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Daily life in New France
3
Daily life in New France
By :
Ahad R
Food
Food
Farming was very important in New France because if you wanted to survive and feed the family you had to know how to farm. It was very hard work. When people arrived in New France they could have the land but they had to grow crops to feed their families. They could only produce enough to feed their family and there was never any surplus because of family sizes being very large. They mainly grew wheat for making bread, vegetables like corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, cabbage, carrots, celery, beans, lettuce, peas and onions from the land, hunted animals and did fishing. The habitants (independent land owners) did farming in New France and relied heavily on their surroundings for food. The land, forests and rivers provided the people with everything they needed to survive. The people of New France preserved their food for the winter by drying, salting, smoking, pickling, fermenting and chilling in natural refrigerators, like streams and underground pits.
Popular Foods
Some popular foods of New France were pork and smoked hams. They also ate beef, domestic fowl, deer, bison, squirrel, bear, duck, geese and catfish. Meat and vegetables were usually combined in soups, fricassees, and gumbos.
Popular Foods
The habitants traded for molasses and spices. Milk, bread and pancakes were served at breakfast. Soup, baked beans, meat or fish with lots of bread was served regularly. Pea soup was a traditional food as well as meat pies called tourtières which is similar to a shepherd’s pie. For dessert, a favourite was maple sugar pie, made with maple syrup and brown sugar. Natives in the area taught the habitants how to boil the sap from sugar maple trees to make maple syrup. Maple sap was also used to make maple sugar and hard maple candies. The habitants drank milk, apple cider and homemade beer.
Maple Syrup
Animals
Animals they hunted and ate
Clothing
Most people in New France wore clothing that was more durable, handmade at home or spun by local weavers. The fabrics used were more durable than fashionable. Linen, hemp, or coarse wool often lined with leather or fur for additional warmth was used in winter. They did not wash their clothes often and clothing that did not touch the skin was never washed. In New France materials such as cotton, linen and leather were sourced from plants and animals. Wool from sheep and hide from cattle provided clothing and shoes.
Clothing
Men
Men wore a shift or shirt, breeches with knitted wool stockings, and sometimes a vest or a short waistcoat. They either wore leather shoes with a buckle, clogs, or moccasins. In addition to moccasins, men added leggings and on super humid days, breechclouts (a rectangular piece of fabric held up by a belt), to their wardrobes. Toques or wide brimmed hats were also worn depending on the season.
Men
Women
Women wore cotton shifts, woolen skirts over a petticoat, wool stockings held up by garters, bodices, bonnets, and buckle shoes or clogs were a part of their daily wear. Dresses, mantles (short hooded coats), and aprons were also worn. Aside from also wearing moccasins, the main aboriginal influence on women’s fashion came in the form of the shawl.
Women
Clergy
The first nations called them “black robes”, due to the fact that they used to wear black robes. Clergy were a group of priests to teach the native people about Christianity.
Clergy
Children
At the age of six, children from all social classes were expected to dress like adults.
Kids
Roles in daily lives
The role of women and men had not changed much in New France. Tasks were divided according to gender. Men and women had their roles and responsibilities to run a household and survive.
Gender Roles
Women
The daily responsibility of a woman was to stay at home, clean, cook food, and take care of their families. Mostly women were ignored, they did not know how to read or write. Some women were able to serve their community and do things such as nursing, becoming a nun, teaching children, work as a maid for wealthier people, etc.
Women
MEN
Men had more opportunities for education and better jobs to provide for their families. Most men were farmers and their priority was to take care of their families and hunt and harvest food. Some of the jobs men had were hunting, building, teaching, farmers and priests.