The Role Of Indigenous People In Fur Trade

Significance of Indigenous People’s Role in Fur Trade Industry

Discuss about the Indigenous Education and Perspectives for Business Scenario.

In the current business scenario, fur trade has become the worldwide industry in the business scenario (St-Onge, 2016). After the establishment of the fur market, the value of polar animals have increased. Due to this reason the people mostly in the North America, have got the chance to improve their economic condition. In this study it has been identified that in the current situation the significance has diminished. Due to brutally killing animal the animal rights organizations have introduced systematic limitations in this business. Here the study has highlighted that the indigenous people of these areas have highly influenced the fur collection process. As the indigenous people are efficient in this profession and have the knowledge of the hard landscape, therefore their skill and knowledge are vital for their fur trade success. Due to this reason the fur trade industry is dependent on the aboriginal people. Their wildness and knowledge about the northern route is very important for the fur industry. In this study the role of indigenous people with in their own communities has been highlighted after the contract. On the other hand the dramatically change and revolution in the fur industry with the influence of aboriginal people has been discussed. The thesis statement has focused on the ways that have been adopted by the indigenous people in the case of dealing with the changes that have been introduced in the far industry. Another way, this can be said that through this thesis, the intergenerational challenges, which are still affecting the business relations. 

The contribution of the aboriginal people in the fur industry is essential for bringing the economic development. In the case of collecting fur from the wild animal, the skill and knowledge about the landscape are the two essential qualities. In the middle of 19^th century with the increasing value of the animal fur, the colonial people done the contract with aboriginal people regarding fur business and financial help. After this incident, large number of indigenous people involved in fur collecting profession. In the year 1692, the contract between the François Francoear and the indigenous people has been developed in Chicago. As per this contract indigenous people will provide fur to the foreign organizations and against it they will help the aboriginals with weapons against their enemies. By using the efficiency and skills of the aboriginal people, the colonial people tried to grab the worldwide fur selling industry. In the initial stage, the contract was beneficial for the aboriginal people, but within few years, the business strategy colonial people got disclosed. Through business, the European colonial people tried to rule on the aboriginals. Calliess & von Harder (2015) opined that as the impact of fur trade contract various changes such as educational changes, changes in traditional costume, food habits and many more have been brought to the indigenous community. Due to the impact of fur trade contract, the business organizations have become dependent on the aboriginal people. For communicating with the aboriginal people, François send few company representatives to live with them. As its result the cultural diversification has been shown among them. After the contract with colonial people the women also got involved in the hunting practices. Large number of aboriginal people taught to their children in home that how to collect fur and respect animal. The female aboriginals also taught to their children which part of the animals, the hunter needed to return to earth. Therefore this can be said that the women indigenous people trained to their children about the body part of the animals so that they will be able to do their job efficiently. It has been identified in this study that in the case of fur trade the aboriginal women have played the effective role after the fur trade 1774-1821 (MacDonald & Steenbeek, 2015). In order to expand their community the fur traders married to the mixed blooded or native women. This relationship has played an important role for improve the relation with the aboriginal people. This has also helped to strengthen the colonial community because the native women were trained in gathering firewood, making fur dresses, making leather and snowshoes. These things are compulsory in order to live in the polar region and due to this reason the fur traders married to the native women to get familiar with their skills and culture. As its result, the native women became the unpaid servants to the European fur traders. The reason behind this strategy was to overlap the culture of the indigenous people and grab them in the colonial community. On the other hand, it has been identified that in this situation the indigenous women were being tortured by their husbands, which had made their life pathetic (Jorgenson, 2015). Therefore, this can be said that due to marital relationship the cultural diversity has shown tin their life. 

Business Strategies Adopted by Colonial People

According to Innis (2017), on that situation François has also agreed for supporting the aboriginal people against the Iroquois people. This has helped to gain the trust of them. The gun exchanging process was introduced ion that situation against fur. In the business contract the French supplied the allies with the guns in return to the conversion for Catholicism. Through this process large number of aboriginal people have converted in Catholics. Therefore, this can be said that after the introduction of business contracts, the colonial people interfered in the lifestyle of the indigenous people. After the introduction of fur trade contract English language was became the native language for the indigenous people.

