First Nations probably migrated to the American continent from Asia between 12 and 30 thousand years ago. Before the arrival of Europeans, their lifestyles varied according to the resources available in the regions where they lived. Nations of the Great Western Plains tended to be nomadic and often depended on the migratory pattern of the buffalo for survival. Eastern and Southern Nations lived mainly from agriculture. Nations of the seacoasts relied mostly on fishing, and so on. All shared a deep spiritual relationship with the natural environment.

The arrival of Europeans with their firearms, deadly diseases, uncontrollable appetite for land and development forever changed the lives of the First Peoples. Their numbers declined rapidly. The loss of land made it increasingly difficult to be self-sustaining. Most of these people became dependent upon government help. Aboriginal children were compelled to attend government-sponsored mission schools whose stated purpose was their assimilation/ ("europeanisation"). Many native people lost touch with their unique culture and traditional way of life.

Today, North America's native people struggle with serious problems. Among them are an over-representation in the prison population and higher rates of suicide, alcohol and drug abuse than the general population. Poverty on reserves and reservations is endemic. Many native leaders say aboriginal nations need to recover their former ways of life as best as possible. It is by freely experiencing their culture, language and spirituality, that aboriginal people can truly be free.