Arctic Lesson Plan 6 - Fur Trade Game LEARNING OBJECTIVE TIME REQUIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES MATERIALS (PROVIDED) MATERIALS (TEACHER SUPPLIED) Students will develop an understanding of the complexity of the fur trade system through participating in an historical role play representing different groups in18th Century eastern Canada. one to four hours Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of lifestyles in the settlements in the Hudson s Bay area (fur traders) and in New France (e.g. settlers, seigneurs, fur traders, missionaries). Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of some of the problems faced by Aboriginal groups, explorers, missionaries, and settlers in the initial settlement era. Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the role of competition in the fur trade (e.g. Hudson s Bay Company and Northwest Company). Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of the economic concept of supply and demand. Students will be able to demonstrate skills of decision making and problem solving. Students will be able to demonstrate skills of cooperation, conflict resolution and consensus building. Five research objects: 1 tin cup (Muse2003.11) 1 tobacco tin (Muse2003.16) 1 fork (Muse2003.17) 1 tin kettle (Muse2003.12) 2 Northwest Company Tokens (Muse2003.19) set of Trading Cards (Muse2003.10) Fur Trade Prices sheet (to be copied) Modifications of the Beaver Hat (illustration) Teacher information summaries package Curriculum resource list Questionnaires for each of the four groups represented (to be copied) copies of the Fur Trade Prices sheet copies of the Trading Cards, if this lesson was downloaded Curriculum resources for student research Copies of the questionnaires
BACKGROUND SUGGESTED PROCEDURE The fur trade greatly impacted Canada s early history by creating the need for population growth, which spurred immigration from Europe. It also drastically altered Canadian Aboriginal ways of life. To participate effectively in this historical role play activity, students will require background information to grasp the complexity of this system of bartering, trading, and purchasing. The prices of goods were set in accordance to changing criteria: The need in Europe for beaver and other pelts. The need in Canada for European goods. The availability of the beaver and other animal pelts. The availability of European goods. Trade relations between different groups. See the enclosed information sheets for more background information. 1. Before this lesson, assign as homework or send students to a computer lab to find out: What role did beaver pelts play in the 17th and 18th Century Canadian fur trade? Then review student responses together as a class, here are the salient points: Fur traders traded many different goods (e.g. tin cups, blankets) for beaver and other animal pelts provided by First Nations hunters. Beaver pelts were the most valuable item to trade because in Europe, people made hats out of beaver pelts and most people wore hats at that time. (You can show students the HBC illustration of beaver hats to demonstrate how the beaver pelts were used in military and civilian hats.) Beaver pelts or made beavers set the price of a good by how many of the very best beaver pelts could buy it. (e.g. One gun was worth fourteen made beavers in 1720.) Beaver pelts became the currency of the fur trade. 2. Review the economic concept of supply and demand. Provide students with a modern example of the concept. For example, discuss a recent concert that sold out quickly. The band was likely very popular, meaning that there was not enough suppy (tickets) to meet the demand. Tickets to this concert were probably very expensive because of projections for high demand. Tickets to a concert of a less popular band would probably be much cheaper because the demand would be lower. 3. Divide students into four groups: Hudson s Bay Company traders, North West Company traders, Ouendat traders, and Haudenosaunee traders. Have them research and fill out the questionnaires provided using the suggested curriculum resources for their groups. 4. Pass around the Northwest Company tokens (Muse2003.19). Tell the students that eventually the major fur trading companies (e.g. Hudson s Bay Company and the Northwest Company) issued currency. The tokens were equivalent to
the value of a made beaver, and were called Made Beaver tokens. Forts would give Aboriginal hunters coins for the beaver pelts they brought in. There were benefits and challenges for Aboriginal peoples forced to use this system: benefits Aboriginal hunters were able to save up the tokens to purchase a more expensive good. (e.g. a gun) Hunters were able to save the tokens to buy goods later when they needed them (rather than immediately, as a direct trade). challenges Tokens were only accepted at the forts belonging to the company that produced them. (i.e. an HBC token could not be used to buy goods at a NWC fort) Aboriginal hunters were forced to trade with one company. Inter-tribal trade was reduced. 