The fur trade industry in North America devolved as one of most of import industries to determine and organize colonial America — every bit good as the America we know today. In add-on to this, pelt caparison besides happened to be one of the earliest industries in North America. Native American and European work forces employed themselves in the pelt industry throughout North America every bit early as 1530 and lasted for more than 300 old ages. [ 1 ] This trade began with simple trading between the Gallic colonists and their Native American neighbours for nutriment but it rapidly grew into a flourishing concern along with the demand for beaver fur chapeaus. As the industry grew, the European and Native American trappers played specific functions based on their rank and accomplishment in the fur trade. On the other manus, the function of the married womans ( and girls ) of these European work forces, varied much more dramatically. The life of a trapper ‘s married woman was frequently filled with hard undertakings and life-long battles as they worked alongside their hubbies. More frequently than non, these pin downing married womans were of Native American descent and they provided a great service with their cognition of North American land. But beyond being utile in the place and in the field, European colonists in American frequently preferable Native American adult females over European. These twosome ‘s histories are much different than others from their alone matrimonies, to the work they did and besides their alone blending of several civilizations into one.

Frequently these the voyagers ‘ married womans even participated in the fur trade reverse to the many descriptions that suggest that exchanges between European work forces and native work forces, with adult females playing a mostly subordinate function. One of these tendencies in the pelt pin downing society of the far North was the pattern of the European trappers holding relationships with Native American adult females. The land would later pull some more white adult females to travel to the New World after some clip, most fur bargainers married Native or subsequently on, Mixed-blood adult females.

Beyond the deficiency of white adult females to get married, these relationships were chosen because they benefitted the pelt trappers in their trade and the 1000s of Native American adult females who married them. But these relationships were non simply a tendency because they were a suited agreement but these were frequently in loving relationships with benefits beyond the kingdom of caparison.

The Weddings

At first this thought of “ assorted matrimonies ” was banned by the pelt pin downing companies, but it was evident that these matrimonies could non hold been stopped. The Hudson Bay Company concluded that married womans and kids would merely be the company unwanted outgo. This meant that from the 1740 to the 1760, it was company guidelines to exclude adult females from the garrisons — every bit good as prohibiting the work forces to get married any adult female of any race or position. However, things were much different in rival company, the North West Company. But the company did non allow their employees to get married Native adult females for many old ages. These assorted matrimonies took topographic point anyhow and they greatly benefited both parties.

Marriage was non a freedom merely allowed merely to those with a high rank and to white adult females but to all employees and adult females. The company did non make this for regard of the work forces ‘s rights but because married work forces were much more likely to regenerate their contracts with the company so as they could remain with their households. This was exceptional true when their married womans were of Native American descent. These adult females played a function in the day-to-day undertakings of the trappers. For illustration, in 1789, Alexander Mackenzie explored the Mackenzie River. It is clear that the married womans of his voyageurs were busy right alongside their hubbies. They preformed such undertakings as run uping mocassins while in the canoe because mocassins needed to be refashion a least every hebdomad particularly when researching. [ 2 ] It was upheld that ‘Women [ were ] every bit usefull as work forces upon the Journeys. ‘ [ 3 ]

Equally far as the really nuptialss were concerned in these brotherhoods, priests, curates and other spiritual leaders were few and far between in the Northwest fur-trapping state. This meant that they were n’t at that place to officiate at nuptialss until around 1818. Most brotherhoods were preformed in conformity to Native usage. Daniel Harmon ‘s journal describes such a fur trade nuptials in December 1801:

‘Payet one of my Interpreters, has taken one of the Natives Daughters for a Wife, and to her Parents he gave in Rum & A ; dry Goods & A ; c. to the value of two hundred Dollars, and all the cerimonies go toing such fortunes are that when it becomes clip to retire, the Husband or instead Bridegroom ( for every bit yet they are non joined by any bonds ) shews his Bride where his Bed is, and so they, of class both go to rest together, and so they continue to make every bit long as they can hold among themselves, but when either is displeased with their pick, he or she will seek another Partner… which is jurisprudence here… ‘ [ 4 ]