As its consequences the educational developed has been introduced to them. After the impact of fur trade contract the large number of people have entered in the business. Different types of modern tools have been introduced to the aboriginal people for collecting the animal fur. The European Colonial people have started communicating with the aboriginal society. In the year 1634 to 1640 large number of aboriginal people began to die (Suresh, 2016). The European disease was being imported for eliminating half of the indigenous population. Due to the competition between the European societies and aboriginal societies, the traditional economics was getting hampered. The independence in their lifestyle was being interrupted. Although the fur trade contract has brought the drastic economic growth in the European society, but the situation of aboriginal people were same. The global trade network was being controlled by the European organization after this contract. The changes in beliefs and value of aboriginal culture were impacted on the aboriginal community. They were being forced for adopting the French language. The Europeans tried to remove the aboriginal children from their home to the residential school. This strategy was adopted by them so that they will get the chance to demolish aboriginal community. On the other hand, they were being forced to adopt Christianity and against it they were being provided the business profits. The social rifts were being developed for the people who denied to accept the Christianity. Therefore, this can be said that through the contract the European colonial people tried to enhance their business in the global business industry. Not only the business the colonial people tried to enhance fur business, but also it was the strategy of the colonial people to rule on the aboriginals.

Impact of Business Contracts on Indigenous People

In his journal, James Cook described the precipitation of a European rush to the west coast of Canada. The anticipation of good volume of maritime trade urged the Europeans to inundate the west coast with the trade goods from the continent with shutter speed. However the coastal people of Canada were shrewd tradesmen. As per the information provided by Finnegan and Wright (2016), they did not trade over random commodities and bought commodities which reflected their culture. They were also capable of smartly estimating their “fur” products against the valuation of European products. They traversed from one trading vessel to another, bargaining for best value of their furs. However, with increased popularity and trade value of the fur and fur products increasing up to 500%, certain native fur trading communities became more powerful, economically and resourcefully.  The chief of the famous fur trading tribes were felicitated by the European companies and this implanted a rivalry within tribes out of jealousy. However, the power and wealth which came their way, helped the richer tribes to ward of threats and challenges of the ‘others’.

The social mobility continued increasing owing to the territorial destabilisation and new social establishments started to grow around the interior forts established by the Europeans to facilitate trade. In this fashion, the villages’ starter to swell in population and population of some villages reached 2000 also. However, Hogue (2015), notes that the fuelled hostilities in the native coastal region of Canada in the post contact period led to the inheritance of the less powerful tribal groups by the mightier and the richer groups.  As an instance the Carrier and the Tahitan were imputed by the Athapaskans and the three native sects merged to be recognised as the “Inland Tlingit”. In this regard, the Enrichment Thesis of Wike can be contextualised. According to the views of Innis (2017), Mercantilist Expansion of the Europeans were intimidated by the cultural achievements and economic enrichments of the natives. Started with fur trading the European contact laid avenues for a big commodity trading market in Canada. Initially, fur pelts were the most traded commodity. The European contact had undoubtedly increased the fur production and animal killing also increased. As a consequence, the sea otter population started to melt and eventually the species began to extinguish. Mercantilism gradually paved way to commodity production. 

The fur traders of Europe, Russia and America, depended upon the native labourers for trapping of animals, followed by preparation and transport of furs. Besides, the natives also worked as the daily wage workers. The foreign traders had to rely completely on them for commodity production as well as fur trading. This bestowed the reigns of the fur trade in the hands of the locals. They were not economically compelled to enter the fur exchange business out of economic compulsions and this helped them to manipulate the business of commodity production, if they felt that the terms of fur trade were not advantageous for them (Matson, 2017). This raised the concern for the European contractors. They tried to imply a process of indebtedness which would force the natives to agree to their terms. The natives received supplies from the foreigners during the fall and in return, they paid them with fur production in the springtime. This scheme ensured that the foreigners would trap fur in the winter and deal with the company that offered them advanced credit.

Contribution of Aboriginal Women in Fur Industry

In the latter part, that is from the 20^th century the scenario began to change. Murdogk, (2017), informs that the dictators of maritime trade who had accumulated enough wealth by the dint of supplying pelts of sea otter now gradually began to experience a decline in trade owing to the emergence of land trade. In fact, land trade brought drastic and dramatic changes to the lives and economies of the natives also. Potatoes, Curios and canoes were manufactured in great numbers. The market of these commodities as well as fur was centred on the outside market. Hence the reliance of the natives upon the European traders became evident. Financial lucidity was achieved by the natives by doing business of commodity production. Hence the Europeans now had a greater chance of intimidating the native fur traders. At times the outsiders also resorted to using guns and cannons to manipulate production. The infrequent coercion of violence makes it prominent that successful articulation of two mutually odd culture had been established and the societal and economic mechanism that was used, was compatible for both. However, in contrast, Perry (2014), states that the Hudson’s Bay Company used limited violence to deal with the natives since they felt that the natives greatly outnumbered the foreigners, which made them highly vulnerable to the attacks of the natives. However, Wilen (2018), notes that the natives never made dedicated efforts to expel the British from their land. In fact, Murdogk (2017), argues that the natives valued the presence of the foreigners, because of whom, their trade fostered. 

