From the time of the voyage of Christopher Columbus to America in 1492, European explorers brought back a few inhabitants from the places they had visited on their voyages. Living proof of these unexpected discoveries, the Aboriginal peoples of the New World appeared unusual to European observers. In the 16th century, Jacques Cartier did likewise with the Aboriginal inhabitants he encountered in the St. Lawrence Valley, as did Champlain and others after him. Across the expanses of its colonial territory, France wanted to make French subjects of these North American Aboriginal peoples, so indispensable were they to the exploration of the territory, to the fur trade and to the survival of newcomers. French policy therefore encouraged the avoidance of violence, and favoured diplomacy and exchange.