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Native women role in fur trade
Native women role in fur trade
Essay on the fur trade in canada
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The fur trade is a significant event in the history of Canada. History provides the clearest evidence of how a particular form of production - in this case animal furs- can influence not only the development of an economy, but a country’s social, cultural, and political organizations as well. In terms of knowledge about the fur trade, most of it is based on the perspective of the white fur traders who adventured to Canada to trap animals and conquer territory. It is important to understand the events of the fur trade, but in doing so it is equally imperative to look at the ways the Indigenous people contributed. Their perspective is often disregarded when looking at this historical event. From helping traders navigate
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It looks at the Indigenous people in the past as well as the present, and the natural resources available to them in Canada. It is relevant because it explores the ways in which those natural resources have changed over time and how the Indigenous people have had to adapt and change their way of life. Although this source does not necessarily talk directly about the fur trade, it is important to look at how the Indigenous people are living today compared to how they lived in the past. Thus, the fur trade becomes the pivotal moment where fur traders began impacting the natural resources. This source is important because looks at the cultural, legal, political, and geographical factors when considering the …show more content…
It is important to have an understanding of the events as a whole in Canada before delving into the different roles people played. It is also important to understand the impact of the fur trade on Canada’s natural resources and its impact on the economy because they directly correlate to the negative impact the fur trade had on the way of life of the Indigenous people. This source is important because it is an introduction to the events of the fur trade, and the way it came about in Canada. It explores the start of the Hudson Bay Company and the North West Company, and their ensuing tension and competition. It also explains the economic side of the fur trade, and how that in turn effected the way Canada is today as a country. From reading about the fur trade economically, it allows for a better view of how that impacted the Indigenous way of life. This source will offer a general overview of the events of the fur trade, although a weakness of it is that it is European centred. However, this source is relevant because it is important to consider all perspective when looking at history so a more whole view of the past is
Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.). Toronto:
Upper Canada was in the tumultuous process of settlement during the nineteenth century. From 1800-1860, wheat and flour exports went from a negligible amount to peak at 13 billion bushels in 1860.1 It is important to understand the rapid nature of settlement to contextualize life in rural Upper Canada. From 1805-1840, the population increased by over eight hundred percent.2 Many of these were Irish emigrants, even in the period preceding the famine; these pre-Famine Irish emigrants were predominantly “middling farmers,” «c'est à dire des fermiers cultivant des terres petites ou moyennes, ceux qui ont été le plus durement touchés par la baisse soudaine des prix des produits agricoles à la fin des guerres napoléoniennes [en Europe]».3 Many of the emigrants settled into townships and villages on the agricultural frontier, such as the Biddul...
The French Fur Trade Beginning in the mid sixteenth century, French explorers were able to establish a powerful and lasting presence in what is now the Northern United States and Canada. The explorers placed much emphasis on searching and colonizing the area surrounding the St. Lawrence River “which gave access to the Great Lakes and the heart of the continent”(Microsoft p?). They began exploring the area around 1540 and had early interactions with many of the Natives, which made communication easier for both peoples when the French returned nearly fifty years later. The French brought a new European desire for fur with them to America when they returned and began to trade with the Indians for furs in order to supply the European demands. The Natives and the French were required to interact with each other in order to make these trades possible, and, over time, the two groups developed a lasting alliance.
The French offered protection from neighboring enemies while the Indigenous people offered resources such as fur trade, and education of European settlers on how to use the land. In creating this mutual alliance, the differences between the two cultures of people led to a natural formation of gender and power relationships. To better understand the meaning of these gender and power relationships, we can look at Joan Scott’s definition. Scotts states that “Gender is a constitutive element of social relationships based on perceived differences between the sexes and gender is a primary way of signifying relationships of power (SCOTT, 1067).” By incorporating these two ideas from Scott, we can better understand the different perceptions of social relationships between the French and the Indigenous people and how the misunderstood conflicts created a hierarchy and struggle for
Both of the inhabitants have experienced similar commodities. These commodities include assimilation, their land being captured, and discrimination. For instance, the First Nations had experienced negative trade relationships. The country of Europe came to Canada and they gave the First Nations alcohol and brought diseases that the
Throughout history, there has been a continuous movement of people, including European settlers and aboriginal tribes. The movement of these two groups of people has assisted in shaping and refining the world as we know it today. With each moving experience these groups of people had their own set of challenges and various difficult aspects present at various times throughout their journey. Whether they faced a foreign language upon arrival, or the difficulty with navigating a new place, challenges became their norm. A specific movement of people would be the Europeans arriving in Atlantic Canada and having contact with various aboriginal tribes. During the fifteenth century, the Europeans set out to find new land, natural resources and spices. The Europeans had contact with one particular group of aboriginals known as the Beothuk, who resided in Newfoundland. The relationship with this tribe and the European settlers was like no other. The conflict between these two groups was quite evident and caused trouble between the Beothuk and Micmac as well. The Beothuk tribe no longer exist. There are various reasons why researchers and historians believe this tribe has disappeared,one of which would be their way of life. The disappearance of this tribe has provoked a great