5. Explain to students that they are going to participate in an historical role play that simulates the fur trade during the 1700s. Pass around the tin cup (Muse2003.11) and the tin kettle (Muse2003.12) and ask students how much they would pay for each object. Encourage students to justify their price (e.g. a student could say This cup is very useful and, therefore, I would pay a high price for it or This kettle doesn t have any fancy decoration, so I wouldn t pay very much for it ). Collect the students rationale on the board as a mind map of factors affecting price. (e.g. material cost, popularity, difficulty in making it, usefulness) 6. Repeat process with the tobacco tin (Muse2003.16) and the fork (Muse2003.12). Students should come to the conclusion that these objects would be worth a bit more since their materials are more complex, and the objects are rarer. 7. Once the mind map is developed, explain to students that the pricing system in the fur trade system was similar (roughly, supply and demand): The need in Europe for beaver and other pelts. The need in Canada for European goods. The availability of the beaver and other animal pelts. The availability of European goods. Trade relations between different groups. The amount of work needed to manufacture a good. (e.g. Woven cloth was more difficult and costly to make than fish hooks and, therefore, a yard of cloth was worth 3 made beavers and 20 fish hooks were only worth 1 made beaver. ) 8. Collect the tin cup, tobacco tin, tin kettle, fork and Northwest Company tokens. Then split the class into two groups, with two sub-groups each: a) The Fur Traders: i) The Hudson s Bay Company Traders (English)
ii) The North West Company Traders (French) b) The First Nations: i) The Haudenosaunee Nation (Iroqouis) ii) The Ouendat Nation (Huron) 9. Divide the Trading Cards between the four groups, making sure the European-made goods cards are with the Fur Traders and the made beaver cards are with the First Nations to begin. Each student should have one card. The cards should be shuffled before hand so that the distribution of cards within each group is random. Though each individual student will have a card in his/her hand, the mass of cards belongs to each of the two main groups. 10. The cards that the Fur Traders have should be displayed so that the First Nations groups can see what objects the Fur Traders have to trade. 11. Explain to students that the object of the game is for the Fur Traders to end up with the First Nations cards and the First Nations to end up with the Fur Traders cards. Then have the Haudenosaunee and Ouendat meet with the rest of their group members and decide by consensus which goods they want to obtain from the Fur Traders. Each group should also decide which trading company they wish to trade with. The Ouendat and Haudenosaunee groups should also have the opportunity to trade with each other, with the Ouendat trading their furs for European trade items from the Haudenosaunee. 12. Before trading, each group must elect one representative that changes for each trade interaction. All students should get the opportunity to act as a representative for their group. Students will need to be told when a new trade interaction should start. The First Nations groups will take turns trading, so the entire class can observe each interaction. 13. After the First Nations representatives inform the Fur Traders what they want to purchase, the HBC and NWT and the Haudenosaunee, when it is the Ouendats turn to trade, should take a moment to discuss amongst themselves how many beaver pelts they are going to accept for that item (this will change according to the scenario, detailed below). First Nations will have the opportunity to discuss, barter, and negotiate with the Fur Trader representative, then accept or reject the Fur Trader s offer. 14. Play the game with several different scenarios, acted out in any order. It is advised that the students complete scenario 1 first: 1) Prices set as in 1720. Teacher should distribute a few copies of the Fur Trade Prices list to each group. Additional price information is available here: http://www1.canadiana.org/hbc/stories/produits2_e.html 2) A quota has been set by the headquarters of both the HBC in London and the NWC in France. Each company must bring back 20 beaver pelts that month (by the end of the scenario) or face being fired. 3) There has been a harsh winter and many beavers have died. Take away
half the made beaver cards from the game. 4) One of the NWC s ships, carrying many European goods intended for trade, was lost at sea. Take away half the Fur Traders goods cards from the NWC group. 5) All groups speak different languages. Attempt to trade (using the first scenario s prices) without speaking to each other. 6) A smallpox epidemic kills half of the First Nations population. Teacher numbers Haudenosaunee and Ouendat group members either 1 or 2. Each 2nd student must sit out for a few minutes. Discussion: What happens when there are more Fur Traders than First Nations people? 7) In a paperwork glitch in London, HBC headquarters sends twice as many European goods as normal. Give each of the HBC group members an extra card. HBC headquarters tells the Fur Traders to trade the extra supplies as fast as possible. 8) Haudenosaunee and Ouendat groups, along with some other tribes, merge to form the Six Nations. Haudenosaunee and Ouendat pool resources together, then redistribute them amongst all tribe members so everyone has an equal amount. note: After this scenario is completed, split the group into the original two subgroups again. 