Introduction
The fur trade has formed a remarkable part of the history of Canada. The fur trade greatly developed into western Canada until 1870 following the founding of the Hudson’s Bay and the North West Companies around 1670’s. This was a unique trade since during that time, it was the only industry that allowed the exchange of goods between two groups of people who were very different (that is, the Europeans and the Indians). According to several historians, the fur trade was an exploitation of gullible Indians by their European counterparts in the trade. Some of these historians such as Stanley Ryerson described the fur trade as that which greatly depended on ruthless and inhuman exploitation of Indian labor.
The economic, political and social history of the current day Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba was a product of fur trade in the two hundred years of the European contact. Traders exchanged valuables for fur along the Principal Rivers and lakes. In fact, due to the abundance of beaver during that time, it was treated as a currency throughout the Northwestern Canada. The trade was complex since it involved several people trading for fur including the Scottish, French, and Canadian traders at the St. Lawrence Valley, and the financially stable British from the Hudson’s Bay. There were also various native groups involved in the trade.
The people of the First nations were the earliest merchants in North America. They initially traded among themselves until the arrival of the European traders in the 16th century. They formed trading relationships allowing the European traders to explore the east coast of mainland North America. During the trade between these two groups, the Europeans traded their hatchets, knives and beads in exchange for fur and meat to the Indians. The early commencement of the trade was based at St. Lawrence River where the Indians brought their fur for European manufactured goods such as woolen blankets, iron tools, clothes and guns.
Unlike other trades in the ancient time where men dominated or at times did all the work, the Indian women played important roles in the development of the trade. Their experiences differed between the two trading companies. Some of their roles included creating cultural liaisons between the European and Indian traders. Household maintenance was also one of their primary roles in the trade. Additionally, they guided the European traders through the dangerous unfamiliar Indian Territory and through unfamiliar routes in the forests. Finally, the Europeans exploited the Indian women by using them for sexual purposes.
In the beginning of the trade, the Europeans were dependent on the local Indians for their survival. Due to interactions between these two parties, the European traders started marrying the Indian women since they had learnt and adapted to a native way of life. These intermarriages resulted into a complex and widespread patterns among the trading families. The hybrid culture formed from the intermarriages created a relationship that helped develop the fur trade.
History of the Fur Trade
This trade played key roles in the development of the United States and Canada within a period estimated to be around 300 years. It began in the 1500’s between Indians and Europeans who traded manufactured goods for fur, which was used in Europe for making other fur products. Beaver fur was the most valuable of all types since it was used for making felt hats. However, in the mid 1800s, the fur trade received a major setback with the scarcity of fur bearing animals and increasing popularity of the silk hats.
In the early 16th century, the fishermen from the Northwest Europe were already taking the rich catches of COD on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They had to maintain good relationships with the aboriginal people since they had to spend time with them as they dried their fish onshore. These aboriginal people were interested in obtaining manufactured goods such as metallic goods and clothes from the Europeans. Since meat and fur were the only commodities in their possession, they had to exchange them for the goods they required.
Before the trade began, the French explorers who arrived in Canada offered the Indians with gifts such as kettles, knives and blankets in order to create and maintain peaceful relationships. This enticement also made the Indians to share their pelt with the Europeans. In the late 1500s, the demand for fur in Europe greatly increased and encouraged the exchange of gifts to develop into a trade for requirements of both parties. The Europeans used this opportunity to explore North America. The trade also included such furs as marten, fox, and mink among others.
Samuel de Champlain established a trading post on the site of the present day city Quebec, which became a fur-trading center in 1608. The Europeans later expanded their trading territories around the great lakes. In the early beginnings of the trade, the French dominated in what later became Canada. Initially, they obtained their fur from Huron Indians before later advancing to trade with the Ottawa. However, these tribes did not trap the fur from the animals; they also acquired them from other Indians, with whom they also traded for commodities. Further developments saw the French advance along the Mississippi river.
In the early 1600, English settlers also ventured into the fur trade in the current New England and Virginia, which developed the fur trade even further. The Hudson’s Bay Company was the most famous of the fur-trading firm. A group of English merchants founded it with the assistance of some other two French fur traders in Canada. The company later received sole trading rights at the Hudson’s Bay region from the English government. These European companies handled large volumes of fur that was shipped from North America in the 1960s and 70s. English traders also formed an alliance with the Iroquois Indians in a move to extend their trading territory from Maine.
Another set back to the fur trade came during the 1700s when the French and British fur traders bitterly disputed over trading rights in the region between the Mississippi River and the Allegheny Mountains. These conflicts of interest and competition for fur led to the French and Indian war in 1754. The Great Britain emerged victorious from the war in1763 defeating the French colonial empire in North America. Twenty years later, the British merchants in Montreal founded another fur-trading company called the North West Company. This new company offered competition to the already established Hudson’s Bay Company and its traders were called the “North Westers”. These traders took the forefront in the search of fur in western Canada. Unluckily, the company suffered financial setbacks leading to its merger with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821.
