History of the Indians in the Fur Trade of Canada

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The history and the Aboriginals’ and Europeans’ Roles in the Fur Trade in Canada
The Role of Women in the Fur Trade
Lifestyle Change as Hunters and Gatherers
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Arthur J. Ray in his book, Indians in the Fur Trade clearly shows the Canadian History in retrospect of the Fur- Trade Society. Arthur explores the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Canada is believed to be the origin of most of the fur. On the other hand, Sylvia Van Kirk’s book; Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur Trade Society in Western Canada, 1670-1870, addresses the roles played by the women and the influence they had on the men in the fur trade.

Both authors in their respective writings illustrate how the arrival of Europeans altered the traditional way of life of the Aboriginal people in Canada. The European traders not only influences but were also influenced by the Indigenous people. In so doing, the culture, beliefs, architecture and even the societal hierarchy of the Indian people were altered (Ray xxii). European traders also married the native women which also strengthened the trade relations. This also fueled the view of white women as racism agents against the native women who they viewed as a threat to their own existence. They capture clearly the various roles by the key players in the Fur- Trade Society.

Although, they address the real life events of the Aboriginals in Canada, both authors seem to dwell only on the fur trade more than the Canadian history as illustrated in our class work. Krk’s work is on the role the women, especially the native women in the Fur trade. This conspicuously leaves out the European woman’s role, neglecting to the capture clearly how the native man and European women aided the growth or decline of this trade (Ray xxiii).

Ray, on the other hand is effective in showing the cultural role in the fur trade. However, they both illustrates the natives did not engage in trade before the arrival of the Europeans as observed in our class work. They both fail to effectively articulate on the conflict created either among the French and Europeans and the natives with the Europeans. In general, the choice of titles of both books effectively captures the topics discussed very well; only failing to find the few aspects on the fur trade.

The history and the Aboriginals’ and Europeans’ Roles in the Fur Trade in Canada

Ray and Kirk covers extensively tell us how the aboriginals and their influence in Fur trade in Canada. Precisely, Ray (xxiv) explains the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century on the continent led to the change of roles of the Aboriginals and their strained relationship with the rest of Canada (Kirk 2). Further, the wave of colonization, early explorers and fur traders developed a relationship with the Indigenous peoples as hosts and guides (Ray 195). Ray and Kirk allow their reader to have a deeper understanding about the aboriginal and the Europeans role in fur trading activities in Canada.

Ray and Kirk through history tell us the earliest fur traders in Canada were explorers and fishermen who arrived during the early 1500’s (Kirk 14). The traders would offer the Indians kettles, knives, and other gifts; and in exchange the Indians gave them pelts. In the process, a rapport was created. Towards the late 1500’s, the great demand for fur had increased in the larger Europe which led to their exploration of North America.

Ray and Kirk explain the role of the French and English traders in Fur trade. They illustrates they were largely interested in fur, especially beaver fur in making of their clothes and hats. They competed to trade with the Aboriginals in acquiring the most fur. In the process it resulted to Aboriginal people’s change of lifestyle as hunter-gatherers.

According to class notes, in competition, the English built trading centers around the Hudson Bay. In around 1670 the development of Hudson’s Bay Company was a mark of permanent colonial settlements. As a result the traditional structure that defines the identity and culture of the Aboriginal was greatly disrupted. This is one aspect both Kirk and Ray accounts fail to effectively capture.

The Role of Women in the Fur Trade

Traditionally in Western Canada, the fur trade was predominantly a male occupation and there was a ban for the women to be involved in the trade. According to Kirk, women played an essential role in this trade; and the economic aspect led to Europeans adopting a more native lifestyle including marrying Indian wives.

In the social aspect within the Hudson Bay Company, a white wife for the officer symbolized prestige (Kirk 202). Yet, compared to native women she represented a decline in the trade of fur. As a result, Silvia assumption is that the role of the white woman’s this trade was quite insignificant.

From a woman’s perspective of the Fur-Trade Society, the race relation between the Indian women and the white traders totally reconstructed the role of women. Racial prejudices were overcome as a result of the many mixed unions. Although, the Indian women marrying a white trader elevated their status they were forced to abandon their personal autonomy. In the process, they chose to adopt a very patriarchal approach to life and assimilate, to a large extent to the European culture and civilization.

The native women sort to preserve their status as mediators and the link between their own people and the traders. On the other hand, the white women represented agents of racism more because it was a society where marriage was a symbol of social status. White women felt threatened by the native women taking their white men as husbands for themselves.

Ray and Kirk, perhaps in their work, have shown why tthroughout the historical period Aboriginal women were treated as inferior beings with limited authority, until the disturbing influence of the European intrusion. This meant even with the coming of explorers the gender roles were well defined, hence the acceptance by the Indigenous men to allow the white to take their women. Some Aboriginal societies remained patriarchal but for their own survival and provision allowed the traders into their circles.

