User:AbbieAver/Coureur des bois

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The courerur des bois were known for their trapping abilities by outside parties but French Canadians knew these men as being looked upon without favor. The courerur des bois lived outside of the typical confines of society and had to adapt to the expectations of the Indigenous peoples around them. They did this by adopting the Indigenous people's ritual practices and marrying Indigenous women. French Canadians associated the coureur des bois with being ungovernable and fearless men. The biggest problem with the coureur des bois was their interference with the missionary effort of the French Canadians. They denounced the French priests and missionaries and undermined their evangelistic efforts by supplying the Indigenous peoples with liquor. The coureur des bois refusal to submit to the will of the missionaries made them an enemy. This resulted in the coureur Des Bois being labeled as unruly and a threat to colonial survival. The courerur des bois were renowned for their ability to trap animals for the fur trade but their overall reputation was negative for French Canadians.

The courerur des bois are often confused with voyagers however the two groups had very different reputations. The courerur des bois were considered outlaws because of their lack of licenses to participate in the fur trade. The requirement of licenses to participate in trapping and trading furs limited the types of people who could participate in the lucrative trade. Trapping and trading without one of the required licenses was a legal, punishable offense. The courerur des bois were seen by the French government and French citizens as  problematic because they did not abide by the licensing laws. Additionally, the courerur des bois were seen more frequently as explorers than their voyager counterparts. The voyager's ties to fur companies dictated how and where they trapped, whereas the courerur des bois were free to explore and trap in any place they could find. The courerur des bois freedom and intimate ties to the Indigenous peoples resulted in many French people viewing them as only a step about Native American men.

Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut (1639–1710) was a French soldier and explorer who is the first European known to have visited the area where the city of Duluth, Minnesota is now located and the headwaters of the Mississippi River near Grand Rapids. In 1678 Du Lhut set out to make peace negotiations with the Sioux, Chippewas, and other tribes near Lake Superior. His negotiations were successful and were sealed by multiple intertribal marriages. Du Lhut's freedom as a courerur des bois allowed him to explore unseen lands. Du Lhut sought permission to continue exploring however he was denied by the French court. Du Lhut's exploration and trapping history could have been as successful as his rival René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle if he had been given permission to continue.