Volunteer report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volunteer report - Essay Example I made sure that the activities were adequate so that they did not feel exhausted at the end of the workout. I assisted them in the form of groups and visited the place thrice a week i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My tenure ended on April 10, 2014. The only difficulty which I had to face was communicating with the people as two of the group members had listening problem. It is true that elderly people are like new babies who require a lot of attention and care. I allocated sufficient time and efforts during the whole volunteer period so that I could provide them a marvelous experience of their life. There were about six people in my group and I had to make sure that I address the demands of each person appropriately. One person spoke at such a low volume that I had to listen to her talk with complete attention. I even made sure that I gave time to each individual so that they could share their feelings and thoughts effectively. I even asked them open ended questions to have clarity about their requests so that their queries were resolved. I even did physiotherapy of a person on his request as his legs were hurting and I asked him to guide me so that I could perform the exercise effectively. I definitely feel that the helping skills have to be used according to the situation and they should be in alignment with the instance so that the desired results are attained. I believe that my clients were contended with my behavior and they appreciated my efforts. One of the clients even mentioned that she feels relaxed after talking to me. Also, other person was satisfied with my helping actions as he stated that I have the ability of proactively responding to other individual’s requests efficiently. Despite all these points, I think that I have to develop an understanding about people’s psychology so that I can assess their demands from the body language and assist them in resolving their

English grammar Essay Example for Free

English grammar Essay Read the passage given below: and answer the questions a, b, c, and d that follow: [25] A list of queries on email asks recipients to name the world’s richest man in 2008; the winner of the world’s golf title in 2007; the designer of the first rockets; the manufacturer of the first bicycle and so on? building up a roll call of achievers who left their mark on mankind. It ended with, â€Å"Who was the teacher who helped you to enjoy school and whom you remember most vividly? † I don’t know a single recipient of the email who answered a single one of the questions except the last. In other words, everyone’s most unforgettable person was a supportiveand encouraging teacher whose wealth, fame and social standing mattered not at all. What the grateful student received was beyond evaluation because what the teacher gave most freely was the precious gift of the self. It was not just knowledge to pass an examination that they gave their students but an understanding of the value of knowledge itself and a love of it. Great teachers seek to form, not merely inform their students. Today, when teaching (especially teaching young children who have not learned to write) is no longer a coveted profession, I wish we could all pay a silent tribute to the many obscure men and women who shaped our lives and asked for so little in return. Surely, a good teacher deserves to be called a deva because the real meaning of the word is â€Å"the shining one†. Every year, choosing a day when it is not functioning, my cousin visits his old school. The building and compound are much the same as they were when he was a student, so the sense of stepping back into the past is powerful. He moves from classroom to classroom following the exact progression his student-graph had taken him more than half a century ago, and pays a silent tribute to each of the teachers, intensely recalling those impoverished gentlemen whose wardrobes had hardly held more than two shirts. What still moves him is the memory of the care they had taken in the lives and progress of every student, encouraging each of them and guiding every child to do his best and then some. A drop in concentration or performance led to the â€Å"master† calling on the child’s parents to enquire if there was something wrong at home which the child found disturbing or was unable to cope with; very few homes had phones in those days and even if they did, a school-teacher would certainly not have been able to afford a phone call. So, umbrella held high, he would walk those extra miles. My first teacher was a smiling and very gentle woman named Mrs. Delamose, whose name my brother and I repeated over and over again to get it right so that we might greet her correctly: â€Å"delamosedelamosedelamose†. I still recall her dark eyes, and charming crooked smile with faint streaks of lipstick out of place, as she led us through Songs the Letters Sing. She was a true teacher who believed that every single child is unique and that there is no such thing as an unintelligent child I owe my profession to her. a) Give the meaning of the following words as used in the passage: [3] 1. Supportive