9) Haudenosaunee warriors attack the Ouendat camp. Take half the Ouendats total cards and gives them to the Haudenosaunee. 15. Collect all of the Trading Cards and gather the class together for a class discussion: 1) What could have motivated aboriginal groups and fur traders to trade with each other? 2) What could have motivated the Aboriginal groups to offer more or fewer made beavers of goods? 3) What could have motivated the fur traders to accept more or fewer made beavers for goods? 4) How could this lack of stability in price have led to a lack of stability in either groups quality of life? 5) How could this instability in price and quality of life affect the relations between the groups? Please ensure that all of the Trading Cards are returned (consult Inventory Card for accuracy). CONTINUING THE JOURNEY Rather than all at once, the game could be played over a week with one scenario per day. Add additional scenarios to those given. Have students research one of the items portrayed on the Trading Cards and teach the class what they have learned about the object s role in the fur trade system. A useful website for this extension activity is: http://www.canadiana.org/hbc/intro_e.html
Page 1 of 4 Resource List Curriculum resources are marked with a (*). Fur Trade Prices Millward, Robert. How Could a Beaver Start a War? History Teacher 43, no.2 (2010): 275-282. http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/ login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true& db=ehh&an=48317549&site=eds-live&scope=site Muller-Schwarze, Dietland and Lixing Sun. The Beaver: Natural History of a Wetlands Engineer. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Publishing Associates, 2003. Northwest Territories Department of Education, Culture and Employment. Fur Trade Edukit: New FT3. Social Studies Grade 4 Curriculum. Accessed June 30, 2011. http://www.ece.gov.nt.ca/divisions/kindergarten_g12/4.fur%20 Trade%20Edukit/Fur%20Trade%20Kit%20final/5.%20Fur%20Trade%20 Card%20Activities/FT3-Stuff%20of%20the%20fur%20trade/new%20FT3.pdf Ray, Arthur J. Indians in the Fur Trade: Their Role as Trappers, Hunters, and Middlemen in the Lands Southwest of Hudson Bay, 1660-1870. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. Smith, Wallis. The Fur Trade and the Frontier: A Study of an Inter-Cultural Alliance. Anthropologica New Series, 15, no. 1 (1973): 21-35. http://www. jstor.org/stable/25604894 The Importance of the Beaver Crean, J.F. Hats and the Fur Trade. The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science/Revue canadienne d Economique et de Science politique 28, no.3 (1962): 373-386. http://www.jstor.org/stable/139669 Farnham, Katherine. Beaver, Beads and Pemmican: Canada s Fur Traders. Edmonton: Canadian Social Sciences Services Ltd., 1987. * Hilfiker, Earl L. Beavers: Water, Wildlife and History. Interlaken, NY: Windswept Press, 1991. Livesey, Robert and A.G. Smith. The Fur Traders. Markham, Ont: Fitzhenry &Whiteside, 2005. * Millward, Robert. How Could a Beaver Start a War? History Teacher 43, no.2 (2010): 275-282. http://login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/ login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&an= 48317549&site=eds-live&scope=site Nault, Jennifer. Hudson s Bay Company. Calgary: Weigl Educational Publishers Ltd., 2007. *
Page 2 of 4 Hudson s Bay Company Carlos, Ann. The Causes and Origins of the North American Fur Trade Rivalry: 1804-1810. The Journal of Economic History 41, no. 4 (1981): 777-794. Farnham, Katherine. Beaver, Beads and Pemmican: Canada s Fur Traders. Edmonton: Canadian Social Sciences Services Ltd., 1987. * Hudson s Bay Company. Our History: Timelines. HBC Heritage: Our History. Accessed July 4, 2011. http://www2.hbc.com/hbcheritage/history/ * The Fur Trade and Hudson s Bay Company. Canadiana. Accessed July 4, 2011. http://www.canadiana.ca/hbc/intro_e.html * Nault, Jennifer. Hudson s Bay Company. Calgary: Weigl Educational Pub lishers Ltd., 2007. * Rupert s Land. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Accessed July 4, 2011. http:// www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?pgnm=tce¶ms=a1ar TA0007006 North West Company Carlos, Ann. The Causes and Origins of the North American Fur Trade Rivalry: 1804-1810. The Journal of Economic History 41, no. 4 (1981): 777-794. Farnham, Katherine. Beaver, Beads and Pemmican: Canada s Fur Traders. Edmonton: Canadian Social Sciences Services Ltd., 1987. * Livesey, Robert. The Fur Traders. Markham, Ont: Fitzhenry &Whiteside,2005.* Nault, Jennifer. North West Company. Calgary: Weigl Educational Publishers Ltd., 2007. * The North West Company. About Us: History. The North West Company. Accessed July 4, 2011. http://www.northwest.ca/aboutus/history.htm * Podruchny, Carolyn. Unfair Master and Rascally Servants? Labour Relations Among Bourgeois, Clerks and Voyageurs in the Montreal Fur Trade, 1780-1821. Labour/Le Travail vol. 43 (1999): 43-70. Smith, Wallis. The Fur Trade and the Frontier: A Study of an Inter-Cultural Alliance. Anthropologica New Series, 15, no. 1 (1973): 21-35. http://www. jstor.org/stable/25604894 Strezewski, Michael. These Indians Appear to Be Wealthy : Economy and Identity during the Late Fur-Trade Period in the Lower Great Lakes. in American Indians and the Market Economy, 1775-1850, edited by Lance Greene and Mark R. Plane. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2010. 19-32.