In the late 1700s, a new entrant, Russia, also developed fur trade in the area currently known as Alaska. They established their Russian-American Company in the close of 1700s (1799).
Fur trade in the west developed due to the expedition of Clark and Lewis in 1805 and 1806 to the Pacific Ocean. Competition for the western trade was high since several companies needed to dominate the western adventure. These companies included those headed by William H. Ashley, Jacob Astor, Manuel Lisa and Pierre Chouteau. Most of the Indians in Western Canada were little interested in trapping fur from the animals, therefore, the European fur-trading companies decided to hire white frontiersmen to obtain pelts since they had to keep up with growing demand in Europe. Since these trappers roamed through wild regions of the Rocky Mountains trapping fur, they were called the “mountain men”. This also led to the settlements in the western mountains of John Colter, Kit Carson and Jedidah Smith.
The Rocky Mountain Company, which was headed by Ashley, began holding annual gatherings of the trappers. These gatherings, which were referred to as the rendezvous offered the trappers an opportunity to sell their furs as well as buy supplies for the following year. The annual gathering saved the trappers’ the time and hustles of having to travel over long distances to the numerous trading posts frequently.
The number of investors in this venture increased with time. The European investors and the trappers grew in number. They had to settle in the areas closer to the companies and the trapping fields. This led to clearing of land for settlement. By the end of 1700s to the mid of 1800s, settlers had cleared large areas for settlement. This led to the scarcity of fur bearing animals, which had been rendered homeless due to the cleared land. Additionally, the trappers over trapped the fur-bearing animals. This also became a setback to the trade. Due to these and other factors such as the commencement of the use of silk in manufacturing processes led to a great decline and the end of the fur trade by 1870.
The role of women in the fur trade society of western Canada
The history of the early Canadian west has been the significant part of the history of fur trade. This trade is responsible for the shaping of the four western Canadian provinces. The Canadian fur trade was founded on mutual dependency and exchange between the Indians and the European traders. The Europeans were conscious of the fact that the Indians provided both the fur pelts they required and the market for their manufactured goods. This even strengthened the relationships between these trading partners. From past researches, it is evident that not only the men participated in the fur trade, but women also helped in the development of this trade.
The role of women in the fur trade varied incredibly. Despite the existence of some white women in the fur country after 1812, most of the traders married the native women they found in the fur country. The foreigners used these native women to access information regarding their language and culture. There were some unfamiliar tasks to the traders that only the natives could do. For instance, these women gathered firewood, cooked meals, made leather, dressed furs, set up camps, netted snowshoes, made moccasins, and several other things unfamiliar to the European traders. These even made the Europeans love these women more, thereby strengthening their relationships.
Even though men hunted beaver and other large game animals, women also trapped smaller fur bearing animals. The women majorly trapped the marten, whose pelt fetched very high prizes. The western Canadian women were notably outstanding in their peacemaking and diplomatic efforts indicated that the women were interested in the continuous flow of the fur trade and European goods, which they needed for their personal usages.
Additionally, in promoting the harmonious relationships, the west Canadian women allowed themselves to intermarry with the European traders. These intermarriages were common with the Ojibwa, the Cree and The Chipewyan. To the officers and men of both the Huston’s Bay Company and its rival, the North West Company, the Indian women became indispensable helpmates. These intermarriages led to a hybrid population from the interracial unions leading to more mutual relationships between these trading partners.
During the early stages of contact, most of the Indian bands stimulated the formation of marital alliances between the traders and their women. In their view, which, proved to be true, marriage was considered in an economic and social context. They were sure that marriage would create reciprocal social ties with the traders thereby consolidating economic relationships in the trading adventure. The more the traders intermarried with the Indian women, they were drawn more into the Indian kinship circle. The Indians received privileges such as free access to posts and provisions in return for giving sexual and domestic rights to the European traders.
The traders were strangers to the western Canada. Therefore, they did not have knowledge and courage to follow the routes that were mostly inside forests and mountains. The Indian women served as guides to the foreigners through these routes. They assisted the European traders to exploit the land and meet with the trappers. This also helped in developing the fur trade.
Conclusion
The fur trade in western Canada led to the development of the French and British empires in North America. The prospect of wealth from the fur trade during the 1600s attracted several European nations to the New World. Trappers and traders adventured much of Western Canada searching for fur. Trading posts were built in the wilderness leading to increased and development of settlements around these posts. Most of these settlements later developed to cities in Canada and in the United States.
Despite the successes of this trade, it also led to the conflict and war between the Great Britain and France in America. The Indian tribes that struggled over European goods also developed rivalries among themselves. Nevertheless, the trade promoted peaceful and mutual relationships between the Indians and the European traders. However, this relationship faced challenges when the Indians realized that the European settlers were clearing too much land thereby reducing the supply of fur bearing animals. Finally, the fur trade helped in establishing the border between Canada and the United States.
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