Treatment of Acute Renal Colic: Rectal Diclofenac Sodium

Treatment of Acute Renal Colic: Rectal Diclofenac Sodium Therapeutic Effects of Rectal Diclofenac Sodium and Intramuscular Pethidine Injection  in The Treatment of Acute Renal Colic: A randomized Clinical Trial Mohammad Mehdi Hosseini, Abdoul-Rasoul Ebrahimi Abstract Renal colic is a type of abdominal pain commonly caused by obstructive stones. The aims of this study were to evaluate safety and efficacy of rectal diclofenac sodium ( RD ) in acute renal colic and compare it with intramuscular pethidine (IMP) injection. In an interventional prospective double blind randomized control trial with 541 patients, which referred to Emergency Department due to acute renal colic, RD and IMP were administrated to 266 patient (as group I) and 275 patients (as group II), respectively. Pain relief was measured through asking the patient by the physician at 10, 20 and 30 min after using of respective drugs in each group. In group I, analgesic effects of RD were appeared in 121 patients (45.5%) after 10 min, 191 patients (71.9%) after 20 min and 233 patients (87.5%) after 30 min. 33 patients (12.5%) had no response to RDS . In group II, analgesic effects of IMP were appeared in 123 patients (44.7%) after 10 min, 191 patients (69.5%) after 20 min and 254 patients (92.3%) after 30 min. 21 patients (7.7%) had no response to IMP. Our results demonstrated that although, there were no significant differences in analgesic effects between two drugs (P=0.06), but, due to availability, cheapness, safety and self administration properties, use of sodium diclofenac in suppository form is highly recommended in renal colic. Keywords: Renal colic; diclofenac sodium; pethidine; analgesia. Introduction Renal colic is a common urological emergency at the emergency department, often caused by the movement of ureteral stones and characterized by severe pain. Patients describe this pain as the most severe and excruciating situation ever experienced (Ay et al. 2013). This condition afflicts 5à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ 12% of the population in industrial societies at least once in their life time and its recurrence rate is approximately 50% (Esmailian and Keshavarz 2014). The pain is usually attributed to contraction of ureter soft muscles in response to the presence of stone (Holdgate and Pollock 2004). Therefore, the most important consideration in the emergency management of renal colics is pain control/relief (Esmailian and Keshavarz 2014). Both parenteral opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to provide relief from renal colic (Bektas et al. 2009). For relieving this pain, morphine and pethidine in the traditional approach were used, but, due to their side effects such as addictive effects, constipation, respiratory depression, and mental changes,, using of them is reduced and replaced by NSAIDs (Kalb et al. 2010; Muslumanoglu and Tepeler 2008). Experimental works suggest that prostaglandins (PGs) play an important role in producing pain in renal colic and therefore, antiprostaglandins can eliminate or diminish this type of pain (Hetherington and Philp 1986; Thompson et al. 1989). Diclofenac, 2-(2-(2,6-dichlorophenylamino)phenyl)acetic acid, is an NSAID taken or applied to reduce inflammation and as an analgesic reducing pain in certain conditions such as renal colic. The exact mechanism of action is not entirely known, but the primary mechanism responsible for its analgesic action is thought to be inhibition of PG synthesis by inhibition of cyclooxygenase, one of the basic enzymes in the PG synthesis pathway (Dutta et al. 2000). On the other hand, pethidine is a once popular synthetic opioid analgesic of the phenylpiperidine class (MacPherson and Duguid 2008). The specific adverse event of vomiting showed a clear association with opioids, in particular pethidine. Although no studies reported serious adverse events, the short follow-up period and failure to specifically record renal dysfunction and gastrointestinal bleeding means these results should be interpreted cautiously (Holdgate and Pollock 2004). Given these findings, when a single bolus of analgesia i s used, an NSAID rather than an opioids was recommended. However, in some condition such as severe pain using of opioids is inevitable. Therefore, in this study, we compared the efficacy of analgesic therapy of rectal diclofenac sodium (RD) and intramuscular pethidine (IMP), commonly preferred in emergency departments in our country in patients with renal colic. Participants and Methods A. Patients and study design An interventional prospective multicenter double blind randomized control trial (RCT) with five hundred forty one eligible patients which had renal colic and referred to Motahhary and Peymanieh Hospitals of Jahrom and Faghihi and Nemazee