Page 3 of 4 First Nations in the Fur Trade Eccles, W.J. The Fur Trade and Eighteenth-Century Imperialism. The William and Mary Quarterly Third Series, 40, no.3 (1983): 341-362. http://www. jstor.org/stable/1917202 Hudak, Heather. Fur Traders. Calgary: Weigl Education Publishers Ltd.,2007.* Ray, Arthur J. Indians in the Fur Trade: Their Role as Trappers, Hunters, and Middlemen in the Lands Southwest of Hudson Bay, 1660-1870. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. The Haudenosaunee Bial, Raymond. The Iroquois. New York: Benchmark Books, 1999. * De Capua, Sarah. The Iroquois. Tarrytown, NY: Benchmark Books, 2006. http://books.google.ca/books?id=flpkmin2xmic&lpg=pp1&dq=iroquois&pg =PP6#v=onepage&q&f=false * Englar, Mary. The Iroquois: The Six Nations Confederacy. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2003.http://books.google.ca/books?id=eCv-tHuNRdYC&lp g=pp1&dq=iroquois&pg=pp1#v=onepage&q&f=false * Gaines, Richard M. The Iroquois. Edina, Minn: ABDO Publishing Co, 2000. http://books.google.ca/books?id=008atlh62ssc&lpg=pp1&dq=iroquois&pg= PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false * Iroquois. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Accessed July 5, 2011. http:// www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?pgnm=tce¶ms=a1ar TA0004060 Kalman, Bobbie. Life in a Longhouse Village. New York, St. Catherines, Ont., and Headington, Oxford: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2001. * Levine, Ellen. If You Lived With the Iroquois. New York: Scholastic, 1998. * Press, Petra. The Iroquois. Minneapolis, Minn: Compass Point Books, 2001. http://books.google.ca/books?id=adsxle-h4ogc&lpg=pp1&dq=iroquois&pg =PT5#v=onepage&q&f=false * Ridington, Jillian & Robin. People of the Longhouse: How the Iroquoian Tribes Lived. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 1982. * Takacs, Stefanie. The Iroquois. New York: Scholastic, 2003. * Waldman, Carl. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. New York: Checkmark Books, 2006. http://books.google.ca/books?id=wxomdgvljz0c &lpg=pp1&pg=pr2#v=onepage&q=huron&f=false * Wallace, Anthony F.C. Origins of Iroquois Neutrality: The Grand Settlement of 1701. Pennsylvania History, 24, no. 3 (1957): 223-235.
Page 4 of 4 Wilcox, Charlotte. The Iroquois. Minneapolis, Minn: Lerner Publications Company, 2007. http://books.google.ca/books?id=gkewfs_o96kc&lpg=pp 1&dq=iroquois&pg=PA3#v=onepage&q&f=false * Wolfson, Evelyn. The Iroquois: People of the Northeast. Brookfield, Connecticut: Millbrook Press, 1992. * Yenne, Bill. The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Tribes: A Comprehensive Study of Tribes from the Abitibi to the Zuni. Wigston, Leicester: Magna Books, 1995. * The Ouendat Bial, Raymond. The Huron. New York: Benchmark Books, 2001. * Gray-Kanatiiosh, Barbara A. Huron. Edina, Minn: ADBO Publishing Company, 2004. http://books.google.ca/books?id=gfb4p6gmmqsc&lpg=pp1&dq=hur on&pg=pa2#v=onepage&q&f=false * Heidenreich, Conrad E. and Arthur J. Ray. The Early Fur Trade: A Study in Cultural Interaction. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd., 1976. Huron. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Accessed July 5, 2011. http:// www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?pgnm=tce¶ms=a1ar TA0003920 King, David C. The Huron. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2007. http://books.google.ca/books?id=hplghf0_okoc&lpg=pp1&dq=huro n&pg=pa2#v=onepage&q&f=false * Ridington, Jillian & Robin. People of the Longhouse: How the Iroquoian Tribes Lived. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd., 1982. * Smith, Wallis. The Fur Trade and the Frontier: A Study of an Inter-Cultural Alliance. Anthropologica New Series, 15, no. 1 (1973): 21-35. http://www. jstor.org/stable/25604894 Strezewski, Michael. These Indians Appear to Be Wealthy : Economy and Identity during the Late Fur-Trade Period in the Lower Great Lakes. in American Indians and the Market Economy, 1775-1850, edited by Lance Greene and Mark R. Plane. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2010. 19-32. Trigger, Bruce G. The Huron: Farmers of the North. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969. Waldman, Carl. Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. New York:Checkmark Books, 2006. http://books.google.ca/books?id=wxomdgvl jz0c&lpg=pp1&pg=pr2#v=onepage&q=huron&f=false * Yenne, Bill. The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Tribes: A Comprehensive Study of Tribes from the Abitibi to the Zuni. Wigston, Leicester: Magna Books, 1995. *
Information Sheet Goods and Prices in the Fur Trade The made beaver was the primary currency used in the fur trade. A made beaver constituted one large, good quality beaver pelt that had been cleaned, stripped of its outer fur, and stretched. Other animal pelts could be combined to make the equivalent value of one made beaver. In 1703, one made beaver could be comprised of: 1 otter 1 black bear 2 foxes 2 woodchucks 4 raccoons 8 pairs of moose hooves 5 lbs. of goose feathers ½ moose hide (i.e. one moose hide was worth two made beavers) Adjusted for today s currency and for inflation, a fur trader venturing into the interior regions to trade may be carrying up to $80,000.00 worth of goods in from his company s warehouse. In exchange for about $7,000.00 worth of merchandise per family, a trader could expect to receive up to $15,000.00 worth of furs. Andrew Graham, an 18th-century fur trader, gave an example of a typical Aboriginal family s yearly shopping list and the price of each item on the list: Gun: 1 (14 made beavers) Hatchets: 2 (2 m.b.) Ice chisel: 1 (1 m.b.) Brazil tobacco (lbs.): 7 ½ (10 m.b.) Knives: 4 (2 m.b.) Fishing net: 1 (4 m.b.) File: 1 (1 m.b.) Mirror: 1 (1 m.b.) Powder (lbs.): 6 (6 m.b.) Shot: 20 (5 m.b.) Powder horn: 1 (1 m.b.) Cloth (yds.): 4 (12 m.b.) Comb: 1 (1 m.b.) Bayonet: 1 (1 m.b.) Awls and firesteels: 6 (1 m.b.) Kettle: 1 (6 m.b.) Burning glass: 1 (1 m.b.) Scissors: 1 (1 m.b.) The picture given by the list above is not completely accurate as traders at trading posts typically charged more than their company s official rate. This
