Role of Indigenous Canadian Women in the Fur Trade - Free Essay

Introduction

Women were integral partakers in the North American fur trade. However, the role of women has often been ignored with the notion that the fur trade was a male-dominated activity. Contrary to this notion, the participation and contribution of Native American women were the key pillars to the economic success and survival of the fur trade. The labor of native women in the Canadian and American plains was integral as it yielded the essential products for the fur trade. Besides their contribution as producers, native women also acted in such important roles as traders, translators, and guides. Historical records offer a detailed journal description of the influence of women in essential fur trade roles. One of the primary female participants in the North American fur trade was the Metis women who were instrumental in the success of the operations. Thus, this research paper aims to discuss the role the Metis women played in the fur trade in Canada.

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The North American fur trade greatly shaped the economic history of Canada. Even though the trade operations were carried out between European traders and Aboriginal men, native women played an integral and crucial role in the trade. Among the female participants, the Metis women greatly contributed to creating relationships and strengthening bonds between the European traders and Aboriginal tribes. Besides, the Metis women were instrumental in other essential roles such as cooking, dressing furs, setting camps, and even helping traders to navigate the terrains. Despite their contribution, there is a contrarian notion that only the aboriginal men and European traders who navigated the trade routes and who were actively involved in the actual operations of trading.

Native women were also actively engaged on the trade routes. Female traders would trap, prepare, and trade their own items on the trade routes. Besides, their other roles often included cooking, crafting snowshoes and clothing, preparing and dressing furs, and making other tools. While it is undeniable that men were the main traders, the role of women cannot be negated as they were often the producers and suppliers of fur. According to Kees-Jan Waterman and Jan Noel, “fur transactions were the norm for people of both sexes”, therefore the trade operations were not restricted and confined to men. However, in addition to carrying out their chores, many women even went out of their way to partake in the actual trading activities.

The coming of European traders to Canada facilitated the inception of the fur trade. During the early years of the fur trade, European traders found life difficult in the alien and nomadic culture of the aboriginal people. The aboriginal way of life and culture enabled them to survive in the wilderness and cope with the environment. The lack of knowledge of the local culture was a major factor that disadvantaged the fur traders as they found survival difficult in the harsh and severe environment of North America. Moreover, the European traders were not as skilled as the Aboriginal people in vital techniques such as tracking, hunting, and trapping. Besides, European traders could not start families of their own as they had not brought white women with them to North America and therefore they often felt alienated in alien land far away from home. As such, European men sought the companionship of the Metis women during their long journey to trade posts. The alliance with the aboriginal women would help the European traders learn the aboriginal way of living as well as coping skills to navigate and traverse the harsh climate.

Metis Women

The pioneering generation of Metis women was born from the marital union of European traders and native women at trading posts. It is also possible that they might have accompanied their husbands or fathers along the trading routes into the region. Metis daughters had varying experiences which were primarily influenced by factors such as the period of their parent's union, their father's social class and wealth, his commitment to his family, and the mix of cultural traditions. Over time, the increase in the population of the aboriginal people resulted in an increase in marriage among couples of mixed heritage, which contributed to the mixing of diverse cultures to create new offspring with a blended heritage.

Meti's daughters grew up skilled in crucial survival skills. From a young age, Metis women were expected to actively partake in chores and assist in caring for their younger siblings as well as running errands. Besides, older women taught the young Metis girls vital skills of embroidery, sewing, beadwork, and quillwork. As such, Meti's daughters were skilled in sewing dresses and making moccasins and snowshoes. Additionally, Metis women were actively engaged in trapping, harvesting wild medicines, fishing, hunting birds, tanning hides, processing meat, and making clothes and shoes for their families. As such, their daughters grew up learning these critical skills were would become instrumental in supporting the fur trade.

Mentored learning constituted a large part of the Aboriginal culture. Older and more experienced women would perform an action or a task as the young Metis girls observed keenly and repeated it under keen scrutiny. The learning process was often quite strict as the young women were required to independently repeat the actions or tasks until they became successful. As young girls become more skilled, they would then be allowed to make items with little or no direct supervision and instruction. Any mistakes were frowned upon while success was praised to encourage the young girls to develop innovation and creativity. As the young girls grew older, they were encouraged to join groups of working women who taught them core work ethics. Working together in circles enabled the Metis women to uphold the collective values and cultural traditions of their community.