Through the article “Intimate Enemies: Weetigo, Weesageechak, and the Politics of Reconciliation in Tomson Highway’s Kiss of the Fur Queen and Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road”, McCall explains the methods in which the Weetigo and Weesageechak are represented in the two texts and to what purpose their presence serves. She does this through a study for each entity and examples from the texts of their usage in the plot. The first part of the article explains the ways of reconciliation between Indigenous people and Canadians by illustrating both methods of reconciliation and issues that arise. McCall identifies that reconciliation is to the benefit of the coloniser in most cases, that it is a form of national amnesia which allows for the settler community to forget about the harm inflicted upon
The unit readings argue that anthropologists insist that global flows also partake in affecting local practices. The beliefs and customs of the Inuit are accounted for their interaction with the environment, but these factors also interrelate with neighbouring societies, global capitalism, and international NGOs, as Martha of the North describes. The Inuit were used by the Canadian government in a form of racism and cruelty. To affirm sovereignty in the vast arctic land, Canada had to have permanent residences residing within these territories. They had created a façade that they were providing the Inuit with the opportunity of a better life when in reality, they did not care about them at all. The government had less than honest intentions. What the people who represented the nation did to the relocation of the Inuit is unacceptable and its effect can be explained through holism but also goes beyond the concept on an international scale. Global practices influenced the local practices of the Inuit in the High Arctic. The government representatives of Canada at that time did not value the lives of these people and only cared about their own
Canadian history has shaped Canada's future for centuries now. Without the great explorers of their time, and maybe even our time, provinces and territories, gulfs, bays, rivers and land would be lost and undiscovered for many years. Our great country can thank many brave and brilliant explorers and their crew, for founding our name, and creating such an amazing land. Jacques Cartier, John Cabot and Henry Hudson, all managed to explore much of Canada. Through discovering the islands of Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island to locating the Hudson Bay, these 3 explores endure Canada's harsh winters, famine, scurvy and much more, to begin the great discover of all of Canada.
It was during this time that the first obstacles to the government's progress first surfaced. The Métis people began to fear for their culture, rights and their lands as colonists sta...
The Cree people have a rich and diverse history. Through methods of written and oral teachings, a greater understanding of the Cree people and their history has become apparent. In the following, I will highlight portions of Cree history to establish an understanding of such a rich culture. As a guide, I will use ideas highlighted in Jim Kanepetew’s (n.d) teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks”. Underlying concepts from “The Ten Treaty Sticks” have implications on both past and current practices of the Cree people. Since a large portion of the final exam is a chronological list of happenings, I will examine and extend the teachings of “The Ten Treaty Sticks” and how these align with teachings throughout the course. Using “The Ten Treaty Sticks” as a guide, I
To them, the excitement and the adventure of the buffalo hunt held more appeal than farming. Hundreds of Metis were content to earn a living by hunting buffalo, making pemmican or finding employment as freight drivers. After a while Canada bought Rupertsland from Hudson Bay Company. When the Metis heard this they were alarmed. They feared their religion,their language, their lands and their old, free way of* life.
This paper will critically discuss the oppression the Indigenous peoples of Canada have experienced through examining the loss of socio – economic stability and environmental spaces due to past and present actions of the Canadian government.
Aboriginal women had occupied an essential position in the fur trade of the North American region from its birth during the 17th and 18th centuries. Even though this is true, the role of women, especially those of the Native American society, has been ignored a great deal in the entire history of fur trade. Contrary to the belief that the whole fur trade activity was only male-dominated, it very much depended upon Native women and their participation and labor in order to ensure survival as well as economic success. This paper will attempt to illuminate how Native women played the role as important producers when it comes to fur trade of the American Plains and, of course, the Canadian region. This paper will also deal with the two important company's namely the North West and Hudson's Bay Company and tell how each functioned during the time of fur trade. The term “fur traders” is the term often used to described anyone who was interested in the traffic of furs. The traditional picture has been that of a male in buckskin shirt and a raccoon cap, dispensing alcohol and trinkets to gullible savages, in turn for the quality furs worth 10 times their value.
Sealing in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has been occurring for hundreds of years and has become a mainstay in the traditional way of life for coastal communities and aboriginal peoples (“Facts” 1). Many jobs and commodities such as seal meat, oil, and hides arise as direct benefits to society through the seal harvest. According to the government of Newfoundland and Labrador, seal hunting “provides direct annual employment for over 6000 people on a part time basis” and provides employment at a time of the year when opportunities may be limited (“Facts” 1). The historical integration of seals in aboriginal heritage can not be discounted when consid...