Technology, material culture and the well-being of Aboriginal peoples of Canada

Abstract

Through the cultural perspective of the Mistissini Cree of northern Quebec, this article investigates how, between the 1940s and 2012, they transformed their technology and material culture to meet their needs for well-being, against the increasing reach of colonial forces affecting them. In a broader perspective, understanding the complex social roles of Aboriginal technology and material culture in recent history helps to redefine contemporary conceptions of Aboriginal healing and well-being as material, bodily and ideological phenomena, in which technology and material culture have become a cultural heritage essential for their well-being.