Native American matrimonies had small to no ceremonial or ritual involved when compared the European tradition. “ When a Young Man had a head for a married woman they do non do Long boring Ceremony ‘s nor use much formality ‘s ” [ 5 ] Of class Native imposts varied, but typically all that was needed was consent from the bride ‘s parents and payment from the groom to the bride ‘s household. This bride monetary value came in assorted different signifiers but one European noted that ‘it is common in the North West to give a Equus caballus for a adult female. ‘ [ 6 ] Once the bride monetary value had been agreed upon, the pipe was smoked to seal the understanding, and sometimes the bride was lectured by her parents upon her new life and duties. The new twosome so went to the place of her new hubby, where she frequently donned new European-style vesture. Harmonizing to Native tradition, the twosome was free to divide at any clip, at least until the first kid was born, but the bride monetary value would non be returned [ 7 ] .

This was in strong contrast to English civilization of the clip, in which legal matrimonies were made for life by the clergy. In Scotland, the jurisprudence allowed matrimonies to be made by common consent, without clergy [ 8 ] . This led to some confusion amongst fur bargainers about the position of a matrimony & A ; agrave ; la fa & amp ; ccedil ; on du wages. Many work forces, particularly senior Nor’westers, regarded it as a life-long committedness equivalent to a legal matrimony ; other work forces viewed it as a common-law brotherhood which could be dissolved by either spouse at any clip ; and still others saw their new couples as adult females they were merely ‘sleeping with ‘ , and treated them like movables [ 9 ] .

When it came clip for the adult male to retire from the fur trade, there were hard determinations to be made. Some work forces decided to predate the benefits of life in Upper and Lower Canada and remain with their households in the Northwest after retirement. Others, particularly officers, decided to return to Canada or the United Kingdom upon retirement. Although it was normally considered that the adult females would hold great trouble in seting to ‘civilization ‘ , some work forces did take their married womans back east with them. Normally, though, adult females were left buttocks in the fur state. Under the pattern known as ‘turning off ‘ , a new matrimony would be arranged with an active pelt bargainer, sometimes with a dowery from her former hubby, so that the adult female and any kids would be provided for. Sometimes, though, adult females were merely abandoned

Unlike Other Womans

The girls of the matrimonies linking Native female parents and bargainer male parents became the following coevals of European bargainers could get married these Mixed-blood adult females, and did. It was non unusual for Mixed-blood misss to get married at age 12, and be female parents at 14 [ 3 ] . Through reading Many Tender Ties, it is clear that when looking at the grounds the trappers seemed to follow a tendency of preferring mixed-blood married womans. Van Kirk shows why this became a tendency through many illustrations. We can see in analyzing the few primary paperss there are on the topic that mixed-blood adult females were priceless as married womans because they had learned Native American ways. Besides, mixed-blood adult females showed no marks of a divided trueness between the Natives and European trappers. Furthermore, we can see that trappers preferred the mixed-blood adult female ‘s aesthetic nature. All in all, the trappers of colonial Canada did so demo a penchant toward mixed-blooded adult females when it came to happening a married woman and there are many grounds why this tendency emerged.

One Hudson Bay Company member, Samuel Hearne arranged for two or three Native adult females to remain with him and his work forces in his place. Hearne said the adult females were needed to ‘Make, Mend, Knitt Snowshoes & A ; c. for us dureing the winter. ‘ [ 10 ] When the Hudson Bay Company ‘s Malchom Ross was going to the Athabasca state with his married woman and two kids in 1790, fellow traveller Peter Fidler noted in his diary that ‘an Indian adult female at a House is peculiarly utile in doing places, cutting line, sacking snow places, cleansing and stretching Beaver skins & A ; c. , that the Europeans are non acquainted with. ‘ [ 12 ]

Different than what European adult females learned from their female parents, these mixed-blood girls were taught the ways of their maternal household. These relationships had a house, practical foundation with the add-on of back uping household. They learned and doubtless passed on the accomplishments that were wholly necessary in the fur pin downing concern such as doing the places and nutrient for the hungry trappers. This reminded me of an old pattern in European during the early modern period of how work forces in a certain trade would get married girls of adult male in the same trade because they would so hold been taught the needful accomplishments to run the household concern. Having a partner that knows how to work your line of work is unimpeachably priceless to any individual, particularly on the rugged frontier. It is besides noted that these full-blooded adult females besides took on the more domestic functions that European adult females carried such as cleansing and scouring the garrisons. They would besides have on more practical vesture for the Canadian west than European adult females would and this could hold been a factor to the tendency of impairing mixed-blooded adult females.