Hospitals of Shiraz between Dec 2005 to Apr 2007 was done. The study protocol and informed consent were approved by the Ethics Committee at Jahrom University of Medical Sciences. All patients who enrolled in this study, were read, accepted and signed the consent form. Participant, with age between 17 to 52 years, randomly allocated in two parallel groups, RD (single dose of 100 mg) and IMP (single dose of 50 mg) in the approximately ratio of 1:1 (266 and 275 patients, respectively). Randomization was performed using a computer-generated random permuted block method. Patients with history of allergy to NSAIDs, hemorrhoids and anal fissures, peptic ulcers, coagulopathy, inflammatory bowel disease, pregnancy, ischemic coronary diseases, chronic obstruct ive pulmonary disease, and liver or renal failure were excluded from the study. B. Method of measurement Subjects reported pain and its decline at 10, 20 and 30 min after drug receiving and according to significant decrease in pain intensity at each time (decrease in pain intensity more than 50%), the patient was placed in the respected groups. Subjects were blind to their previous reports. Our outcome measure was the change in pain intensity at 10, 20, 30 and more than 30 min. The participants that enrolled in group 3 (significant decrease in pain after 30 min) were composed from patient in group 1 (significant decrease in pain after 10 min) and 2 (significant decrease in pain after 20 min) and there was similar pattern between group 2 and 1. C. Statistical analysis SPSS for Windows version 16 package program was used for statistical analysis of the data. t test and analysis of variance were used for analysis of variables. Results were expressed as n (number of patients), and percentage (%). According to the results, a P value 0.05). Distribution of patients according to time of responding to analgesic effects of RD and IMP is displayed in Figure 2. According to these data, the percentage of patients that showed defined decline in pain at 10 and 20 min after using of drug in RD was higher than IMP. However these differences were not significant (P=0.06). Discussion In this study, the analgesic efficacy of rectal sodium diclofenac and intramuscular pethidine administration in patients which suffered from renal colic were evaluated. Our results demonstrated that although, the percent of patients with diminished pain in 10 and 20 min after using of RD was higher than IMP but, this difference was not significant. Therefore, the efficacy of these two drugs is similar. However, due to availability, cheapness, safety and self administration properties, use of RD is highly recommended in renal colic in compare to IMP. In two previously studies, the efficacy of using of sodium diclofenac versus pethidine in acute renal colic were evaluated and reported. In the study of Hetherington and Philp (1986) on 58 renal colic patients, it has been concluded that 75 mg of sodium diclofenac, IM, was more effective than 100 mg of Pethdine, IM, in the management of acute renal colic and has fewer side effects (Hetherington and Philp 1986). Also, Thompson et al (1989) reported that diclofenac suppositories provided potent, specific analgesia in renal colic. They also concluded that, diclofenac is superior to pethidine, because its effect starting at a similar time but lasting longer (Thompson et al. 1989). On the other hand, this fact that diclofenac can be self administered and is not an opiate makes it a useful drug in general practice, especially for patients with recurrent renal colic. Pethidine as a synthetic opioids, is about one tenth as potent as morphine and due to having more lipid solubility than morphine, elimination half life of two to four hours and duration of action of only two to three hours were considered for it (Foley 1985). At 2000, in a double blind RCT, analgesic efficacy, patient satisfaction and side effects of morphine and pethidine in patients with clinically suspected renal colic were evaluated. Although, their data demonstrated that there was no significant difference between morphine and pethidine with respect to any of the parameters measured, but they concluded that because of the well known adverse effects that may be associated with pethidine use, morphine should be the preferred agent in suspected renal colic, when an opioid analgesic is to be used (O 'Connor et al. 2000). In addition, it has been reported that norpethidine, the predominant metabolite of pethidine, is potentially toxic and causing central nervous system excitability such as tremors, myoclonus or seizures. Also, accumulation of norpethidine has also been seen in patients with normal kidneys, particularly with large doses or frequent dosing intervals (Marinella 1997). Finally, due to adverse effects of pethidine and its metabolite, norpethidine and also due to possibility of pethidine addiction, we believe that diclofenac suppositories should be considered as the first line treatment of renal colic, both in hospital and in general