A. Native Creation Myths [A. Native Creation Myths]

Canada's First Nations peoples value a legacy of oral tradition that provides an account of each group's origins, history, and spirituality. Stories bind a community with its past and future, and oral traditions reach across generations, from elder to child, and bear witness to how women and men were created and populated the land. These descriptions of genesis are varied but all maintain that life began on the North American continent. The main objective is to provide the First Nations' perspective of their own creation.

B. Migration Theories [B. Migration Theories]

Diverse scientific methods are employed in the construction of origin theories of Canada's First Nations peoples. Scientists place the origin of the human species outside of the Americas. Although they support theories of migration from Asia to the Americas, they disagree over when, how, or why the first humans came to the Americas. The scientific theories attempt to explain the time frame, method, and reason for these migrations.

C. Prehistoric Periods (Eras of Adaptation) [C. Prehistoric Periods]

The archaeological record of North America is classified according to lithic or stone manufactured materials. These lithic materials provide information about the hunter and the hunter's associated culture. Detailed studies of these lithic materials and of the cultural context of the site from where they were excavated allow archaeologists to construct models of First Nations lifeways.

D. Constructing the Antiquity Period [D. Constructing the Antiquity Period]

In order to understand the complex histories and ancient cultures of the First Nations peoples, who did not leave written records in the European style, historians must examine the oral record, physical evidence, and a range of information gleaned through a host of relevant sciences. This information is often elusive and contradictory so innovative research strategies are used to create balance and harmony between these tangible and intangible sources.

E. Human Habitation and Settlement [E. Human Habitation and Settlement]

The two principal migration theories of how humans arrived on the American continent, via the Beringia land bridge or as a result of trans-oceanic voyages, often conflict with the archaeological evidence of human habitation and settlement in South and North America. Other studies are carried out to expand upon the theories and they indicate that human migration to the Americas occurred through many different means and over a vast period of time. In fact, they support the hypothesis of three waves of distinct peoples migrating from Asia to the American continent.