WHAT WAS LIFE ACTUALLY LIKE IN NEW FRANCE?

SS 9

The seigneurial system

Seigneurs (lords were granted land Habitants (the peasant far mers)

were allowed to farm the land Habitants had to provide fees (rent)

and services (till the seigneur’s land, be in the militia…)

The seigneur

Had to build and live in a manor house

Settle any disputes (hold court) Attract new settlers Build a mill Have an army (militia) ready in case

The habitants (“habs”)

Life based around the farm Men worked the fields Women did, too, and they also had

many children to raise Younger people worked in fur trade

Spring

Crops planted, sugar harvested from sugar maples

Fishing began

Summer

Habitants weeded and tended their fields

Cut wood Cleared wasteland

Fall

Harvest time – crops were gathered Animals slaughtered & preserved for

winter eating

Winter

A lot of down time Singing, dancing, & story-

telling popular pastimes Some winter

trapping/fishing, but not a lot

hauling water from the river for bathing, cooking, and drinking was an ongoing task

Chopping wood was also a regular job

Food

Habitants ate well (unlike many back home in France)

Four meals a day Pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and some

cows raised on farms Milk, butter, cheese Peas were an important crop – PEA soup FISH a common dish Lots of berries and other fruits

Homes Built by hand Back-breaking work Neighbours & relatives helped Stone foundation laid first, then

squared timbers laid one on top of the other

Mix of sand, lime, and water (mortar) filled the cracks

Roof was series of overlapping planks

Windows small – make of oiled skins or greased paper

Wooden shutters kept out the rain Lots of wood available Also, wood is a better insulator Stone was less common but safer

vs. fire

Women of New France

Helped in fields with planting, harvesting

Cared for huge veggie garden Stored produce for the winter in root

cellars Helped feed animals, and milk cows Spun yarn, made cloth Made clothing, rugs, blankets, soap,

candles, meals Taught children to read and write Helped run businesses if living in

town Had more rights than in France –

could trade clothes, blankets, tools, guns, & brandy w/Native peoples in exchange for pelts

Could also take over possessions and running the business if husband died

How’d they travel around? Other than walking, the ST. Lawrence

River was the main highway of New France

Birchbark canoes Also they build freight rafts called cajeu Made of rough pieces of wood nailed

together, they held loads of grain, furniture, or even cattle

They could not make it (or be portaged) around rapids, so they were left on the riverbank for others to use

Horse-pulled sleighs used in winter Roads very poor. Most didn’t want to

build them as the building took them away from their farms…and they had the river already

Eventually, as more seigneuries were built, away from the river, roads became necessary