The negative effects of the fur trade
Edward van der Griend
Mr. Fitzpatrick
CHI 4U1
November 14 2014
Negative Effects of the Fur Trade on the Aboriginals of Canada When Europeans first came to the New World, there was a language barrier between them and the aboriginals. To show peace, each side would trade some goods to create a bond between them and show that they can trust each other. The Europeans would trade tools and other European goods for furs from the Aboriginals. The Aboriginals needed the tools and the Europeans wanted the furs to make a big profit. With the great demand for furs from Europe and the Aboriginal need for the tools, the fur trade became a major part of the relationship between the Europeans and Aboriginals. While the Europeans made a lot of money and thrived in the fur trade, the Aboriginals did not fair as well. The fur trade was a like a business and there was a lot of competition between the Aboriginal tribes. Aboriginal tribes would frequently get into conflicts with each other. The Aboriginals would also get sick after making contact with the European traders. The European goods that were traded to them were also bad for the Aboriginals and demoralized their culture. The fur trade was a devastating time for the Aboriginals that caused the deaths of many, conflict between them, and it caused them to lose their way of life. The Aboriginals were always competing against each other to get the most out of the fur trade. The Algonquin and Iroquois tribes would often fight for control of the St. Lawrence River, a major waterway and trading route. A major conflict between the Algonquin and Iroquois was the beaver, or Iroquois Wars in the 1620’s. “As the [Iroquois] economy became interdependent with the European fur trade, the need for pelts exerted pressure on the rich beaver-producing areas south of the Canadian Shield…the [Iroquois] began to exert their military strength” (Iroquois Wars). This caused many Aboriginal deaths and a dispersal of the Wendat tribe.
“The policy of
Mr. Fitzpatrick
CHI 4U1
November 14 2014
Negative Effects of the Fur Trade on the Aboriginals of Canada When Europeans first came to the New World, there was a language barrier between them and the aboriginals. To show peace, each side would trade some goods to create a bond between them and show that they can trust each other. The Europeans would trade tools and other European goods for furs from the Aboriginals. The Aboriginals needed the tools and the Europeans wanted the furs to make a big profit. With the great demand for furs from Europe and the Aboriginal need for the tools, the fur trade became a major part of the relationship between the Europeans and Aboriginals. While the Europeans made a lot of money and thrived in the fur trade, the Aboriginals did not fair as well. The fur trade was a like a business and there was a lot of competition between the Aboriginal tribes. Aboriginal tribes would frequently get into conflicts with each other. The Aboriginals would also get sick after making contact with the European traders. The European goods that were traded to them were also bad for the Aboriginals and demoralized their culture. The fur trade was a devastating time for the Aboriginals that caused the deaths of many, conflict between them, and it caused them to lose their way of life. The Aboriginals were always competing against each other to get the most out of the fur trade. The Algonquin and Iroquois tribes would often fight for control of the St. Lawrence River, a major waterway and trading route. A major conflict between the Algonquin and Iroquois was the beaver, or Iroquois Wars in the 1620’s. “As the [Iroquois] economy became interdependent with the European fur trade, the need for pelts exerted pressure on the rich beaver-producing areas south of the Canadian Shield…the [Iroquois] began to exert their military strength” (Iroquois Wars). This caused many Aboriginal deaths and a dispersal of the Wendat tribe.
“The policy of
Cited: "Contact & Conflict: First Nations, French, & English in Canada." Canada 's First Peoples. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. Heidenreich, Conrad E., and Arthur J. Ray. The Early Fur Trades: A Study in Cultural Interaction. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1976. Print. Innis, Harold A. The Fur Trade in Canada. New Haven: Yale UP, 1962. Print. "Iroquois Wars." The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. 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: U of Toronto, 1974. Print. "The Whiskey Trade." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.