Module 3 - Fur Trade Flashcards
What sparked the fur trade between Indigenous peoples and Europeans?
The European demand for beaver felt hats, which symbolized status and prestige in the growing middle class.
How long did the fur trade era last compared to Canada’s existence as a country?
The fur trade lasted nearly three centuries, significantly longer than Canada has been a country since 1867.
What is a common misconception about First Nations involvement in the fur trade?
That Europeans easily exploited them; in reality, First Nations were skilled traders with clear objectives and conventions.
How did early European fishing expeditions lead to the fur trade?
European fishermen, lacking access to salt, dried fish on land and informally traded with local Indigenous peoples, sparking commerce.
What was the role of French colonies like Quebec in the fur trade?
Quebec and Montreal became major centers for the fur trade, with French traders establishing direct relationships with trappers inland.
What strategy did the French use to increase their colonial population?
They encouraged intermarriage between French men and Indigenous women, making children of these unions French citizens.
Who were the “coureurs de bois”?
Illegal French fur traders who established relationships with Indigenous communities, contributing to the Métis ethnogenesis.
What led to the creation of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC)?
Two French traders, rejected by French officials, convinced the English Crown to support trading expeditions into Hudson Bay in 1670.
What was Rupert’s Land, and who controlled it?
A vast region granted to the Hudson’s Bay Company by King Charles II, giving them exclusive trading and governing rights.
How did English and French trading styles differ?
The English built fortified trading posts and prohibited liaisons with Indigenous women, while the French engaged directly and intermarried.
What goods were most valuable to First Nations in the fur trade?
Iron pots, copper kettles, knives, hatchets, clothing, flour, sugar, and firearms.
What is “inelastic consumer demand” in the context of the fur trade?
First Nations would trade fewer furs when prices were high, as they only sought what they needed.
What were some cultural adaptations made by Europeans in the fur trade?
Europeans learned Indigenous languages, participated in ceremonial protocols, and adopted kinship practices.
How did Indigenous women play a key role in the fur trade?
Many married traders, cementing economic alliances and creating reciprocal obligations between their kin and the traders.
What were the key impacts of the fur trade on First Nations?
Positive impacts included access to European technology, while negative impacts included depopulating epidemics, intertribal warfare, and resource depletion.