practice. Acknowledgment The authors thank the staff physians and nursing team of the Emergency Department of the Motahhary and Peymanieh Hospitals of Jahrom and Faghihi and Nemazee Hospitals of Shiraz and all other people who help in this study. References Ay MO, Sebe A, Kozaci N, Satar S, Acikalin A, Gulen M, Acehan S (2013) Comparison of the Analgesic Efficacy of Dexketoprofen Trometamol and Meperidine HCl in the Relief of Renal Colic. American Journal of Therapeutics. doi:10.1097/MJT.0b013e318274db78 Bektas F, Eken C, KaradenÄ ±z O, Goksu E, Cubuk M, Cete Y (2009) Intravenous paracetamol or morphine for the treatment of renal colic: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Annals of Emergency Medicine 54 (4):568-574 Dutta NK, Annadurai S, Mazumdar K, Dastidar SG, Kristiansen JE, Molnar J, Martins M, Amaral L (2000) The anti-bacterial action of diclofenac shown by inhibition of DNA synthesis. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 14 (3):249-251 Esmailian M, Keshavarz M (2014) Synergistic Effects of Citalopram and Morphine in the Renal Colic Pain Relief; a Randomized Clinical Trial. Emergency 1 (2):26-29 Foley KM (1985) The treatment of cancer pain. New England Journal of Medicine 313:84-95 Hetherington JW, Philp NH (1986) Diclofenac sodium versus pethidine in acute renal colic. British Medical Journal 292 (6515):237-238 Holdgate A, Pollock T (2004) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) versus opioids for acute renal colic. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 1:1-54 Kalb B, Sharma P, Salman K, Ogan K, Pattaras JG, Martin DR (2010) Acute abdominal pain: is there a potential role for MRI in the setting of the emergency department in a patient with renal calculi? Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 32 (5):1012-1023 MacPherson RD, Duguid MD (2008) Strategy to Eliminate Pethidine Use in Hospitals. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research 38 (2):88-89 Marinella MA (1997) Meperidine-induced generalized seizures with normal renal function. South Medical Journal 90:556-558 Muslumanoglu AY, Tepeler A (2008) Renal kolik tani ve tedavisi. Marmara Med J 21:187-192 O'Connor A, Schug SA, Cardwell H (2000) A comparison of the efficacy and safety of morphine and pethidine as analgesia for suspected renal colic in the emergency setting. Journal of Accident and Emergency Medicine 17 (4):261-264 Thompson JF, Pike JM, Chumas PD, Rundle JS (1989) Rectal diclofenac compared with pethidine injection in acute renal colic. British Medical Journal 299 (6708):1140-1141 Figure 1. Number and percentage of patients which response/non response to rectal sodium diclofenac and intramuscular pethidine. Figure 2. Comparison on the efficacy of rectal sodium diclofenac and intramuscular pethidine in attenuating of renal colic pain.

Essay --

Throughout our lives we all have been in a situation where we are outside at a sporting event, concert, or some type of outside event. While we are at the events all bundled up in our coats and hats and such, what do we do about our hands when the gloves just aren’t cutting it? My mother always suggests I just open a pack of Grabber hand warmers. Grabbers are a pack of 2 individual mini hand warmers that use a mixture of chemicals and different chemical reactions to produce heat us by you rubbing the two together. I must admit these little things have saved me from many cold nights out at the football field. Although when you are trying to warm yourself up you probably aren’t worried about what chemicals are in these warmers or how they work, but I am so I figure I’ll fill you in too. The reason I decided to try and go in debt on the idea of how a hand warmer works and what goes in to it to cause it to exert heat. Also because these are things I use almost every day during the winter and never knew how they worked. For starters all grabbers hand warmers are air activated, they are n... Essay -- Throughout our lives we all have been in a situation where we are outside at a sporting event, concert, or some type of outside event. While we are at the events all bundled up in our coats and hats and such, what do we do about our hands when the gloves just aren’t cutting it? My mother always suggests I just open a pack of Grabber hand warmers. Grabbers are a pack of 2 individual mini hand warmers that use a mixture of chemicals and different chemical reactions to produce heat us by you rubbing the two together. I must admit these little things have saved me from many cold nights out at the football field. Although when you are trying to warm yourself up you probably aren’t worried about what chemicals are in these warmers or how they work, but I am so I figure I’ll fill you in too. The reason I decided to try and go in debt on the idea of how a hand warmer works and what goes in to it to cause it to exert heat. Also because these are things I use almost every day during the winter and never knew how they worked. For starters all grabbers hand warmers are air activated, they are n...