Information Sheet Goods and Prices in the Fur Trade (continued) The picture given by the list above is not completely accurate as traders at trading posts typically charged more than their company s official rate. This could have been due to several factors, including pressure from a company to get more furs for less, greed, or the need to feed one s family in hard times. However, it is difficult to assign any one clear reason for these mark-ups. Unofficial prices were generally about fifty percent higher than official prices. The furs traded for these items were then marked up in turn. When the furs were sold to European fur merchants, they were often marked up by almost one thousand percent. European-made goods often went through Aboriginal middlemen before they were traded to other First Nations groups. Middlemen would trade for these goods at trading posts, use them for one or two seasons, and then trade the used goods for furs with groups further away from the posts. The following list compares trading post prices with the prices charged by middlemen from Cree groups: Gun: HBC price: 14 m.b., middleman s price: 50 m.b. (357% markup) Hatchet: HBC price: 1 m.b., middleman s price: 6 m.b. (600% markup) Kettle: HBC price: 8 m.b., middleman s price: 20 m.b. (250% markup) Knife: HBC price: 1/3 m.b., middleman s price: 4 m.b. (1200% markup) Due to the high demand for European-made goods, fur traders were usually able to inflate the price of goods considerably, as discussed above. However, supply ships would occasionally deliver a surplus of goods to trading posts. When this occurred, traders were often forced to take a financial loss in their trades. This was one important reason for trading companies to try to establish monopolies so that they could set the price of goods regardless of supply.
Information Sheet The Beaver and Its Importance Between 1534 and 1542, Jacques Cartier explored the mouth of the St Lawrence River. It was in Chaleur Bay, between Quebec and New Brunswick, that Mi kmaq First Nations first offered furs in return for the Europeans supply of beads and knives. This casual trading continued in areas such as the coast of Newfoundland into the late 16th century, and proved to be especially desirable for the Europeans with the growing scarcity of fur-bearing animals in Europe in that century. In Europe, beaver pelts were used to fashion items of clothing in the 17th and 18th centuries. Military hats were the initial primary use of beaver pelts due to the pelts resistance to water. However, the hats quickly became fashionable in Europe in the early and mid-seventeenth century. During the Thirty Years War (1618-48), Swedish international power rose in Europe, resulting in the popularity of Swedish fashion throughout the continent, including Britain. Swedish cavalier hats made of beaver felt became popular. The beaver felt hat became so popular that in 1638 King Charles I of England decreed that, nothing but beaver stuff or beaver wool shall be used in the making of hats. Beaver felt was considered very valuable because it is waterproof, can be shaped easily, and is durable. In France and England, fur came to define status. Wealthy men wore beaver felt hats, and wealthy women wore beavertrimmed coats, beaver collars, and beaver muffs. The abundance of streams, ponds, and rivers in North America meant that the continent provided the perfect habitat for the beaver to prosper, and the perfect transportation system for fur traders, especially voyageurs. In northwest North America, beavers have thicker, darker coats than beavers in the southern regions. This meant that northwestern beaver pelts were more desirable to fur traders than pelts from the south. Due to their massive popularity in Europe, beaver felt hats not worn by most fur traders in Canada. They may have been worn by wealthy chief factors at some trading posts, but most traders would wear hats made of other materials. Although North America provided the ideal environment for the fur trade, the use of beaver fur gradually declined in Europe. Because the pelts had a long way to travel to make it into European furriers hands, beaver pelts were very expensive.. This expense was increased by the fact that the quantity and quality of beaver pelts were not constant, and thus the cost to the hatter varied. The increased use of mercury to felt fur between 1720 and 1740 meant that rabbit and hare felt, of poorer quality, but far cheaper than beaver felt, began to be used much more frequently. The use of beaver felt declined further in the mid-18th century when silk velour was discovered and used to make hats.