It is evident that the profitability of the fur trade decreased with time for the natives, however in the initial period, it was highly valuable. Up to 1850, the Hudson’s Bay Company generated 60% average annual profit. However, the profit return to the natives was only 12%. On the contrary, Hogue (2015), opines that it is the labour, skill and dedication of the natives for the fur business that led the foreigners to generate heavy profits. However, on the other hand, the European contact changed the culture of the natives. The trade contact generated a class of male “quasi-merchants” along with a sect of commodity producers. The natives gradually came to establish feudal relations with the foreign market peers. The local businesses gradually gave way to established companies based on fur production. The basis of fur business is still the Canadian native workers. Today, China, Poland and many other countries are huge customers of Canadian fur yielding companies.

Intergenerational Challenges

Conclusion

It has been identified in this study that the fur trading contract has brought several changes in the aboriginal community. Due to the trade contract in the initial stage the indigenous people have got the benefits from the colonial people but after few days they have got dominated and tortured to adopt the colonial culture and religion. After the contract the fur traders married the aboriginal women for expanding their community. By analysing the confluence of trade culture, during contact between the natives and the foreigners, it can be concluded that fur trading as a business procedure laid the foundation of industrialisation in Canada. The exposure to foreign market, made the company who have their roots dug in the 18^th and the 19^th century are global peers. Moreover, the colonial trade policies also shows that the natives were aware of the trade value of animal fur which made them settle into trade norms with the outsiders. Again, fur trading that was once a maritime trade involving small financial exchanges has evolved into a trade genre in the 20^th century owing to collaboration of natives with the American and European investors. Allied business like fur auctioning is also the consequence of the once laid business foundation by the natives with paltry traders.  

Reference List

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Finnegan, D. A., & Wright, J. J. (2016). Scientific Practice and the Scientific Self in Rupert’s Land, c. 1770–1830: Fur Trade Networks of Knowledge Exchange. In Spaces of Global Knowledge (pp. 91-108). Routledge.

Hogue, M. (2015). Pemmican Empire: Food, Trade, and the Last Bison Hunts in the North American Plains, 1780-1882. The Annals of Iowa, 74(4), 414-416.

Innis, H. (2017). The Fur Trade in Canada: an introduction to Canadian economic history. University of Toronto Press.

Jorgenson, M. (2015). ” INTO THAT COUNTRY TO WORK”: Aboriginal Economic Activities during Barkerville’s Gold Rush. BC Studies, (185), 109.

MacDonald, C., & Steenbeek, A. (2015). The impact of colonization and western assimilation on health and wellbeing of Canadian Aboriginal people. International Journal of Regional and Local History, 10(1), 32-46.

Matson, C. (2017). “Damned Scoundrels” and “Libertisme of Trade”: Freedom and Regulation in Colonial New York’s Fur and Grain Trades. In Colonial America and the Early Republic(pp. 167-196). Routledge.

Murdogk, G. P. (2017). The current status of the world’s hunting and gathering peoples. In Man the hunter (pp. 13-20). Routledge.

Perry, A. (2014). Vocabularies of Slavery and Anti-Slavery: The North American Fur-Trade and the Imperial World. Australian Historical Studies, 45(1), 34-45.

St-Onge, N. (2016). “He was neither a soldier nor a slave: he was under the control of no man”: Kahnawake Mohawks in the Northwest Fur Trade, 1790–1850. Canadian Journal of History, 51(1), 1-32.

Suresh, M. (2016). The file as hypertext: Documents, files and the many worlds of the paper state. In Law, Memory, Violence(pp. 107-125). Routledge.

Wilen, J. E. (2018). Common property resources and the dynamics of overexploitation: the case of the North Pacific fur seal. Marine Resource Economics, 33(3), 000-000..