island?
Through diplomacy and trade, these nations grow and thrive on Turtle Island, the continent we now know as North America. Samuel de Champlain attempts to establish a settlement in Innu territory in 1608. He's racing against time: if he and his men don't finish building the settlement before the start of the brutal winter, they will all die.
See 5 key topics from this page & related content

What era is the first European settlement?
1496: Santo Domingo, the first European permanent settlement, is built.
Who were the first Europeans to settle the island?
The first Europeans to arrive in North America -- at least the first for whom there is solid evidence -- were Norse, traveling west from Greenland, where Erik the Red had founded a settlement around the year 985.
What is the story of Turtle Island?
'Turtle Island' is the name for the lands now known as North and Central America. It is a name used by some Indigenous peoples who believe their land was formed on the back of a turtle. Though regional versions exist, the core of this creation story relates to a time when the planet was covered in water.
Where does Turtle Island come from?
For some Indigenous peoples, Turtle Island refers to the continent of North America. The name comes from various Indigenous oral histories that tell stories of a turtle that holds the world on its back.
Who was the first European to reach and settle in world?
In the year 1000, nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus set sail, a Viking longboat, skippered by Leif Erikson, brought 90 men and women from Iceland to establish a new settlement – the first European settlement in the New World.
When did the first European settlers arrived in America?
While some Norse colonies were established in north eastern North America as early as the 10th century, systematic European colonization began in 1492.
What is Turtle Island famous for?
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story and is in some cultures synonymous with "North America."
Who is the owner of Turtle Island?
Turtle Island's Owner and Managing Director, Richard Evanson, earned his Engineering Degree from University of Washington, Seattle in 1957 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1962. He was an entrepreneur on the fast track to success, and made his fortune in cable television.
Can you go to Turtle Island?
The best time to go Turtle Island Borneo The great thing about Turtle Island is that there really is no best time to go, as turtles arrive on the island every day, and visitors are able to visit 365 days of the year.
What was America called before it was called America?
On September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a new name for what had been called the "United Colonies.” The moniker United States of America has remained since then as a symbol of freedom and independence.
What was the US called before colonization?
Middle Atlantic Cultures. Before 1492, modern-day Mexico, most of Central America, and the southwestern United States comprised an area now known as Meso or Middle America.
Is Turtle Island a real place?
Turtle Island is a 1.5-acre (0.61 ha) island in the western portion of Lake Erie in the United States. The island has an unusual political status, as its jurisdiction is divided between the U.S. states of Michigan and Ohio, even though the island has no residents or current use.
When did the first European settlers come to the Caribbean?
1492In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed in the Caribbean and claimed the region for Spain. The following year, the first Spanish settlements were established in the Caribbean.
Who were the original inhabitants of Iceland?
The Landnamabok refers to Irish monks, known as “the Papar,” as the first inhabitants of Iceland, having left behind books, crosses, and bells for the Norse to later discover. This is just one example of the level of detail found in these medieval sources.
Who first discovered Iceland?
Naddodd the VikingAccording to the Landnámabók, the first settler in Iceland was Naddodd the Viking (c. 830 CE) who discovered Iceland when he was blown off course en route to the Faeroe Islands.
Who Discovered island?
According to the Landnámabók, Iceland was discovered by Naddodd, one of the first settlers in the Faroe Islands, who was sailing from Norway to the Faroes but lost his way and drifted to the east coast of Iceland. Naddodd called the country Snæland "Snowland".
Who made the map of the New Franse?
Samuel de Champlain, Geographical map of the New Franse made by the Sieur de Champlain Saint Tongois Ordinary Capitaine for the King in the Navy. Faict len 1612. Institution: courtesy Library and Archives Canada, e010764733
When was the map of Champlain published?
This map, engraved in 1612, was published in Samuel de Champlain’s Les voyages de 1613 (attached at the end of the volume, see Amicus 4700723). It represents the territory explored by Champlain up to 1611 as well as information he had gleaned from Amerindians and other European explorers and cartographers.
