Chapter 4:

 Vikings came to North America in the year 1000 A.D.  Europeans came 500 years later  Europeans had an ethnocentric view of the First Nations – Europeans believed that they were superior to the First Nations

 The groups soon learned to get along because they both wanted to trade  It took a long time for them to respect each other’s differences  Their whole relationship was based on the fur trade

 First Nations wanted things like pots, knives, axes, copper, and guns (all these things lasted longer than wood or bone)  Europeans wanted: FUR! AND LOTS OF IT!  Trading was done by bartering – trading goods, instead of using money

 First Nations had always used the barter system between each other  Before trade, First Nations would exchange gifts and perform ceremonies with each other to show cooperation Ex: using a peace pipe

 When Europeans brought furs back to Europe, they were paid TEN TIMES the amount of money they spend to trade for them!

1. First Nations All winter, First Nations would trap, skin, and prepare pelts. When spring came, they would travel to trading posts where the Europeans were camped

2. Merchants Merchants in Europe gave explorers money to travel from North America to Europe. They also gave the explorers the goods they needed to live here. They became very rich in Europe from the trade

3. Coureurs de bois and voyageurs The early Coureurs de bois, who later became known as “voyageurs,” were a huge part of the fur trade. They were in contact with both First Nations and Europeans

 Without the help of First Nations, Europeans would not have survived. How did they help? 1. Finding food 2. How to make medicines 3. How to dress in the cold 4. Transportation (canoes, snowshoes, tobaggans) 5. Knowledge of the land 6. Translating

 At first, the entire economy was based on the fur trade  This changed as more peopled settled and communities grew larger  The King of France appointed people to control all the trade happening in New France

1. Jean-Baptiste Colbert -wanted to make the colony be part of mercantilism -colonists would get goods they needed, France would become rich -relied on the Wendat people to bring furs to Montreal and traded

2. Jean Talon -used money to attract new colonists -when he was in charge, the population of New France doubled!

3. Governor Frontenac -a French noble -had a problem: most of the Wendat (trading partners) had been killed by smallpox and war -trade was almost impossible -to solve the problem, he sent coureurs de bois into the interior to find furs

 For hundreds of years, many First Nations were in a war against the Haudenosaunee.  3 Nations agreed to join each other and fight. They called themselves “The Council of Three Fires” 1. Potawatomi 2. Odawa 3. Ojibwa

 Next, these First Nations began talking to the French about peace  A group of 1300 First Nations came to Montreal  The Council, the French, and the Haud. signed a peace treaty

 To symbolize the peace, they buried a hatchet deep in the earth. It showed an end to violence.  Today, people still use the expression “Bury the hatchet” to symbolize ended a fight!

 Fur traders now travelled in peace and safety  As the number of beavers began to get low, the traders travelled north and west  The profit from the fur trade also allowed new industries like fishing, ironwork, shipbuilding, and farms become successful

 The French fur traders were able to travel almost anywhere using canoes along the St. Lawrence River, which branched off  If it wasn’t for the canoe, Canada may not have been settled for a long time  Look at page 84, and read through it together

 Britain didn’t want to settle in Canada – it only wanted the fur!  Hudson’s Bay was perfect for this (p.86) 1. Farther north = thicker fur 2. Connected to many rivers 3. Large ships could drop off supplies

 P.87  Definition: stockade

 French explorers also created a fur- trading company out west  Called the Nor’Westers  This is how the Metis were created  Almost all travel was done by canoe  Good relationships with First Nations

 Americans also came up  Peter Pond: travelled from Conneticut – created a trading post on the Athabasca  the fort was replaced by Fort Chipewyan

 The competition between the British and the French sometimes led to violence  Europeans began trading furs for alcohol

 Travellers wanted to keep going west, but the Rocky Mountains were in the way  Alexander Mackenzie tried twice: 1. Found the “River of Disappointment” 2. Found the “Peace River” *he became the first European to travel ALL the way across Canada!!

Isolation (being alone) | Meeting new cultures/people | Change

 As Europeans and First Nations spent more time with each other, they began sharing many things

1. First Nations lost their land, traditions, and language 2. Had to begin “working” for the fur traders 3. Left their homes to find beavers for Euros 4. Became dependant on Euro goods 5. Animals became scarce 6. New diseases