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How Did Samuel De Champlain Influence The Fur Trade

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In 1534, the Aboriginal and Europeans came into contact plenty. Their contact expanded because of a French explorer, Jacques Cartier. He was a very famous explorer, who made the first trip to North America in search of finding gold for the king of France. On the way to North America he encountered an ethnic group along the Atlantic Coast. This group was known as the Mi’kmaq, and they wanted to trade their furs for European iron goods. As Cartier continued his journey, he discovered that the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) also wanted to trade. However, he believed that he had found a wealth of resources and claimed the land for France.
By 1600, the fur trade had a high demand for beaver-felt in Europe. Beaver pelts were very popular because they could be materialized into felt. This felt was extremely warm and water-resistant, which was helpful during long winters and when it rained throughout the year. Since beaver pelts were so popular in fur trades, every other pelt was measured by Made Beaver (MB). Every price would be determined by this unit. However, in the early 1600s, Europeans had overexploited their use …show more content…

So, he travelled to Tadoussac to set up a new trading post. Champlain knew that the success of the fur trade depended on keeping a friendly relationship with the Aboriginal peoples. The French didn’t have the knowledge that the Aboriginals did, and he knew without them they would have nothing. The Europeans didn’t know how to navigate and survive in the wilderness. They also didn’t have any knowledge of preserving foods and making medicine to cure their people, and Champlain saw this as a bit of a threat. He wanted to forge an alliance with the Aboriginals to make sure the Europeans were secure. He sent young Europeans to live with the Aboriginal peoples, and learn their values. He also made amends by joining Algonquin people in war against the Haudensaunee, in

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