Native American Culture †The Micmac

It is not known when the Micmac first arrived in the Canadian Maritime provinces. Sea levels have risen such that early sites are now underwater. The earliest descriptions that we have are of people who already had contact with the westThe Micmac, along with the Beothuk of Newfoundland, may well be the first of the first peoples to have had contact with Europeans. This could have occurred with the Vikings in the 11th century and / or with Basque and other European fishing fleets that fished on the Grand Banks, but did not publicly reveal the source of their large catches. All this was well before Columbus in 1492. In 1497 when John Cabot returned to England he took three members of the Micmac tribe back with him.The Basques fished off Canadian shores, and by 1519 would dry their catch and to carry out trade shore. By 1578 there were about 400 European boats coming in summer. Trade with the Micmac for furs, especially beaver, was profitable for both sides. The demand was greater than the Micmac could supply and quickly adopted the role of middlemen for tribes such as the Algonquian who lived far from shore. The metal weapons received in trade mean the Micmac had a tremendous advantage in battle over other Canadian tribes.[1]Rivalry over trade eventually led to the Tarrateen war of 1607 when the Micmac moved in as far as Massachusetts. However, they contracted a disease that eventually killed three quarters of the population. In 1613, the British, anxious to make claim to territories held by the French, destroyed Port Royal and the mission at Mont Desert. The Micmac were caught in the raid and were sold by the British as slaves. The original Micmac population number has been estimated to reach as high as 30,000 but was probably less. Contact with westerners lowered their numbers to around 1,800 in the 1820’s after contracting various diseases including a devastating epidemic of smallpox.They occupied the Canadian Maritimes including eastern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Gaspà © Peninsula in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and after about 1630, a Micmac band also lived in southwestern Newfoundland. There were now about 25,000 members of the tribe in Canada. The Jay treaty of 1794 between the newly formed United States and England allowed the Micmac to cross and re-cross the border freely. Nowadays there are groups in New York and Maine, where in 1991 they finally gained official federal recognition particularly in Boston where they make up the largest first peoples group in New England.[2]The original spelling of their name was Mi’kmaq, which means ‘allies’. Over time, Micmac became the commonly used spelling, although it has several variations. Various groups have also been known as Cape Sable Indians, Gaspesian, Matueswiskitchinuuk (Malecite â€Å"Porcupine Indians†) and Shonack (Beothuk â€Å"Bad Indians†), The French called them Souriquois and the British Tarrateen.Their language is a branch of A lgonquian, although somewhat different from that used further south. There are links with other local languages such as that of the Cree and the Montagnais. Most Micmac still use it as their first language, with either English or French being the second. Regional dialects are so strong that for instance those in Quebec have difficulties communicating with those in Nova Scotia. Because their language is similar to that of the Cree it is possible that they moved into the Maritimes from the north.The people did very little farming since they lived too far north to be able to grow corn, though some was done in the warm summer months. Instead they were skilled in hunting, gathering and fishing, especially with regard to the catching of fish and sea mammals. This made them skilled in the making and use of birch bark canoes and those made of caribou skin. After 1600 they also used sails. Their larger distinctive light, humpbacked canoes could be used even on the open sea. However they quic kly learnt that some European vessels were also useful and adopted them.The birch bark, poles and skins were also used to construct their homes – smaller conical ones in cold weather and long house types used in warmer times. They were semi-nomadic living near the shore during the summer fishing season and inland during the colder weather when it was easier to track moose and deer in the snow. Snowshoes, sledges and toboggans were used to make movement easier in the deep snow. Hunting camps would consist of only one family but in spring and summer, families would come together and form villages of several hundred people able to take advantage of plentiful food supplies. Before the arrival of metal kettles, water was heated by placing hot stones in wooden kettles.