The Fur Trade

Fur Trade Beginnings… Jacques Cartier made his first of three voyages to North America in 1534 Contact between Aboriginals and Europeans expanded as he search for gold on behalf of France

Fur Trade Beginnings… Jacques Cartier made contact with the Mi’kmaq and Iroquois – both groups were eager to trade furs for European iron goods

Fur Trade Beginnings… Believing he found a treasure house of natural resources, Cartier proclaimed the land for France, 1534

Fur Trade Beginnings… By 1600 the fur trade was being fuelled by the European demand for beaver-felt hats Beaver pelts were made into high quality beaver-felts that were warm and water resistant Beaver was extinct in Europe so the French returned to North America

Fur Trade Beginnings… Tadoussac was established and became the first trading site and early centre of the fur trade French traders conducted business with Maliseet, Algonquin, and Montagnais peoples; who previously had driven the Iroquois out of the area Located where the St. Lawrence River and Saguenay River meet A map of the area created in 1619 A replica of the first trading outpost

Fur Trade Beginnings… A relationship of economic and technological interdependence began between European fur-traders and First Peoples Aboriginal’s knowledge of fur-trapping landscape of Canadian interior and skills to trap animals vital to success of fur trade

Champlain arrives at Québec Fur Trade Beginnings… In 1608, Champlain sailed inland established new trading post at present day Québec City Champlain arrives at Québec

Fur Trade Beginnings… Champlain knew: Success of fur trade depended upon maintaining the goodwill of Aboriginal trading partners He was greatly outnumbered by First Peoples and their knowledge and skills essential to survival Strategic northern locations of Wendat (Huron) and Algonquin were significant to fur trade so an alliance was needed

Fur Trade Beginnings… Champlain decided to: Foster goodwill by sending young representatives of fur company, known as the coureurs de bois, to live among First Nations to learn their languages, values, and customs Many were Métis, people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry, and are now one of the three recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada

Fur Trade Beginnings… Champlain decided to: Entered into the Wendat and Algonquins war against the Haudenosaunne (Iroquois) in 1609; the English allied with the Iroquois Supplied guns to Aboriginal allies in return for their conversion to Catholicism This decision put the French at a severe military disadvantage as many did not initially convert; while the English freely traded guns to their Iroquois allies

England Joins the Fur Trade English explorers sailed into Hudson Bay and established a makeshift trading post at the bottom of James Bay in 1668 English and Dutch forged alliances with Iroquois and traded guns for furs – putting French at a severe military disadvantage Aboriginals had keen awareness of quality of European goods and bargained with rival companies for the best deal

Hudson’s Bay Company Exclusive trading rights over land draining into Hudson’s Bay granted to newly formed Hudson’s Bay Company by royal charter in 1670

Hudson’s Bay Company Crest Founding marked the beginning of intense rivalry between French and English for control of the fur trade French intercepted fur traders to heading north to HBC and obtained the best furs first Cree fur traders benefited from competition by getting better deals Hudson’s Bay Company Crest

Hudson’s Bay Company Competition continued for more than 150 years French coureurs de bois were pushing inland to expand fur-trading territory – as a result entered into a raid and counter-raid conflict with Iroquois until peace was achieved in 1701 HBC took total control of the fur trade in 1760 with the fall of New France