What did the government do to help the Indians in Mississauga?
In 1826 the government assisted a band of Mississauga, who had recently been converted to Christianity, to settle in this vicinity, and within five years laid out a village plot and constructed log cottages and a sawmill. Methodist missionaries, notably Peter Jones and Egerton Ryerson, ministered to the converts who in 1829 built a combined schoolhouse and chapel. By 1837 about 50 houses had been erected for the Indians. Three years later they had approximately 500 acres under cultivation. Pressure from local white settlement and a decline in the Indian population led to the closing of the mission and the return of the major portion of the Mississauga to the Grand River Reserve in 1847.
How high is the mortality rate on Turtle Island?
Cobb (2016) and others claim that some epidemics triggered by newcomers to Turtle Island resulted in mortality rates as high as 75%.
Who landed in New York City in 1609?
In 1609 Henry Hudson (working for the Netherlands) landed at what would be called first Nieuw Amsterdam, then later, New York City. [3] The Dutch negotiated the first European-Indigenous treaty in North America. This, the Two-Row Wampum Treaty of 1613, was a treaty of non-interference with the Kanienkehá:ka and their allies within the Haudenosaunee.
How much did the Secwépemc population decline between 1850 and 1900?
The successive waves of epidemics did indeed lead to terrible population losses. For example, the Secwépemc population declined by 67% between 1850 and 1900, according to a careful study by ethnographer James Teit (1909, pp 464-6).
What is the mercantile way of thinking?
According to the mercantile way of thinking, a nation wants its terms of trade (the value of its exports divided by the value of its imports) to be as high as possible. Thus, each colonial power attempted to be the exclusive purchaser of raw materials from its colonies and the exclusive seller of finished products to its colonies. This led to intense conflict between the French and British on Turtle Island, into which conflict Indigenous people were recruited. First Nations themselves understood the value of trade routes and monopoly power and vied with each other to control access to trading opportunities.
Where did Cartier take the Stadacona farm?
He kidnapped several Stadacona and took them to France, where most died. When he came back for a third time, the Stadacona were no longer friendly – surprise, surprise – and sabotaged his attempts to establish a French settlement at “Kebec”.
Which two countries practiced colonial mercantilism in Canada?
Colonial Mercantilism (1600’s to 1800’s) flow chart. The two primary countries practicing colonial mercantilism in Canada as commonplace policy were France and the British Empire. This policy prevailed for more than two centuries. Content and Graphic Credits to: Pauline Galoustian. (CC BY 2.0) [51]
Where did the Kanien'kehá:ka settle?
Kanien’kehá:ka living in the New York area who converted to Catholicism were convinced by Jesuit priests to settle along the St. Lawrence River near present-day Cornwall and Montreal. These communities are now Akwesasne (Ontario), Kahnawake (Quebec), Kanesatake (Quebec) and Wahta (Ontario). The rest of the Mohawk Nation stayed in the Mohawk River valley, from which they had driven the Mahican. They enter Canada’s history later on.
What is Turtle Island?
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists . The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story .
When was the Great Turtle first recorded?
The Lenape story of the "Great Turtle" was first recorded by Europeans between 1678 and 1680 by Jasper Danckaerts. The story is shared by other Northeastern Woodlands tribes, notably those of the Iroquois Confederacy.
What is the mythical turtle called?
According to Converse and Parker, the Iroquois faith shared with Hinduism and other religions the "belief that the earth is supported by a gigantic turtle" In the Seneca language, the mythical turtle is called Hah-nu-nah, while the name for an everyday turtle is ha-no-wa.
What is the name of the island in North America?
Turtle Island (Native American folklore) For other uses, see Turtle Island. Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story .
Who is Turtle Island used for?
Turtle Island has been used by writers and musicians, including Snyder for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book of poetry, Turtle Island; the Turtle Island Quartet jazz string quartet; Tofurky manufacturer Turtle Island Foods; and the Turtle Island Research Cooperative in Boise, Idaho.