[3]Clans are patrilineal and the tribes are confederacies of these smaller groups. Each clan had and still has a symbol, used to mark possessions such as homes and canoes. Local chiefs and a group of elders governed t he villages. The oldest male in the area became the district chief. His importance was linked to the size of his family hence polygamy was practiced.   The leaders would decide when and where to hunt and fish. For instance in December they would ice fish for cod, in January they would hunt seals, in February move inland to hunt moose, deer and bear as well as smaller game by the end of March they would move to the coast to begin fishing again, they would begin to catch eels in the estuaries in mid September and then move into the forests when the snow came.This pattern started when they were trading beaver with the Europeans, as the furs would be thicker in winter. Also they had to be on the coasts in summer in order to meet with trading vessels. Methods used to catch game were varied. Spears or bows and arrows would be used to catch larger game and snares and traps were used for smaller creatures. They made ingenious callers form birch bark to attract moose.[4] In order to catch fish they used tridents, hooks, nets and weirs. Seals would be harpooned. In historical times bone or stone tools were replaced by iron and steel ones gained in trade.The groups would occasionally come together and elect a high king – the Grand Saqamaw. This method of political authority meant that in times of war organization was made easier.As with other woodland tribes clothing for both sexes was fringed buckskin. This was used for leggings, breechclouts and sleeves. At some point during the 1700’s the women began to wear pointed headdresses. Clothing, bags etc were decorated with porcupine quills, though traded glass beads largely replaced these after the arrival of the Europeans. They would originally be sewn together using sinews and bone needles. In areas where porcupines were not present trade would either obtain their quills or other items would be used in imitation of them e.g. spruce roots.   By the 18th century woolen blankets were being used, and in the 19th century men began to wear great coats and the women were using woolen and cotton cloth and steel needles.The Micmac feasted at weddings, funerals and before the hunting season began. Unusually funerals were conducted before the person had actually died. If someone was incurably ill dogs were killed as a sign of grief, then after much singing, the person would be allowed to make a last speech and then they would be abandoned and no one would help them.Regarding religion, one supreme god was believed in, but also there were lesser gods including those in human form. Stories often centered on Glooscap, a hero whose stories explain how the world came into being and how it works. The ancient Micmac did not distinguish between the natural and the supernatural. A spirit might inhabit everything from the large sun to a small rock. They had shamans known as puion who provided both curses and cures and interpreted the natural world. The missionaries discredited them but some traditional beliefs persist. In the 19th century missionary Silas Rand made a collection of these stories and beliefs. Even today a Micmac web site, Traditional Micmac culture, states that Glooscap still lives in every Micmac.[5]After the arrival of the French, who brought very few women with them, intermarriage became common and so did conversion to Christianity. The Jesuits arrived in 1610 and the first Micmac family was baptized in the same year. However the Micmac branch of Catholicism includes many native ideas. When the French gave up the Maritimes to the British in 1713 the Micmac remained loyal to French links and most now have French family names. They are proud of the way their culture has contributed to life and language in North America whereby the hand drawn toboggan and snowshoes are still in use. The fact that they now often speak English, drive cars and wear similar clothes to everyone else does not make them any less Micmac.Bibliography Swanton J. The Indian Tribes of North Ame rica, U.S. Government Printing Office 1952Micmac Indians of Canada retrieved 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.canadiangenealogy.net/indians/micmac_indians.htm This site quotes from Swanton’s book mentioned above.Micmac Indians of Maine found at retrieved on 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.micmac-nsn.gov/  Ã‚  Pastore, R. Traditional Micmac Culture retrieved on 22nd October 2007 from  http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/micmac_culture.htmlSultzman, L. Micmac history, retrieved 22nd October 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dickshovel.com/mic.html[1] Swanton J. [2] http://www.canadiangenealogy.net [3] http://www.micmac-nsn.gov/ [4] http://www.heritage.nf.ca [5] http://www.dickshovel.com Native American Culture – The Micmac It is not known when the Micmac first arrived in the Canadian Maritime