In many instances, get marrieding a mixed-blood or full-blooded Native American adult female was really good to fur bargainers because it strengthened trade ties with her Native relations. This in bend could besides profit the adult females in that these relationships could assist to better dealingss with the remainder of her state. The fur bargainer now had ready entree to inside information on their linguistic communication and civilization. There were besides touchable benefits to holding a ‘country married woman. ‘ In Native civilizations, adult females normally set up cantonment, dressed pelts, made leather, cooked repasts, gathered firewood, made mocassins, netted snowshoes, and many other things that were indispensable to day-to-day life for both Natives and fur bargainers, yet were unfamiliar undertakings for Europeans. Country married womans were more than diplomatic pawns or unpaid retainers, nevertheless ; they were adult females with heads and Black Marias, ideas and feelings, who occupied a alone place between two civilizations.

Curiously plenty, there are many histories within Many Tender Neckties that indicated that mix-blood adult females would frequently take up weaponries against Native Americans when their hubbies or their kids were threatened. Assorted blood adult females did non hold to fight with any type of divided trueness, harmonizing to Van Kirk. The assorted blood adult females identified themselves with the bargainers and above all their hubbies and possibly this might non hold been the instance with full-blooded Native American adult females. Apparently, in this circumstance the fact that these adult females were raised among Europeans had a really profound impact on them. This made them priceless when it came to supporting the people against any indigens and it suggests that this was a factor that was considered by work forces at the clip to be a necessary trait when life in the environment.

Mixed-blood adult females were non merely favored for their worth on the Canadian frontier but besides because they were seen as more physically appealing than full-blooded Native American adult females. Their “ lighter tegument and cardsharp characteristics ” were more in line with the traditional European position of beauty. They were besides seen as more agile and admired greatly for their penetrating dark black eyes ( 113 ) . From this we can see that it was non ever a simple inquiry of who it was practical to get married, but it besides had something to make with love affair for the trappers.

In Many Tender Ties, it is really clear this tendency of get marrieding mixed-blooded adult females did be and at that place many, many grounds as to why this occurred. Mixed-blood adult females were really utile as married womans to the trappers in Canada because they had learned Native American ways. Many of these ways were necessary for the fur trading concern. Another ground for this tendency is that mixed-blood adult females showed no marks of a divided trueness. Last, we can see that trappers liked how the mixed-blooded adult females looked. It seems as though these trappers who were lucky plenty to acquire a mixed-blooded adult female, was acquiring the ‘best of both universes ‘ every bit good as a loving comrade in the wild West.

This trade played a major function in the development of the United States and Canada.

These work forces and adult females had fondness for each other in most instances and their matrimonies were non merely for the convenience.

1. Lecture.
2. Alexander Mackenzie, The Diaries and Letterss of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, W. Kaye Lamb ( ed. ) London: Cambridge University Press, 1970: 220.
3. J. B. Tyrrell, ( ed. ) Diaries of Samuel Hearne and Philip Turnor, New York: Greenwood Press, 1968: 275
4. Daniel Williams Harmon, Sixteen Years in the Indian State: The Journal of Daniel Williams Harmon, 1800-1816. W. Kaye Lamb ( ed. ) Toronto: Macmillan, 1957: 53.
5. Sylvia Van Krik, Many Tender Neckties: Womans in Fur-Trade Society in Western Canada, 1670-187, Winnipeg: Watson & A ; Dwyer, 1980: 24.
6. Henry, Alexander ( the Younger ) . New Light on the Early History of the Northwest: The Manuscript Journals of Alexander Henry… Elliot Coues ( ed. ) Minneapolis: Ross & A ; Haines, 1965: 1:228.