Essay On What Role Did Indians Play In The Fur Trade

Both kept a sort of diaries or written journals including the Indian encounters. The exhibition gained knowledge of western geography and the Native people. This knowledge fueled the American Fur trade and encouraged mountain men to make discoveries and inspired the Government to explore more in the west. As more exploration occurred, the more appealing settling in the West

In the period from 1830 to 1860, European and American settlers started to arrive in Pacific Northwest, and increased their economic and political control over the Native Americans. Also, as fur traders from England and America, with Missionaries and protestant arrived in northwest, it brought a change of world of Native American. Fur trade society considered native women as people who played as a significant role in their economy, and Indian women acted as a bridge between two different groups: Fur trade society and Native American society. The marriage between men and Indian women were encouraged as a way to develop social connection reinforcing the economic relationship between Europeans and Indians.

The Teton Sioux had the military force to devastate the expedition, however, conflict was narrowly avoided. The Sioux ended up hosting the group for a number of days before the expedition group moved on due to multiple confrontations between the two. Many of the group were frightened and suspicious of these “savages”. Much of this fear escalated with the descriptions introduced by Lewis and Clark’s journals, upon their return. The full extent of the impact of the journey took effect in the mid 1830’s.

It was important in holding back the settlement of South Dakota. The outbreaks of Indian attacks that occurred in Iowa in 1857 and in Minnesota in 1862 spread into Dakota. Troubles with the Indians went on until the army went against them in Montana and western Dakota. The Civil War was also a series to settlement because many settlers were living in the East(Dennis Daugaard). During the Civil War the western forts

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are well-known for their exploration westward in an effort to expand the United States territory. Lewis and Clark were charged with exploring the Louisiana territory, mapping the territory and water routes, recording land resources, establishing trade with the Native American people, and claiming the land in the West for the United States. During the expedition, Lewis and Clark had encounters with over 50 different Native American tribes, and in order to expand in the West, Thomas Jefferson encouraged Lewis and Clark to treat the Native American Indians in a friendly and non-hostile manner. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were respectful to the Native Americans because they learned about each tribe’s culture,

The North American fur trade was the economic foundation that allowed the French to live and survive in the colony they built on the St. Lawrence river. Not only did it provide a means of selling and buying goods for the people of New France, but the fur trade also stimulated their own economic development and eventually the foundation of Canada. Key to understanding how the fur trade is fundamental to Canadian history, one must look at the nature of competition the Fur trade existed in. The fur trade was a system of trading goods amongst the French, the British and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Europeans and the Indigenous people all mutually prospered but the competition that prevailed between these people and within their communities was extremely significant to how the fur trade shaped Canadian history.

“The French [fur traders] discovered that the Indians were quite prepared to participate regularly in the trade and, indeed, to use the Europeans to further their own ends” (Friesen, 2010). This demonstrates that the Aboriginals were also using the Europeans as a way of helping secure themselves economically. “The marriage of one of their band to a trader could provide them with credit and help in tough times; it could give them an advantage in trade negotiations; it might mean that enemy bands did not secure European weapons” (Friesen, 2010). Indeed both parties would benefit greatly from such marriages.

The Cree became a major supplier of furs to the Hudson's Bay Company, which helped them to maintain their independence and sovereignty. While the fur trade brought economic opportunities for Native Americans, it also had negative consequences. Overhunting and over trapping of fur-bearing animals caused a decline in their populations, which had a devastating impact on the environment. Moreover, the trade also led to the spread of European diseases, which decimated Native American populations. For example, the spread of smallpox had a significant impact on the Hurons and other Native American groups in the

Indians vs. Settlers The intercontinental interaction between the Native Indians and European was very unique during all of the historical interactions among different nations. This interaction was characterized mainly by diversity, which played a significant role in assisting the European in suppressing the Indians and dominating the New Land due to the different ideologies and traditions that served on the behalf of the Europeans. During the colonization era, the relations between the Indians and Europeans did not follow only one track, in which the Indians reacted in different ways toward Europeans, which was also done by the Europeans toward the Indians. This diversity was rooted to the Indian’s traditions, the concept of land and freedom, and the different European policies that governed the

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

This would make it seem unlikely that they would be a part of the first consumer revolution in America, (1) (S1) but once the Europeans came to America, the Native Americans struck a relationship to trade with them, “The per capita wealth of Indian Americans, though it cannot be measured in currencies, increased dramatically from the earliest stages of contact because European traders were willing and eager to pay top pound…for American animal pelts and skins”(S1, pg. ?). Europeans wanted to trade with the Indians for their furs and skins that they had acquired, because these were very popular in Europe at that time. Deer skins were used for pants, bags, and work attire, and furs were used on coats and evening gowns. In return the Indians wanted hatchets, cooking utensils, bigger hoes, and blankets; items that would make hunting and eating less time consuming. They also traded for jewelry, mirrors, guns and alcohol.

The foundation of the fur trade business guaranteed the permanent presence of the white men in creation of economic growth. The fur trade was a powerful industry and it reshaped the Northwest and shaped the relationship of the Whites and the Indians. As the relationship between the whites and the Indians grew, it created the Mixed world. Throughout history the fur trade provides a clear demonstration of how a form of production could influence the development of an economy and a country’s social, cultural, and political institutions. George Simpson, governor of the Hudson Bay Company, mostly focused on the development of a social and political relationship with the Native Americans.

Europeans were eager with furs and the Indians derided them, an example was that the they gave the Indians 20 beautiful knives to exchange a Beaver skin. 2. However, they became accustomed to each other. The French taught the Indians to use weapons and burn fire at night.

Chesapeake- Indians initial help in Jamestown; colonists did not try to adopt Indians into their society, rather move them away. New England- Praying towns made to try to convert Indians to christianity, initial help of Indians, colonists forbade Indian traditions in their colonies, very little mixing through marriage between colonists and Indians Spanish Southwest- Spaniards brought tremendous amount of sickness, initial help of indians, Spanish made biggest attempt to adopt Indians into their culture but suppressed Indian culture, many christian missionaries. New York/ New France- Indians traded with both but established big fur trade with French, bot New York and New French colonies sided with different Indian groups, intermarriage between

Amongst Europeans, fur clothing was popular, and the new abundance of fur bearing animals in North America fed their desires. The fur trade did however destroy the beliefs of Native American culture. The European fur trade upset the balance of the American ecosystem, enticing Native Americans to over hunt their land and go against the traditions that kept their land abundant for centuries. European traders came to America and traded with Natives for the pelts of animals. This resulted in beaver fur traders’ supply getting so low that they “could flatly declare that they had none,” The beaver, along with other fur bearing animals, had been hunted so extensively that the species became scarce.