The Indians of New France The Indians were the main focus of the history of New France, and influenced the Europeans in the period before 1663. The Indians, being numerous compared with the Europeans, came into frequent contact with them. The Indians and Europeans traded items with one another, which led to various events and actions that contributed greatly to the history of New France. The Europeans who arrived after the Indians had already settled were exposed to the native people's way of life, from which techniques for survival were acquired. Later, the Europeans depended on the Indians, some of whom acted as middlemen and who had items which were valuable to them. Va