provinces. Sea levels have risen such that early sites are now underwater. The earliest descriptions that we have are of people who already had contact with the westThe Micmac, along with the Beothuk of Newfoundland, may well be the first of the first peoples to have had contact with Europeans. This could have occurred with the Vikings in the 11th century and / or with Basque and other European fishing fleets that fished on the Grand Banks, but did not publicly reveal the source of their large catches. All this was well before Columbus in 1492. In 1497 when John Cabot returned to England he took three members of the Micmac tribe back with him.The Basques fished off Canadian shores, and by 1519 would dry their catch and to carry out trade shore. By 1578 there were about 400 European boats coming in summer. Trade with the Micmac for furs, especially beaver, was profitable for both sides. The demand was greater than the Micmac could supply and quickly adopted the role of middlemen for tribes such as the Algonquian who lived far from shore. The metal weapons received in trade mean the Micmac had a tremendous advantage in battle over other Canadian tribes.[1]Rivalry over trade eventually led to the Tarrateen war of 1607 when the Micmac moved in as far as Massachusetts. However, they contracted a disease that eventually killed three quarters of the population. In 1613, the British, anxious to make claim to territories held by the French, destroyed Port Royal and the mission at Mont Desert. The Micmac were caught in the raid and were sold by the British as slaves. The original Micmac population number has been estimated to reach as high as 30,000 but was probably less. Contact with westerners lowered their numbers to around 1,800 in the 1820’s after contracting various diseases including a devastating epidemic of smallpox.They occupied the Canadian Maritimes including eastern New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, the Gaspà © Peninsula in Quebec, Prince Edward Island, and after about 1630, a Micmac band also lived in southwestern Newfoundland. There were now about 25,000 members of the tribe in Canada. The Jay treaty of 1794 between the newly formed United States and England allowed the Micmac to cross and re-cross the border freely. Nowadays there are groups in New York and Maine, where in 1991 they finally gained official federal recognition particularly in Boston where they make up the largest first peoples group in New England.[2]The original spelling of their name was Mi’kmaq, which means ‘allies’. Over time, Micmac became the commonly used spelling, although it has several variations. Various groups have also been known as Cape Sable Indians, Gaspesian, Matueswiskitchinuuk (Malecite â€Å"Porcupine Indians†) and Shonack (Beothuk â€Å"Bad Indians†), The French called them Souriquois and the British Tarrateen.Their language is a branch of A lgonquian, although somewhat different from that used further south. There are links with other local languages such as that of the Cree and the Montagnais. Most Micmac still use it as their first language, with either English or French being the second. Regional dialects are so strong that for instance those in Quebec have difficulties communicating with those in Nova Scotia. Because their language is similar to that of the Cree it is possible that they moved into the Maritimes from the north.The people did very little farming since they lived too far north to be able to grow corn, though some was done in the warm summer months. Instead they were skilled in hunting, gathering and fishing, especially with regard to the catching of fish and sea mammals. This made them skilled in the making and use of birch bark canoes and those made of caribou skin. After 1600 they also used sails. Their larger distinctive light, humpbacked canoes could be used even on the open sea. However they quic kly learnt that some European vessels were also useful and adopted them.The birch bark, poles and skins were also used to construct their homes – smaller conical ones in cold weather and long house types used in warmer times. They were semi-nomadic living near the shore during the summer fishing season and inland during the colder weather when it was easier to track moose and deer in the snow. Snowshoes, sledges and toboggans were used to make movement easier in the deep snow. Hunting camps would consist of only one family but in spring and summer, families would come together and form villages of several hundred people able to take advantage of plentiful food supplies. Before the arrival of metal kettles, water was heated by placing hot stones in wooden kettles.[3]Clans are patrilineal and the tribes are confederacies of these smaller groups. Each clan had and still has a symbol, used to mark possessions such as homes and canoes. Local chiefs and a group of elders governed t he villages. The oldest male in the area became the district chief. His importance was linked to the size of his family hence polygamy was practiced.   