The Rise of the Fur Trade

The written literature of the fur trade has been done by academics and professors whose back ground is European or western thought. The basic question of fur trade is, what role did First Nations have, and whose perspective is in current literature. The scholars in the last 20 years have been more balanced and more just about the role of First Nations. Scholars like Arthur Ray, Jim Miller, Frank Tough, and Jean Friesen. The one notable historian is Dr. Wynona Wheeler. The First Nations perspective in the fur trade is they played an active part in nation building and the economy of the fur trade. The term in economic decelopment is supply and demand, the demand of fur came from Europe and the suppliers of the fur were First Nations. The Hudson Bay Company acted as a middle man. If it wasn’t for First Nations participation in the fur trade Hudson Bay Company wouldn’t have been as successful in providing the supply of furs to Europe.

A writer like Arthur Ray acknowledges the important role of First nations in the fur trade. The one notable importance is the protocol and ceremonies during the fur trade. Arthur Ray and Jim Miller are scholars that understand the importance of pipe ceremonies during the fur trade. A pipe ceremony is the basic belief system of first nations to conduct their business based on nationhood and sovereignty.

The Anishinabe people have seven basic principles to provide the basis and foundation of nationhood. These principles include one universal belief in one creator, secondly the relationship of the land and territory, thirdly, Anishinabe, believe they are a race of people like any other people. To support these belief systems, the Anishinabe people have a language, traditions and teachings (culture), history, and a way of life (government). These are the principles that provide the basis of any country like Canada and the United States, it provides their nationhood status and sovereignty.

The reason why the pipe ceremony is important in the fur trade is because First Nations dealt with the Hudson’s Bay Company as existing and independent peoples. Arthur Ray and his study of the Hudson Bay Company go into great detail about protocol, business, beliefs and customs. This part of history predates treaties and western Canada. This is important as First Nations view themselves as part of nation building in Canada through their participation and contribution during the fur trade era. Fur trade is an important period in the development of Canada. Therefore it is just as important to acknowledge the positive role and contributions by First Nations during this time of history. Past written history just barely mentions the role of First Nations in the fur trade, recent, in particular the last 20 years , scholars like Arthur ray , and others have provided strong support on first nations contribution to the fur trade. History will not be complete and will not be justly written without understanding of first nations participated in the fur trade. (1)

There are historians who have written about fn, that ethey smoked their pipe, pointed it around. What does that mean. P. 8 “the calumet being lighted by the governor, a servant holding the bowl and applying the fire , it is pointed towards the east, south, west, and north parts of the hemisphere, also to the zenith and nadir. Every man takes a certain number of whiffs as fixed by the owner of the pipe, and thus it passes round the circle. When out, it is delivered again to the Governor who repeats the manoeuvers as when he lighted it; at which all the men pronounce the monosyllable Ho! Which is expressive of thanks. (2)

There are seven principles to remember are 1. First Nations believed in one creator. 2. Mother earth, and the relationship to land. 3. People to 4 East means language, where the sun rises. 5. West is our history 6. north, way of life, form of government. and 7. south means our teaching, our culture,  in can be different from different tribes, there is no right or wrong way.

For whites to have a country, they have to have people, territory, believe in some religion, language, and they have to have culture, history, form of govt. we already had that. The author observed this in his description of the pipe ceremony. He doesn’t say it, nor did he know what it meant, but that’s what he saw them doing.

The fur trade came about because: Europe had nearly decimated their own fur bearing animal population and Europe (France in particular) was Catholic and so had a duty to evangelize and missionize. Fur trade impacted the treaties.

The fur trade from beginning to end spanned 200-300years.

How long was trading going on before the establishment of the HBC.

The merger of the NWC.

European Imperialism.

Trade ceremonies, intermarriages, the metis emerged from the fur trade, that’s basically a living treaty.

Interdependant livelihood relations.

Most fur trade accounts written by non- natives people from a non native perspective. So only have part of the fur trade story. Also many 1^st person historical recounting are Eurocentric.

New culture came from the fur trade. (heterogeneous community later formed)

Because the new institutions and social structure needed to run the fur trade. New interpretations business was formed. And was the basis for the treaties of the 19^th century.