Information Sheet The Hudson s Bay Company The North American fur trade spanned almost 200 years, from the midseventeenth until the mid-nineteenth century. The fur trade was the main economic activity in the Canadian west until the 1890s. The Hudson s Bay Company was established in 1670 by English investors. It was managed and controlled by a board of directors in London. Twice a year, cargo ships sailed from England to North America with supplies for the trading posts and items for trade, and sailed back with furs and reports on the trading posts. New HBC employees would also arrive on these supply ships. They were normally contracted for three to five years, and travelled to North America from places such as England, Scotland, and Wales. In 1690, the HBC was given a monopoly by the British government; they were the only trading company allowed into Rupert s Land, a large portion of North America set aside for the HBC. This area was named after Prince Rupert of England, King Charles II s cousin and the first governor of the HBC. It was comprised of the entire Hudson Bay drainage system, which in modern terms included northern Quebec and Ontario north of the Laurentian watershed, all of Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, southern Alberta, and parts of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. French traders still attempted to trade in this area though, especially around the Hudson and James Bays. The monopoly meant that the HBC had very little impetus to build trading posts inland. Rather, Aboriginal traders would travel overland to deliver furs to the forts. For the first hundred years of its life, the HBC only set up forts around the Hudson and James Bays. The forts sat on inland river routes, and Aboriginal traders would travel these routes to bring furs to the trading posts. The HBC had official ties and alliances with the Ouendat First Nations. Their relationship with the Haudenosaunee, however, was strained. This was due to the constant troubles, and sometimes wars, between the French, allies of the Haudenosaunee, and the English. Additionally, HBC men were, at least initially, less likely to adopt Aboriginal customs and adapt to Aboriginal groups ways of life. This can be seen in the early official HBC policy of banning marriage between Company men and Aboriginal women. Key HBC trading posts were: Moose Factory (est. 1673), located on the Moose River, just south of James Bay Fort Albany (est. 1679), located on the mouth of the Albany River on James Bay York Factory (est. 1684), located on the shore of the Hudson s Bay at the
Information Sheet The Hudson s Bay Company (continued) mouth of the Hayes River. This was the main depot for bringing goods in and shipping furs out, as it was connected to most of the northwest. Prince of Wales Fort (est. 1717), located in Churchill, Manitoba. This fort was intended for use not only in the fur trade, but also in the whaling industry. It was destroyed by the French in 1782. In 1821, the HBC and the Northwest Company merged. Shifting colonial borders, war, newly lacking trading opportunities, the growing impact of early immigrant settlers, and the proximity of HBC and North West Company forts placed both companies under a great deal of strain. Finding that their fierce competition was more detrimental to both companies than helpful to either, the two companies merged under the Hudson s Bay Company moniker.
Information Sheet The North West Company The North American fur trade spanned almost 200 years, from the midseventeenth until the mid-nineteenth century. The fur trade was the main economic activity in the Canadian west until the 1890s. The North West Company was a fur trade company established in 1783 by a group of voyageurs and Scottish and English merchants. The voyageurs were comprised of French-Canadian, Metis, and Aboriginal traders. These men were responsible not only for trading, but also for construction, artisan craftsmanship, hunting, and fishing. They were renowned for their hard work, often travelling by canoe daily from three in the morning until nine at night. The Bourgeois, made up of Scottish and English merchant-traders, managed the company. The hub of the North West Company was at Grand Portage, at the head of Lake Superior. This hub later moved to Kaministiquia, renamed Fort William. The North West Company had stronger ties to First Nations than the Hudson s Bay Company did. Voyageurs from the company went into the interior to trade, and had good trading relationships with many First Nations in the interior. Additionally, many Aboriginal traders and trappers lived at North West Company trading posts, further strengthening these relationships. The French fur traders and Ouendat First Nations became, for a time, particularly close trading partners. Gift-giving, kinship, and support in warfare were all central to French-Ouendat relations. Gift-giving was eventually factored into overhead costs for French traders. Additionally, French traders would often marry Ouendat women in order to join and benefit from their kinship networks. Many voyageurs eventually became freemen, breaking from the company in order to trade independently and live off the land. These freemen often joined Aboriginal families or newly-emerging Metis communities. During the most active period of trade in Montreal, the labour force of voyageurs grew from 500 men in the 1780s, to over 2,000 men by 1821. In 1821, the HBC and the Northwest Company merged. Shifting colonial borders, war, newly lacking trading opportunities, the growing impact of early immigrant settlers, and the proximity of HBC and North West Company forts placed both companies under a great deal of strain. Finding that their fierce competition was more detrimental to both companies than helpful to either, the two companies merged under the Hudson s Bay Company moniker.