The leaders would decide when and where to hunt and fish. For instance in December they would ice fish for cod, in January they would hunt seals, in February move inland to hunt moose, deer and bear as well as smaller game by the end of March they would move to the coast to begin fishing again, they would begin to catch eels in the estuaries in mid September and then move into the forests when the snow came.This pattern started when they were trading beaver with the Europeans, as the furs would be thicker in winter. Also they had to be on the coasts in summer in order to meet with trading vessels. Methods used to catch game were varied. Spears or bows and arrows would be used to catch larger game and snares and traps were used for smaller creatures. They made ingenious callers form birch bark to attract moose.[4] In order to catch fish they used tridents, hooks, nets and weirs. Seals would be harpooned. In historical times bone or stone tools were replaced by iron and steel ones gained in trade.The groups would occasionally come together and elect a high king – the Grand Saqamaw. This method of political authority meant that in times of war organization was made easier.As with other woodland tribes clothing for both sexes was fringed buckskin. This was used for leggings, breechclouts and sleeves. At some point during the 1700’s the women began to wear pointed headdresses. Clothing, bags etc were decorated with porcupine quills, though traded glass beads largely replaced these after the arrival of the Europeans.They would originally be sewn together using sinews and bone needles. In areas where porcupines were not present trade would either obtain their quills or other items would be used in imitation of them e.g. spruce roots.   By the 18th century woolen blankets were being used, and in the 1 9th century men began to wear great coats and the women were using woolen and cotton cloth and steel needles.The Micmac feasted at weddings, funerals and before the hunting season began. Unusually funerals were conducted before the person had actually died. If someone was incurably ill dogs were killed as a sign of grief, then after much singing, the person would be allowed to make a last speech and then they would be abandoned and no one would help them.Regarding religion, one supreme god was believed in, but also there were lesser gods including those in human form. Stories often centered on Glooscap, a hero whose stories explain how the world came into being and how it works. The ancient Micmac did not distinguish between the natural and the supernatural. A spirit might inhabit everything from the large sun to a small rock.They had shamans known as puion who provided both curses and cures and interpreted the natural world. The missionaries discredited them but some traditional be liefs persist. In the 19th century missionary Silas Rand made a collection of these stories and beliefs. Even today a Micmac web site, Traditional Micmac culture, states that Glooscap still lives in every Micmac.[5]After the arrival of the French, who brought very few women with them, intermarriage became common and so did conversion to Christianity. The Jesuits arrived in 1610 and the first Micmac family was baptized in the same year. However the Micmac branch of Catholicism includes many native ideas. When the French gave up the Maritimes to the British in 1713 the Micmac remained loyal to French links and most now have French family names.They are proud of the way their culture has contributed to life and language in North America whereby the hand drawn toboggan and snowshoes are still in use. The fact that they now often speak English, drive cars and wear similar clothes to everyone else does not make them any less Micmac.Bibliography Swanton J. The Indian Tribes of North Americ a, U.S. Government Printing Office 1952Micmac Indians of Canada retrieved 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.canadiangenealogy.net/indians/micmac_indians.htm This site quotes from Swanton’s book mentioned above.Micmac Indians of Maine found at retrieved on 22nd October 2007 fromhttp://www.micmac-nsn.gov/  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pastore, R. Traditional Micmac Culture retrieved on 22nd October 2007 from  http://www.heritage.nf.ca/aboriginal/micmac_culture.htmlSultzman, L. Micmac history, retrieved 22nd October 2007 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dickshovel.com/mic.html[1] Swanton J. [2] http://www.canadiangenealogy.net [3] http://www.micmac-nsn.gov/ [4] http://www.heritage.nf.ca [5] http://www.dickshovel.com

Blade Runner Directors Cut essays

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How to Solve Marketing Fire Drills with Kyle DeWeerdt from Apprenda [PODCAST]

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