The Impact of the Gold Rush of 1858 on the First Nations of Canada - Essay Example

Remarkably, there have been many incidences of the gold rush in global history. In most cases, people are after gold because of its economic value. It is a highly-priced commodity that is rare to find in many parts of the world. One of the major causes of the gold rush is that of 1858, which had a great on the First Nations of Canada. The region's gold was discovered in the 1950s, and just like in other parts where minerals had been discovered, miners rushed there. Arguably, it is estimated that over 30,000 miners rushed to the Fraser River. Therefore, this had a significant impact on the indigenous people who lived there as they had to accommodate new settlers. Therefore it is crucial to view different ways in which the gold rush had an impact on the First Nations of Canada, who were settlers in the region.

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First and foremost, the miners disrupted the way of living for the people of the First Nations. They could no longer continue with their normal practices. In essence, this was attributed to the fact that there was an influx of miners who were from different parts of the world and thus had a different lifestyle. They were forced to change most of their practices, such as fishing. When the miners arrived, they settled on the banks of Fraser River. The area was well known for fishing, which used to be done mostly at the end of each summer, and they no longer could do such practices. The miners had occupied these regions and redirected water to wash the gravel in mining sluices. Therefore their economic activity was profoundly affected, and they were forced to find new ways to do their activities. The ruined the vital spawning areas, thus, risking the future of fishing salmon. Therefore, they reverted to other economic activities for survival, as there was no much to do.

Secondly, when the land was invaded, their way of life was highly disrupted. They no longer felt safe in their indigenous lands. They felt like the miners had invaded them, and therefore they had to reiterate. They felt like they were not gaining much from the mining, and consequently, they felt that their grievances needed to be felt. Therefore they resulted in going to war as the gold was mined in their area, and they were not consulted. The leaders were against the mining as they felt that it was their ancestral land and needed to be respected. After challenging the mining companies, they were threatened with violence. Therefore they started a war with the miners to fight for their rights, which they felt that they were getting infringed. The miners had no respect for the locals and therefore treated them harshly. They were only interested in gold and the other resources that were available in the area. Most indigenous people died in the war while trying to fight for what they believed they owned. Most of the others also lost their valuable property during the war. However, the Fraser rush was ultimately broken, and their resistance crashed after a long resistance. Consequently, the indigenous people granted the miners access to their territories and their resources. Therefore the people were left with no option since they had suffered defeat.

Additionally, this was because the miners exhibited a lack of respect for the First Nations of Canada, they performed different acts of violence against indigenous settlers. For instance, they mostly performed acts of sexual violence to the women in the area. The women in the area were profoundly affected by this as they were raped against their will by the miners. Consequently, this made most of the residents angry. Their properties were either stolen or destroyed during fighting or mining. The area ceased to be secure to the locals anymore, and some of them resoled to even migrate to other places.

Besides, the miners had their positive impact as the gold rush as it stimulates the economic growth of the region. The existence of some much gold and people ensured that there was money circulating in the economy. Therefore this propelled the economy to grow to high levels, which was quite crucial at that time. Therefore this became crucial to the dwellers of the area as they gained more money as a result of mining. In essence, gold during that era was still highly coveted, and most people felt an urgent need to have it. Therefore they felt that it was best for them to use all means to get the precious mineral.

On the other hand, they needed accommodation and food which the locals granted them. Therefore the local people also benefitted from the mining indirectly. However, they claimed not to have gained much as they would have wished to. The people of the first nations greatly influenced the survival of the people of the miners. They were directly ensuring that the miners had most of the things to ensure that they could mine. It is important to note that when the mining was over, a great economic recession followed as there were no other major economic activities in the area. The region had over-relied on gold and other natural resources for its survival. Notably, this was attributed to the fact that most miners left the region after exhausting the gold. The people of the First Nations of Canada also provided labor, which was highly needed during mining. Therefore, the level of unemployment in the region declined a lot, and consequently, this led to economic growth in the area. The region became one of the busiest and most important regions, prompting more businesses to open. As a result, the locals amassed more wealth from mining within a short time.

As a result of watching how the people were mining in the region, the First Nations people became more intelligent. They became highly knowledgeable in mining and gained other skills as they constantly interacted with the miners. Thus, this resulted in them having a great interest in mining. They began mining themselves; however, the non-Aboriginals were against these practices. They felt like their supremacy was being challenged and did not want to face competitions from the locals. The locals having a good knowledge of the terrain would have proved to be great competitors if they had enough mining knowledge. They felt that they had stayed for a long time in a region which was rich in minerals without their knowledge. However, the process of selling gold was still a great challenge to them. The locals also realized that other natural resources were valuable in the region which they could sell. Consequently, this led to an influx of activities among the locals as they tried what they had learned from the miners. Therefore they learned a new lifestyle, which led to a better way of life, which made them more comfortable with what they were doing.

Furthermore, most of their land was alienated mostly for use during the washing of gravel. Most of the water of Fraser River was diverted for use in the washing of gravel to the land. Therefore they had less to farm and even worse to live. They were not compensated for any of this, and they felt that their rights were violated. Most of them were left landless as the miners were now using most of the land. They were not consulted by the mining companies or paid in any manner to leave their land. They felt that their rights had been violated as they were forced to find other areas to settle. The miners did not heed from destroying most of the natural habitats which were in the area. In any case, they did not feel like it was their duty to protect the natural habitats, and therefore, they only performed activities which they deemed profitable to them.

Also, in terms of miners, the First Nations people were left with none. They exhausted the region from all its minerals and left it with nothing. After mining all the gold in the area, they moved to find any natural resources which were in the area. They exhausted even the natural resources and left the region with very few natural resources if any. The area was also left in a deplorable state, which had resulted from the mining, which was in the area. It was left with many swamps as the mining companies did not care much about the environment. The region was haphazard and prone to diseases. There where water swaps everywhere in the area, which was a major threat to the safety of the people.

Consequently, due to the effects of mining, an epidemic of smallpox broke in the region. The epidemic resulted in a lot of deaths in the area, as most of the people suffered. It is estimated that between 50 and 75 percent of the population died due to the epidemic, which was severe in the region. It had affected most of the people in the region and had made them vulnerable to other diseases as it weakened their immunity. At the time, there was no advancement in medicine; therefore, it was hard to treat people in the region. Therefore most of the people resulted in finding their means of survival by using any herbs which were available in the region.

Also, to avoid lawlessness in the region, the British government established a territory in the area. Initially, this was meant to ensure peace in the region while maintaining the British's interest in the region. They initiated projects such as the building of roads. The projects were meant to make mining easier as the gold could be transported more easily. However, the projects stalled after a short while after the region sank into recession. However, there was a significant development in the region as a result of the mining as the infrastructure became better.

All in all, when a region is discovered to have a valuable commodity, it must generate a lot of interest from very many parties. Therefore this is what resulted in the gold rush of 1858 to the First Nations of Canada. People in the region had to be affected as this was the region where the gold was discovered. As miners settled in the area, a lot changed in the region as different economic activities have done differently. The gold rush, in this case, had its benefits and disadvantages. However, had the minerals been more and the miners stayed for a longer period, they would be highly developed. The indigenous people had a chance to interact with people from other parts of the world and gain a better understanding of people from all other the world. Finally, the miners should have helped the First Nations of Canada more as they gained very little from the mining. Most of them claim that they did not benefit in any way and that their resources were taken from them, leaving them poor. In the future, miners need to consider the welfare of those living in the area so that they may not experience similar challenges. If not well taken care of, the local people's interest can result in violence, which is not good for the economy and mining activities.

Bibliography

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