THE FUR TRADE ERAChapter 4

EUROPEAN EXPANSION• Northwest one of last

regions of European colonialism

• 1700s Europeans had explored and colonized rest of world

• England and Spain rivaled for supremacy of Pacifico better access to Asian

marketso looking for Northwest

Passage• Russians crossed the

Bering Strait and moved south

THE NUU-CHAH-NULTH MEET COOK

• James Cook 1778o to claim uninhabited lands for

Britaino landed west coast Vancouver

Islando spent 1 month with Nuu-chah-

nulth people misinterpreted name as

“nutka” (Nootka) means “go around” (to

find safe anchorage) o spent time repair ships, crew

rest, trade left with 1500 sea otter pelts great profit from sale in

China begins the race for west

coast furs

MARITIME FUR TRADE• following 25 years, nearly 200 from

Britain, Spain and US to trade for sea ottero included timber

• claimed sovereignty over land in name of king/queen

• European traders stayed aboard expecting the First Nations to bring the furso sometimes taken ashore and

honoured with a feast• First Nations integrated Europeans into

traditional social systemo treated the visitors as visiting

chiefs welcoming ceremony blowing eagle down as sign of

peaceo expected exchange of gifts before

negotiationo often women had important say in

final price

• sought after trade items by First Nationso iron – chisels, axeso firearmso coppero clotho food items to be stored – rice, molasses, biscuits

•10-20 ships per year during the peako by 1840s sea otter population scarceo by 1900 nearly extincto maritime trade in decline by 1820s

LAND-BASED FUR TRADE• soon after maritime trade started,

traders from overland crossed the Rockies

• Northwest Company first to push througho Alexander Mackenzie first to reach

Pacific at Bella Coola 1793o Fraser and Thompson in early

1800so Fraser established first forts

Fort McLeod 1805• HBC continued expansion after merge

with NWC• land based trade chiefly on beaver fur

o European goods limited to canoe transport

guns blankets became principal

trade item foods – sugar, flour, tobacco

• First Nations as skilled traders- (remember – First Nations had been trading for thousands of years)- women’s participation (68)

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS

From the Journal of Vancouver’s Voyage, 1793-1794:

Trading with the Kitkatla, 1793In traficing for some furs & curiosites it was observed that neither of the men would close a bargain let it be ever so advantageous without first consulting the women, & if any of them gave a negative to it or made any objections, the things were instantly handed into the Ship.

From Charles Bishop’s Log of the Ruby: Trading with the Haida, 1795Seeing so many Women about the Ship one would Suppose nothing hostile was Intended, but it is to be remembered that the Eannas [women] are Kings, and Govern the men throughout these Islands, with a degree of dispotic Athority. What ever they Say the men must do. Nor dare the men Sell a Single fur without first shewing the Goods to Eanna.

• Europeans integrated into complex trading systemo depended on First Nations for furs and foodo tribes controlling trade routes pre-contact continued to exercise control

fort increased status and power•HBC forts

o extended down to mouth Columbia rivero headquarters was Fort Vancouver (Washington)o after 1846 and Oregon Treaty, Fort Victoria became headquarterso forts were to be protection against hostile environment

WOMEN IN THE FUR TRADE• women played an integral role

o left on own to provide for families when men away

o prepared furso extra work of cleaning salmon

• participation in social structure of fort lifeo married company employees and their

families lived in forto marriages as alliances between high-

ranking families and company officers political and economic bond

• on personal levelo provided companionship and domestic

duties• however – not considered equal and

suffered racial discriminationo sometimes abandoned when men

returned to Europe• able to bridge gap between cultures

IMPACTS OF THE FUR TRADE• changed the daily lives of First

Nationso increase amount of time on

seasonal activitieso women busier doing more worko trade oriented tasks replaced

traditional harvesting and preparation

dependency on European supplies

• changed traditional settlement patternso displaced by other aboriginal

groups wanting more territory/resources

• trade goodso in some ways made life easiero increases status of users

Coastal chiefs increased wealth and power substantially

DEVASTATION BY DISEASE• greatest devastation was

depopulation due to disease epidemicso estimated pre-contact =

200,000 – 400,000o by 1900 = 25,000o decreased by 90-95%

• measles and smallpoxo First Nations had no immunity

since the diseases didn’t exist here in BC

o first epidemic was 1770s – smallpox

killed 60% of people infected

o 1840s measles epidemic outbreaks along the

trading routes

o 1862 – single worst epidemic (smallpox) killed as many at 70% started in Victoria by a passenger arriving from San Francisco killed so many, those left were forced to move north

reports of sick and dead left along the coast hit people harder than any cannon fire could have epidemic didn’t end at coast

trading networks took disease into interior devastation

entire villages wiped out 60-90% of population died in others loss of family, communities leadership destroyed now all energy to simply cope and survive