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Women of the Fur Trade

Forbidden Union

Because it was not a habit for clergymen to be brought to fur trade country, many of the unions of Native Women to fur trade men were not formally sanctioned. The term “wife” was seldom used in regard to these alliances before the 1790s. Unions were based on “customs of the country”. Commanding officers of fur trade forts (York Fort, Albany Fort etc.) took advantage of their positions in order to claim constant female companionship in the early years. The British Committee overseeing the Hudson Bay Company forbade Indian women inside the forts and after one unsuccessful attempt to bring English women into the fur trade colonies, no women came over on company ships. As relationships with native women became more common, social precedents were set in regards to treatment of offspring and widows in the event of a tradesman’s death. Men who engaged in extra-marital affairs with Indian women gave very little thought to them and their offspring after their time in America was over. Some cases in which the relationship was more standard, the tradesmen inquired to the British Committee to have their wives and mixed-blood offspring sent back to England upon their death. The children of these relationships were universally regarded as maternal property.

Alliances with Natives

British fur traders formed “alliances” with female natives for business-related reasons. Economic motives made these unions very lucrative and a necessity to keep up with competitors. Native women provided extensive knowledge of the land. Many fur traders would not venture on inland expeditions even with the large reward offered for doing so. It was only when Indian women were allowed to accompany them on their voyages that they ventured into uncharted territory far from their trade forts.

It was the custom of some Indian tribes, like the Cree, to have a lending and exchange system of their wives and daughters. Englishmen did not understand this system at first, which led to disputes and misinterpretations with the natives. Lending of wives to white men had purely diplomatic intentions. After a “lending period” of a predetermined length was completed, the Indian women returned to their tribe.

A Woman’s Role

The diplomatic and economic services provided by the Indian women included knowledge of native languages and culture, extensive acquaintance with the land of the far west, and domestic skills. “The most important task performed by the women of the fur-trade posts was to provide men with a steady supply of “Indian shoes’ or moccasins” (Van Kirk). These moccasins were the preferred footwear of the North American fur traders. The women were kept busy supplying Indian shoes because they wore very quickly. Women of the fur-trade were also relied on to make snowshoes. Without these indispensable accouterments, the men could not effectively travel in the winter. Women were also responsible for providing foodstuffs other than large game to supplement the diet of the traders. An Indian food known as pemmican, a dried and pounded buffalo meat, became a staple in the trader’s diet. The women were also expert fisherman and returned with huge quantities of fish to the camps of the traders and were counted on to snare small game. These native women also harvested wild rice, fruits, and roots to supplement the meat.

Women were tasked with dressing a large quantity of the furs the men brought back and assisted largely with canoe construction for expeditions.

Jennyfrese (talk) 00:07, 28 March 2013 (UTC)