Information Sheet The Haudenosaunee The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, a confederacy of six nations, is made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations. These nations united to form a confederacy between 1000-1500 C.E., with the Tuscarora nation joining in 1722. The nations lived in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Quebec, and Ontario. Among the Haudenosaunee, groups lived in villages, with each clan in the village residing together in a longhouse. Within a longhouse, each family would have their own separate living space made up of beds and a fire pit for cooking and warmth. Smaller villages may have a few hundred residents, while larger towns had many thousands of people. These villages were usually inhabited for 10-20 years, until the land was stripped, and then they would be rebuilt elsewhere. Villages were built near rivers and streams for the fresh water supply, which was used to fulfill various needs, including drinking water, cooking water, and water for tanning hides. This proximity also helped groups gain access to fur trading forts. Travelling and trading were also often done on foot, over land. One famous overland route was the Iroquois Trail, which ran between Albany and Buffalo, just over 450 kilometres. This trail was used by Haudenosaunee First Nations to send messages, visit other villages, and trade. The Haudenosaunee became allies of the British in 1664. To strengthen their trading bond, British and Haudenosaunee traders participated in a covenant chain. The covenant chain is a term to describe the trade relationship between the Haudenosaunee and the British traders. The British called for Haudenosaunee traders to obtain furs from neighbouring groups. In return, the British supplied many trading goods, including vast quantities of guns. Farming, hunting, and fishing were the main methods of survival among Haudenosaunee nations. Pre-contact, many items, including dishes, barrels, various tools, weapons, and canoes were made out of wood. Tree bark was also used to make many items. Clothing was made of furs, leather, woven plant fibres, and corn husks. As the fur trade continued, from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century, major transitions occurred for many Haudenosaunee nations living amid two vastly different cultures their own traditional culture and European culture. Few Haudenosaunee remembered how to make items out of stone and wood, as these materials had been replaced by iron and other materials. Most women no longer tanned hides, as this material had been replaced by wool and cotton. The bow and arrow had been replaced by the musket as a hunting tool. These modern materials and methods made the lives of many Haudenosaunee easier in that substantially less labour was required.
Information Sheet The Haudenosaunee (continued) However, easy access to guns and alcohol, as well as the near-extinction of fur-bearing animals, including the bison, which had previously been used as sources of food and other materials, caused major problems. The issues created by these transitions were compounded by the exposure of many Haudenosaunee to European diseases against which they had no natural defense. By 1740, nearly half of the Haudenosaunee First Nations population had been wiped out due to disease, warfare, and other factors. Between 1660 and 1740, the population dropped from about 25,000 to about 14,000. The Haudenosaunee participated in wars against French traders and their allies, the Ouendat First Nations. Trading between the Haudenosaunee and the Ouendat did occur, but these feuds meant that trade between these groups was unreliable. By 1670, however, the Ouendat traded often with the Haudenosaunee, receiving English goods in return for their furs. Trade with the French had become interrupted and unreliable, especially as warfare between the French and the Haudenosaunee continued. In 1701, an official armistice between the French and Ouendat and the Haudenosaunee was reached. Today, around 50,000 Haudenosaunee live on reserves in eastern Canada.
Information Sheet The Ouendat The Ouendat (Huron) First Nations are comprised of four nations, the Bear, Cord, Rock, and Deer. They speak closely related, but different, Iroquoian languages. They are not part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Traditionally, the Ouendat nations lived in the Great Lakes region of North America. Their territory was bordered by water on three sides: Lake Ontario to the east, Lake Eerie to the south, and Lake Huron to the west. They lived north of the traditional Haudenosaunee territory. Like the Haudenosaunee, the Ouendat lived in villages made up of longhouses, with one clan living in each longhouse. Some Ouendat towns had up to 200 longhouses, with 4,000 residents living in them. Once the village surrounds were depleted by hunting, fishing, farming, and gathering, a new village would be erected elsewhere. The Ouendat were early trading partners of the French after the groups first contact in 1609. From 1612-49 they were a central group in the fur trade, hunting for fur-bearing anaimls as well as playing a vital role as middlemen between the French and other First Nations groups. First Nations for which they acted as middlemen included the Kichesiprini (Algonquin), the Petrun, and the Neutral. This role was enabled by their river and portage network, which spanned hundreds of miles. Trading also occurred on foot over a vast network of trails. Gift-giving, kinship, and aid in warfare, which had previously played a large part in trading between the Ouendat and other First Nations, were also of central importance to French-Ouendat trade relations. Gift-giving was eventually factored into overhead costs for French traders. Additionally, French traders would often marry Ouendat women to join and benefit from their kinship networks. With their growing dependence on European tools and materials, many Ouendat lost much of their traditional craftsmanship knowledge, including how to fashion tools and how to tan hides. Due to the enormous scale of their involvement in the fur trade, the Ouendat no longer had time to grow their own food or to participate in trade with other groups as they had previously done. In 1649, as a result of wars between the French and English, and their respective allies, the Ouendat and Haudenosaunee, the Ouendat were nearly decimated. This was contributed to by the fact that their population had previously been significantly decreased by smallpox epidemics, against which they had no natural defense. In the early 1600s, the Ouendat numbered 30-45,000 people. By 1650, their population had dropped to 10,000.
Information Sheet The Ouendat (continued) By 1670, the Ouendat traded often with the Haudenosaunee, receiving English goods in return for their furs. Trade with the French had become interrupted and unreliable, especially as warfare between the French and the Haudenosaunee continued. In 1701, an official armistice between the French and Ouendat and the Haudenosaunee was reached.