Why did the Muskrat swim to the bottom of the ocean?
Various animals tried to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land . Muskrat succeeded in gathering dirt, which was placed on the back of a turtle. This dirt began to multiply and also caused the turtle to grow bigger.
What did the French do to protect the Society Islands?
Dissidents and heretics looked to these Europeans for leadership, and they turned to their own national governments for protection. The French took control of the Society Islands and nearby archipelagoes beginning in 1842. They also established missionary control of Wallis and Futuna.
How did the missionary kingdoms address the problems of European lawlessness in the islands?
The missionary kingdoms addressed problems of European lawlessness in the islands by attempting to enforce a scriptural code of law. Although missionaries could not prevent the sale of arms, they could at least ensure that these passed into the hands of friendly chiefs.
When did the missionaries arrive in Fiji?
In Fiji the missionaries who landed in 1835, accompanied by an envoy from George of Tonga, made no headway with the rising chief Cakobau, who was not converted until 1854, when his fortunes were at a low ebb and he needed Tongan support.
What problems did Europeans face in Fiji?
Problems became more serious after permanent European settlers arrived. In Fiji, for example, following Cakobau’s first offer to cede the islands to Great Britain in 1858, Europeans began to establish plantations of coconuts and then, during the American Civil War, of cotton and afterward of sugarcane. Developments in Samoa were similar. But planters needed land on a much larger scale than did traders, and they needed labour in much greater quantities to work the plantations. Land sales caused friction because “ownership” was not an Oceanian concept, and land titles were thus disputed or resented. Labour recruiting often caused the breakup of traditional societies if too many males left their communities and the creation of immigrant labour communities if they did not. By 1870 there were 2,000 such permanent European residents in Fiji.
What was the chiefly title of Samoa?
In Samoa, where the holder of the chiefly title Malietoa had embraced Christianity from Tahitian missionaries, heretical movements arose. Traditional beliefs thus resisted the chiefs and their missionary supporters. At the same time, European traders also resisted the political authority of the kings.
Who took Christianity to Samoa?
Indigenous converts were sent to other islands to spread the word. In 1823 John Williams of the LMS took Polynesian missionaries to Rarotonga and other islands, and he took Christianity to Samoa in 1830.
Why did the pearl shell trade decline?
Pearl shell attracted traders to the Tuamotus in 1807, and the sandalwood trade declined as supplies were exhausted. However, Europeans in both trades were harsh and sometimes committed atrocities, and pearling declined as islanders began to take reprisals.
Indigenous communities perish as France and England compete for a stronghold on Canada
Jean Talon, Indendant of New France, oversees the marriage of one of the Filles du Roi, Elizabeth Aubert, to farmer Aubin Lambert. (Canada: The Story of Us)
Turtle Island (Pre-1608)
Over the course of 12,000 years, the North American continent evolves into a place populated by millions of Indigenous people living in hundreds of different nations. These diverse cultures range from the Wendat, a nation of farmers who lived in what is now Southern Ontario, to the Inuit hunters of the far north.
Samuel de Champlain builds the first European settlement (July to December 1608)
Samuel de Champlain attempts to establish a settlement in Innu territory in 1608. He's racing against time: if he and his men don't finish building the settlement before the start of the brutal winter, they will all die. While the settlement is being built, he discovers a conspiracy to assassinate him, orchestrated by Jean Duval.
Champlain tips the balance in the war between the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee (Summer 1609)
Two of Eastern North America's most powerful Indigenous confederacies, the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee, are locked in a brutal war for control of the fur trading routes. Chief Oschasteguin, leader of the Wendat Confederacy's Arendaenronnon nation, decides to enter into an alliance with Champlain and the French settlers.
The Filles du Roi arrive in New France (1660 - 1670)
By the 1660s, the population of New France has stagnated. The British colonies to the south, meanwhile, are booming. A large part of the problem is that the French settlers are overwhelmingly male.