In the aboriginal society, the family was the basic socio-economic unit. Both men and women had important roles to play in supporting the family. Besides, they had complementary skill sets that were essential in sustaining the community’s economies. In particular, men hunted to provide meat and hides, which the women readily transformed into dry meat, pemmican, tanned hide, shoes, and clothing for trade or subsistence use. Besides, women played a crucial role in sustaining the trade as they prepared pemmican, the only meal available to traders and travelers. Besides, women were critical pillars of the fur trade as their skills in sewing, beadwork, quillwork, and embroidery enabled them to make Metis-style jackets, coats, saddles, and other items such as fire bags, quirts, watch pockets, and pouches. Additionally, Metis women were engaged in the production of huge volumes of braided and hooked rugs, which they sold door to door along with berries, garden produce, or fish. As such, the production activities of the Metis women continued to be integral as the supply of these products was essential in sustaining an industry and the Metis economies.

On the social front, Metis women were key pillars of the community. Although Metis women had minimal influence on political affairs, they exerted significant power at the household level. As a way of exerting their influence, women would make verbal appeals, refuse to work, and publicly encourage or admonish men. Many women would engage in battles, often standing alongside the men as they loaded and repaired guns. Besides, women also passionately advocated for peace and usually spoke as mothers on behalf of their families. Nonetheless, the active participation of the Metis women at the community level and their diverse contributions were integral as they facilitated the growth and success of the fur trade.

Country Marriages

In the aboriginal society, the institution of marriage was regarded as an integral arrangement in both the social and economic perspectives. In this regard, the Aboriginals and the European traders were interested in marriages of convenience that would benefit both parties. Firstly, the Aboriginals agreed to let their women marry European men as they were to benefit from unlimited access to trade posts and provisions. As such, the Aboriginal men would gain full and unrestricted trading capabilities at key trading posts across Canadian and North American trade routes. Besides, the aboriginals would also gain unfettered access to European technology.

During the inception of the fur trade, many native bands and tribes actively encouraged the formation of marital unions between their women and European traders. The marriage arrangements were necessary for political, economic, and social alliances within the fur trade systems. Indeed, women played a crucial role in establishing the social bonds between the Aboriginal population and the European traders, which further strengthened the economic ties, thus promoting the success of the fur trade. European traders appreciated the companionship of Metis women in their daily lives as they filled the voids of mothers and wives resulting from the absence of their white women.

Intermarriages with the Metis women were very beneficial for many European traders as they learned the culture, valuable techniques, and skills used by Aboriginals since time immemorial. The European traders mainly from France and Britain benefited a lot by forming social relations and marrying the Merit women as they were trained and equipped with the skills and techniques necessary to cope in the harsh and severe wilderness. The Metis women acted as guides, helping the European traders to navigate the terrains in the wilderness. Besides, Metis women crafted snowshoes to make it easier for the traders to traverse through the deep snow during winter and made traditional clothing to keep them warm and prevent them from freezing while on their journeys. The Metis women would also set camps, and cook and preserve food while their husbands were actively engaged in either trapping furs or trading.

The formation of the marital unions with the Metis women helped the European traders gain economic advantage. European traders who married into an aboriginal family gained an economic advantage as they were able to secure the trade deals of the aboriginal bands and tribes. Additionally, Metis women played a crucial role in helping the European men to familiarize themselves with the aboriginal culture and way of life. European traders learned the aboriginal language, trapping skills, and fur preparation, amongst other survival techniques. Metis women greatly played a role in enhancing the foreigner’s effectiveness as traders. At the same time, the enhanced cultural ties between the aboriginals and the European traders promoted peaceful coexistence which significantly increased the success of the fur trade.

Metis women were also benefiting from intermarriage with European traders during the fur trade. In particular, they enjoyed the courtships by European men and were fascinated with the influx of European technology, culture, and luxuries of goods. As such, the Metis women were anxious to keep the fur trade flowing so that they could have access to “European goods such as kettles, cloth, knives, needles, and axes to help alleviate their sometimes-onerous work roles.” In general, the intermarriage between the Metis women and the European traders greatly benefited the Aboriginal population as they gained more access to European technology, which significantly revolutionized their lives and enhanced their traditional methods of hunting and fur preparation.

Conclusion

The Metis women were integral to the success of the fur trade. The contribution of the Metis women whether at the trading posts, at the forts, in rendezvous, in hunts, or in settle...