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The Impact On The First Nations Fur Trade

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The impact on the First Nations Fur Trade

Brayden Nov. 15, 2022

European settlement started during the Canadian fur trade in the 1600’s when the demand for beaver furs skyrocketed in Europe. Hudson’s Bay Company and Northwest Company saw an opportunity to profit and started enlisting the help of First Nations trappers. Lasting until the early 1800’s when the market declined, the fur trade revolved around First Nation trappers selling beaver pelts to the companies for profit, however, the process slowly killing the beaver population to the brink of extinction. Although the profits were good, business began to decline after …show more content…

The Selkirk settlement took place after HBC granted Lord Selkirk 300,000 kilometers of First Nations land in the Red River Valley for use of farming land forcing Métis and First Nations residents living there to relocate. In addition, in later years HBC employee Miles McDonnell banned the sale and export of pemmican, a staple food in First Nations culture used in clothing, food, bags, and as a source of protein on the go. The First Nations people took a financial impact because pemmican was used in trade in the Red River Valley, and in hopes to make peace, a group of HBC colonists set out to the Red River Valley. However, when NWC and the First Nations people refused the treaty, HBC burned down a NWC trading post and the Métis stole pemmican from an HBC boat. This led to the Battle of Seven Oaks, a gunfight between a group of Métis people and 28 HBC men. The Battle of Seven Oaks was won by the Métis people and contributed to the merger of HBC and …show more content…

Since the First Nations people did not have the knowledge of or immunity to diseases such as Smallpox and Measles, when the Europeans arrived in Canada for the fur trade, these new diseases quickly spread amongst First Nations communities. It is estimated that smallpox wiped out around 75% of the First Nations peoples and their villages. Furthermore, HBC was demanding more furs than ever and in response, the First Nations people started setting aside important traditions and parts of their yearly cycle such as fishing, hunting, and preserving foods just to keep up with HBC’s constant demand. With the yearly cycle being put aside and all the deaths adding up, important knowledge and First Nations culture was being lost instead of being passed down to future

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The fur trade started off as a supplement to the fishing industry. When a wide-brimmed felted furry hat came into fashion in the seventeenth century. There was an insatiable demand for beaver pelts. The beaver fur assured that it would make the perfect felters and hatters. Beaver fur was made up of two different kinds of hairs or filaments.

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These diseases completely wiped out the 10 million or so Native Americans on the islands and at least ½ of the more than 100 million on the mainland of North America.” The Europeans that came brought diseases that killed many Native Americans and destroyed entire empires. This

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Although nowadays this practice is quite frowned upon, it was once a huge source of income for many Islanders and played a big role in our economy and even the world. Fur farming started off as a secretive and small practice in the late 1800s

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The Red River Colony was a part of Rupert 's land, the Metis were afraid of losing their rights and land. Since Louis Riel was

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The Métis attacked the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) on the way to rescue arms and ammunition stored in Duck Lake. The government declines a Chiefs offer by not giving food to the Natives. The Cree immediately raids a fort for supplies. The Natives and Métis did not even try to negotiate in other ways, the Red River Army continues to attack until they are defeated by the Canadian Militia, the uprising went for 99 days, 88 people were killed and cost the Canadian government 5 million dollars. What Riel did matches the definition of Rebellion, he had organized attacks and went against the Canadian government with an armed

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Most trading posts were lead by European traders, because there was not much of tree land left in Europe, so there was less fur in the area and that lead to trading in Canada. Beaver fur was the most valuable, because it was the best fur for making felt. To trade, groups such as the First Nations and the Inuits, would bring there furs to the trading posts, and trade for there goods. Later a group of men at the trading posts, decided to go look for there own furs, and they were called the coureur de bois. The coureur de bois were french-Canadian’s that traveled through New France and North America.

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The Tsilhqot People have been fighting logging issues since the 1980’s and are still fighting over other issues like mining since 2013 (The Star, Supreme Court Grants Land Title…, 2014). Not only did the Tsilhqot people have property issues arise from resource development but the Haida as well. The Haida Native group in British Columbia also protested and opposed logging on the Queen Charlotte Islands in 1985 (Centre for Native Governance, Haida, 2013). In 1987 the Province of British Columbia signed an agreement to give some land back however, it took six years to complete and during this time frame they continued their developments (Centre for Native Governance, Haida, 2013). Robert William, the Tsilhqot representative in this case, said

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This made it harder to collect fur for trade, and with the addition of crop failures, the valley’s economy was in an undesirable situation. Additionally, the HBC began to lose interest in Red River because the fur trades were declining, leading to further economic damage. Tensions were high, and the poor state of the economy made it harder for the metis to continue their original way of life. Furthermore, People like Dr. Schultz, and the Orange Order continued to increased the tensions within the metis community. Louis Riel and Canada’s Purchase of Rupert's Land

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McDougall waited until December 1, 1869, when Ruperts land was transferred to the Canadian government. The Canada party wanted English-speakers of the European ancestry to have the authority of red river. That when Riel and his Metis followers surrounded Dr.John Schultz(leader of the Canada party) and claimed a large supply of pork. The Metis put 50 people that were guarding the contents and put them in jail cells. The reason why Riel and the Metis surrounded John Schultz store was because they thought that it’s wasn't fair that they wanted the Europeans to have control when it was them harvesting and taking care of the

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The role that Native American women played in the fur trade was one of proportionate importance to the exchange as a whole. It was important that there was a solid basis to the commercial relations of those who took part within the area, however, the pelt business was defined by the monopoly of fur that certain groups of Natives had. As such, they became particularly protective and envious of any new arrivals who would attempt to encroach on their sites or on their business relations, going as far as to kill them. In order to keep the peace, traders would take up half a dozen wives whom which came from prestigious families of neighboring tribes. This group of women would perform trade, with the little that was provided to them, with anyone

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This government negotiated on an agreement which allowed the territory surrounding the Red River Settlement to be able to enter the province of Manitoba. Even after this the Orangemen tried to overthrow this agreement. His leadership was continuously

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The land went from being the best hunting grounds, to having none from the fur traders hunting all of the buffalo. The government supplied the Metis peoples affected with nations like they agreed in the treaty, but this got to be expensive. The metis claimed that they were fed one day and starved the next. The Metis peoples were not pleased with the whites over taking their land and sources.  

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The First Nation women taught them how to sew Mittens, hats, and other sorts of clothing that are used to keep warm in the winter. This helped the Europeans survive the cold weather in Canada. The First Nations helped the Europeans with fulfilling their basic needs. The

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There are twenty archaeological records of Seventeenth Century Native American complex burial village historical reference Sites, and half are in Mackinac County alone, that include information regarding the Huron, Ojibwa, and Ottawa Tribes as well as the European Influence (1, 280). The Tribes will be discussed further in detail, including the relation to the French, because it changed the Native’s culture, particularly economically moreover time, whereas the British basically entirely took over and obliterated the Natives through diplomatic collusion involving extermination if insubordinate, annihilated the Natives’ economy structure, and also resulted in a deadly widespread of foreign illnesses the Natives were not immune to (1, 280 and 291). The Europeans imposed upon Native religious privileges due to the quarrel of conception, and even worse lacking responsibility and concern at fault, they neglected to acknowledge and comprehend the diversity, intricacy, and productivity of native beliefs (1, 280 and

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