Information Sheet First Nations in the Fur Trade Both pre- and post-contact with the European fur traders, trade was an important custom in Aboriginal society. It was part of special ceremonies, feasting, and gift-giving. Trade was used to renew social bonds, bring groups together and solidify social ties. Additionally, Aboriginals who obtained goods through trade were expected to share with their communities. Therefore, the most successful European traders were those who participated in these preexisting trade customs. Europeans who married into Aboriginal groups were especially successful, as they became part of strong kinship networks, which meant that members of these networks would be more likely to trade with them. Most traders also learned the special importance of gift-giving prior to trade. The North West Company is evidenced to have done so, as it officially incorporated gift-giving into the company s overhead costs. During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, many Aboriginals filled specialised niches in the fur trade, including roles as provisioners, trappers, and traders. As provisioners, individuals not only provided food to European traders, but also provided transportation, guidance along trade routes, and translation. Trappers provided the valuable furs that the traders had come to North America in search of. Aboriginal traders acted as middlemen between fur trading posts and Aboriginal groups who resided too far inland to travel to the forts. At great distances from trading posts, Aboriginal trade specialists determined the distribution of European goods among other Aboriginal groups and the supply of furs to take back to the trading posts. In the late 18th century, it was determined that less than ten percent of Aboriginal people coming to York Factory and Fort Churchill to trade had acquired their furs through trapping. Rather, most had acquired their furs through trade with other Aboriginal groups, and were acting as middlemen. The region inhabited by these middlemen was within an area over which they could safely make one trip per year to a trading post. Beyond this middlemeninhabited area, few Aboriginals ever made the trip to a trading post, trading instead with the middlemen. This was especially significant for groups living in the central and western subarctic regions, because the Hudson s Bay Company did not move inland to this area for more than a century after setting up their initial forts.
Name: FUR TRADE GROUPS - PRE-TRADE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. When was your company established? 2. Where did your company s employees come from? 3. Where did your company s bosses come from? 4. Where were your company s main trading posts? 5. Why do you think your company s main trading posts were built in these areas? 6. What were your company s relationships like with Aboriginal groups? Were relationships different with different Aboriginal groups? Why? 7. What were your company s relationships like with other fur trading companies? Why?
Name: ABORIGINAL GROUPS - PRE-TRADE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. Where in Canada did your nation traditionally live? 2. Did your nation traditionally live in camps and move around, or live in permanent villages? 3. What are some of the roles that members of your nation played in the fur trade? 4. Why did members of your nation fill these roles? 5. What were your nation s relationships with fur trading groups? Did you have a stronger relationship with one group than with another? If so, why do you think this is? 6. What was your nation s relationship like with other First Nations? Were you allied with any First Nations? Were any First Nations your enemies? Why? 7. List some ways that your nation was affected by participation in the fur trade.
Fur Trade Prices in 1720 1 gun 14 beaver pelts 5 pounds (2.2 kg) gunpowder 1 beaver pelt 1 hatchet 1 beaver pelt 1 yard (1 m) cloth 3 beaver pelts 1 pound (0.5 kg) tobacco 2 beaver pelts 4 knives 1 beaver pelt 1 kettle 1 1/2 beaver pelts 1 large roll of string 1 1/4 beaver pelts 2.25 kg of sugar 1 beaver pelt 2 scissors 1 beaver pelt 20 fish hooks 1 beaver pelt 1 pair of shoes 1 beaver pelt* *Prices obtained from: Early Canada by Emily Odynak, Weigl Education Publishers, 1998. Fur Trade Prices in 1720 1 gun 14 beaver pelts 5 pounds (2.2 kg) gunpowder 1 beaver pelt 1 hatchet 1 beaver pelt 1 yard (1 m) cloth 3 beaver pelts 1 pound (0.5 kg) tobacco 2 beaver pelts 4 knives 1 beaver pelt 1 kettle 1 1/2 beaver pelts 1 large roll of string 1 1/4 beaver pelts 2.25 kg of sugar 1 beaver pelt 2 scissors 1 beaver pelt 20 fish hooks 1 beaver pelt 1 pair of shoes 1 beaver pelt* *Prices obtained from: Early Canada by Emily Odynak, Weigl Education Publishers, 1998.
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 5 copies and cut out. Lesson 6 - Trading Cards
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 13 copies and cut out. Lesson 6 - Trading Cards
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 2 copies and cut out. Lesson 6 - Trading Cards
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 2 copies and cut out. Lesson 6 - Trading Cards
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 2 copies and cut out.
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 2 copies and cut out.
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 5 copies and cut out.
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 3 copies and cut out. Lesson 6 - Trading Cards
Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 2 copies and cut out.
Trading Cards Inventory Item Number of Cards Made Beaver 26 1/2 Made Beaver 5 1/4 Made Beaver 5 1 gun 1 5 lbs gunpowder 2 1 hatchet 4 1 yard cloth 2 1 lb tobacco 2 4 knives 2 1 kettle 2 1 roll string 4 2.25kg sugar 5 2 scissors 5 20 fish hooks 6 1 pair shoes 2 Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Lesson 6 - Trading Cards Teacher s note: Make 1 copy and cut out.
Horace T. Martin. Modifications of the beaver hat. HBCA, PAM 1987/363-C-308/2 (N58-98).Taken From Castorologia, published in London, 1892. Hudson s Bay Company Archives. Provincial Archives of Manitoba. Accessed online: http://www1.canadiana.org/hbc/_popups/pamp58-98_e.htm