Unit 1 Continued Presentation 8 Fur Traders and

Unit 1 Continued (Presentation 8): Fur Traders and the Metis

* The development of New France is directly linked to the rise of the fur trade. There was a very high demand in Europe for fur clothing (hats especially). As a result, there was a lot of money to be made in the capturing, transportation and selling of fur. * Early on, Champlain created a fur trading pact with the Huron. The Huron acted as go-betweens with the other First Nations tribes and the furs were exchanged for hatchets, knives, cooking pots, glass beads, woolen cloth, etc. * Until 1663, a private company called the Company of the Hundred Associates, representing the King, regulated the fur trade for North America. It was illegal for anyone other than the agents of this company to sell or buy furs. * However, in the mid 1600 s, a group of men decided to leave the colony and start trading directly with the First Nations trappers and hunters. These men were called the Coureurs de Bois, or Runners of the Woods in English, and they left their families to head off into the wild frontiers of Canada. * They lived with the Huron and learned to trap and hunt and successfully brought home huge loads of fur for selling even though it was illegal. Keywords: Pact Company of the Hundred Associates Coureurs de Bois

* In the 1700 s, the government decided to try to limit the amount of independent fur traders. They passed a law that required a permit to be carried by all independent fur traders. The people that had these permits were called Voyageurs but this did not last long. By 1716, the government had once again made it illegal to trap, hunt and sell fur if you were not part of the government company. * However, because of the lack of European women in North America, the government actually encouraged fur traders (even Coureurs de Bois) to marry with First Nations women and start families of their own. The hope was to increase the population and solidify the relationships with the First Nations peoples. * Since the Coureurs de Bois were Roman Catholic, it was also insisted on that the women convert to Christianity and so they were baptized before marriage. * Marriages were not only to French men but also British and Scottish as well. * The offspring of these new marriages were called Metis, a French word for “mixed”. * The Metis girls were educated in Native customs from their mothers while the boys were educated in Canadian or European cities, a real mixture of both cultures. * The Metis lived in a free society. They assigned jobs according to who could best do them and worked together to solve problems. They became quite self sufficient and governed themselves mostly. Keywords: Permit Voyageurs Metis

Questions: The Coureur de Bois decided to trade directly with the First Nations peoples. What is an advantage and disadvantage of doing this? What is the difference between a Coureur de Bois and Voyageur? Name two things that furs were used for. Why were the Metis considered a “self sufficient” people?