Ray argues in his book; Indians in the Fur Trade, that before the Native contact with Europeans fishing and collecting small fur was predominantly a domain for women. In the presence of explorers and traders women played a significant role in the economic aspect of this trade. As a result, the men started getting actively involved.

Aboriginal women had good skills that were a key in the fur trade. Most were married to fur traders and in taking longer trips with their spouses acting as guides, preparing meals for them and in the absence of white women they also filled the sexual void created. Their knowledge to make valuable items form plant was essential. For example they made clothing, medicine from plants and in collecting spruce gum that made their canoes waterproof. They were skilled in communication which is an art their husbands learnt better negotiation, language and customs of their people.

The Indians were prompted to offer their women to the traders as a way to encourage them into the kinsman-ship circle in exchange for posts and provision.

The traders formed liaisons with women from the various tribes of western Canada; this served to cement trade ties. According to Kirk, the role of Indian women in the fur trade was integral; besides the economic role. This mixed-blood dual heritage gave Indian women ideal qualifications for a fur trader’s wife. Kirk explores how the Europeans contributed to the inequality and redefined male/female gender roles in Aboriginal society. In some instances, as observed in our class work the male European fur traders preferred to deal with Aboriginal men and not the women.

Aboriginal women were placed in a victim’s position, when some white people began to formulate myths that native women married to Europeans were more prone to a promiscuous nature compared to their counterparts. This made the men to unfairly accuse them, resulting to physical and even sexual abuse.

Lifestyle Change as Hunters and Gatherers

Before the coming of the explorers the Aboriginal Peoples were hunters and gatherer. Instead of the stones and bones, the fur traders brought them metal tools, Iron cooking pots and copper kettles. Food gathering was replaced by hunting and trapping for fur becoming dependent on trade goods like rifles, utensils and European clothes.

Ray argues that the Aboriginal cultural way of life was dependent on their ancestor’s occupation as hunters and gatherers, at the time of European contact. Corresponding to their geographical location the indigenous people of the Pacific Coast living near the ocean engaged in hunter-gatherer and river fishing occupation as their primary source of food.

For Kirk, there were tender ties because fur became a mutual dependence for both the traders and the native people. As reported by Governor Simpson in the Parliamentary Inquiry in 1857, they lived freely with each other depending of the whites for supply. In addition Arthur writes that with need to adjust to the transformation brought by the whites, there was also the change of perception and adaptive response by the white traders.

Ray in his work believes that as the trade progressed with the construction of posts by the Hudson Bay Company the role of middlemen in the trade as a historic occupation changed. This was largely because of their strategic position along the highly populated lower Nelson River Basin (Ray 28).

In our class work, we discovered that towards the late1800s the Aboriginals were forced to move into reserves on the Prairies; up agriculture was their main occupation. For people who previously were hunters or fishermen the change of lifestyle resulted in imbalance, even shame as dismal farmers. Both authors have dwelt more on the fur trade, leaving out the accounts before and after the trade.

Kirk in her work stresses that, the competition for better prices for the fur among the traders meant the growth in monetary terms for the First Nations economy, especially for the Metis. Instead of the use of stones and bone, guns made it easier to hunt. The native women stopped using leather or fur and adopted the use of European- woven cotton or wool fabrics to clothe their families.

By the 1700s, most Indian men in the Great Lakes region had in their possession a rifle, while Indian women used iron knives and cooking kettles; unlike their previous reliance on clay or wooden utensils. Their seasonal rounds were affected. During summer they lived in semi permanent villages where they would gather, hunt and at times cultivate crops. Then in winter the large villages would be split into smaller ones.

The coming of the European traders, led to a shift in focus on hunting earlier during winter for animals that would produce the most valuable fur. The arrival of Hudson Bay’s Company, lead to the conflict with the French who were the first to arrival to explore North America and the Canadian territories. These foreigners brought with them diseases like small pox and measles. In disrupting the lifestyle of the natives, these diseases killed some of the best hunter. However, the authors fail to capture objectively this influence on the Indigenous people.

Ray’s cover illustration perfectly illustrates the situation, towards the mid 1800 the Beavers had been over –hunted. The species were becoming extinct rapidly which was as a result of the European aggression, leading the native people to over hunt. As an alternate source of income the Indians started to sell their land to Europeans living in reserves with limited hunting grounds. In the same regard, because of the depletion of wildlife the Indigenous people moved from hunters and gathers as their main source of livelihood to take other occupations in lumber mills.

Conclusion

In order to sustain the fur trade alliances between the Indigenous people and the European traders, their perspective and response to each other had to be receptive. Both Ray and Kirk illustrations on the social and economic gain from the fur trade is as effectively captures as the lecture notes. The approach given by Ray on the influence both traders and the native had, has achieved the objective of helping one to understand the fur trade in Canada. Though they have not directly addressed the transitions before and after the fur trade, their respective subjects are as developed as the class notes.

Works Cited

Kirk, Sylvia Van. Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur Trade Society in Western Canada, 1670-1870. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1983. Web.

Ray, Arthur J. Indians in the Fur Trade. Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 1998. Web.

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