2587, 2588, 2921 CANADA - First Nations

2587 First Nations (1)

Posted on 01.06.2016, 28.12.2016
The First Nations are the various Aboriginal Canadians who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently 634 recognized First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. Although not without conflict or slavery, Euro-Canadians' early interactions with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit populations were less combative compared to the often violent battles between colonists and native peoples in the United States. In 2011, there were more than 1.3 million people in Canada who identified as being of First Nations heritage.

2588 First Nations (2)

First Nations can be grouped into cultural areas based on their ancestors' primary lifeway, or occupation, at the time of European contact. These culture areas correspond closely with the six main physical and ecological regions of Canada. Within each of these six areas, First Nations had very similar cultures, largely shaped by a common environment.  Even if today Aboriginal people live outside their ancestral homes, the traditional cultures of their ancestors still exert a strong influence on their culture, from spirituality to political attitudes.

2921 First Nations (3)

The six groups were: Woodland First Nations (in dense forest in the East); Iroquoian First Nations (in the southernmost area, a fertile land suitable for planting corn, beans and squash); Plains First Nations (on the grasslands of the Prairies); Plateau First Nations (from semi-desert conditions in the south to high mountains in the north); Pacific Coast First Nations (who had access to abundant salmon and shellfish); and the First Nations of the Mackenzie and Yukon River Basins (whose harsh environment consisted of dark forests, barren lands and the swampy terrain.

About the stamps
The postcard 2587 is a prepaid one. The stamp on the postcard 2588 is part of the series Baby Wildlife:, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard 2921

The first stamp is part of the series issued on November 9, 2015 to celebrate the Christmas. Canada Post combines whimsical holiday Canadiana with a traditional sacred Christmas image in this series. Charming close-ups of a moose, a beaver and a polar bear are each decked out in retro festive attire on these bold and amusing Permanent™ domestic, U.S.- and International-rate stamps. The fourth stamp, a Permanent™ domestic stamp, features an image from a nativity-themed painting by Adriaen Isenbrandt entitled The Adoration of the Magi. The painting, from the early 16th century, depicts the moment when Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus behold the arrival of the Magi. The Wise Men can be seen in the background. The painting was photographed for the stamp by Denis Farley, and the image was made available courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

The second stamp is also part of a series issued to celebrate the Christmas, this time on November 1, 2016. Canada Post's Christmas stamps ring in the holiday season with three mirthful images from one of Canada’s most prolific stamp designers and a classic Renaissance rendering of Mary and the baby Jesus. Filled with billowy snowflakes in a navy blue sky, Rolf Harder’s images appear to be taken from an enchanted forest, occupied only by Santa Claus, a single Christmas tree and a dove carrying an olive branch. The fourth stamp depicts the Virgin and Child, which was painted around 1460 by a highly esteemed painter from Florence, Italy, known only as the Master of the Castello Nativity. This rare painting uses gold and tempera, a pigment common until the advent of oil paint, whose many layers create intense colours.

References
First Nations - Wikipedia
First Nations in Canada - Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
First Nations - The Canadian Encyclopedia

Sender 2587, 2921: Ruxandra Atanasie
2587: Sent from Laval (Quebec / Canada), on ??.??.2015
2921: Sent from Laval (Quebec / Canada), on ??.12.2016
Sender 2588: Florin Ursu
Sent from Toronto (Ontario / Canada), on 10.05.2016