Pierre Espirit Radisson & Medard des Groseilliers make a deal with the English (1659-1670)
With the beaver population of New France decimated by the fur trade, two French traders — Pierre Espirit Radisson and Medard des Groseilliers — set out for new trapping territory. On the south shore of Lake Superior, they meet with Cree traders who show them some of the finest furs they've ever seen.
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham (September 1759)
After decimating the French settlements on the Atlantic coast during the Seven Years War, the British, led by General James Wolfe, move inland, looking to take the fortified city of Quebec in 1759. Wolfe uses the element of surprise in attacking French, striking at night and leading his men straight up the cliff face next to the city.
Why did Europeans Come to Turtle Island?
This benefited the European people, because they took them back and sold them to others. It especially benefited them when beaver hats became a trend.
Where did the Europeans trade?
All of Europe's trades had been from Asia. The Europeans would travel through Constantinople, but in 1453 the city had gone to war with the Muslims, making the Europeans forced to look for another route to get to India to trade for spices and goods.
What was the name of the island in 1615?
1615 – Fort Nassau – Dutch. 1615 – Renews, Newfoundland – English. 1618 – Bristol's Hope – English. Map of the northern part and parts of the southern parts of the Americas, from the mouth of the Saint Laurent River to the Island of Cayenne,with the new discoveries of the Mississippi (or Colbert) River.
What happened in the late fifteenth century?
Late fifteenth century. 1492: Columbus sets sail aboard the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria. 1492: Columbus reaches the Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola. 1492: La Naviad is established on the island of Hispaniola; it was destroyed by the following year. 1493: The colony of La Isabela is established on the island of Hispaniola.
What was the first site of enslavement of Africans in North America?
1525: Estêvão Gomes enters Upper New York Bay. 1526: Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón briefly establishes the failed settlement of San Miguel de Gualdape in South Carolina, the first site of enslavement of Africans in North America and of the first slave rebellion.
When did the Spanish reach New Mexico?
1598: Spanish reach Northern New Mexico. 1600: By 1600 Spain and Portugal were still the only significant colonial powers. North of Mexico the only settlements were Saint Augustine and the isolated outpost in northern New Mexico. Exploration of the interior was largely abandoned after the 1540s.
Where did Columbus sail?
1502: Columbus sails along the mainland coast south of Yucatán, and reaches present-day Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. 1503: Las Tortugas noted by Columbus in passage through the Western Caribbean present-day Cayman Islands.
What happened in 1527?
1527: Fishermen are using the harbor at St. John's, Newfoundland and other places on the coast. 1535: Jacques Cartier reaches Quebec. 1536: Cabeza de Vaca reaches Mexico City after wandering through North America. 1538: Failed Huguenot settlement on St. Kitts in the Caribbean (destroyed by the Spanish).

Overview
Lenape
Haudenosaunee
Indigenous rights activism and environmentalism
Names in Indigenous American languages
The Lenape story of the "Great Turtle" was first recorded by Europeans between 1678 and 1680 by Jasper Danckaerts. The story is shared by other Northeastern Woodlands tribes, notably those of the Iroquois Confederacy.
Contemporary works
According to Iroquois oral tradition, "the earth was the thought of [a ruler] of a great island which floats in space [and] is a place of eternal peace." Sky Woman fell down to the earth when it was covered with water, or more specifically, when there was a "great cloud sea". Various animals tried to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land. Muskrat succeeded in gathering dirt, w…
See also
The name Turtle Island is used by many Indigenous cultures in North America, and both native and non-native activists, especially since the 1970s when the term came into wider usage. American author and ecologist Gary Snyder uses the term to refer to North America, writing that it synthesizes both indigenous and colonizer cultures, by translating the indigenous name into the colonizer's languages (the Spanish "Isla Tortuga" being proposed as a name as well). Snyder ar…
External links
• Anishinaabemowin: Mishiike Minisi, Mikinoc Waajew
• Kanyenʼkéha: Anowara:kowa
• Lakota: Khéya Wíta