THE MÉTIS & THE FUR TRADE. WHO ARE THE MÉTIS ? When the fur trade moved west, in the 1700s and...
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Transcript of THE MÉTIS & THE FUR TRADE. WHO ARE THE MÉTIS ? When the fur trade moved west, in the 1700s and...
THE MÉTIS & THE FUR TRADE
WHO ARE THE MÉTIS?
• When the fur trade moved west, in the 1700s and 1800s, many French-Canadian fur traders found First Nations wives and had children.
• The children born from these unions formed a new Nation in Canada - the 'Western Métis'.
• The term 'Métis‘ came from the French word for 'mixed'.
WHY DID THEY MARRY?
• Aboriginal people wanted strong relationships with their European allies and trading partners.
• Aboriginal women didn’t just keep fur traders from being lonely, they also aided in their survival.
• Fur traders needed help with:• Translation• Sewing new clothing• fixing cultural issues.
• Fur traders benefitted from 1000s of years of First Nations experience of living off the land.
WHERE WERE THEY?
• Because of the fur trade, most Métis people were spread along the Canadian fur trade routes.
• The first major Métis communities were established in the Red River area of Manitoba, and they eventually moved further west into Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
• The Metis built good trading relationships between the First Nations and the French.
• Initially, the Hudson's Bay Company (the British fur trading company) didn’t want their fur traders to marry Aboriginal women.
• The Hudson's Bay Company couldn’t stop them, though. • Over time, the Métis became valuable employees of both
fur trade companies the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and their rivals the North West Company.
LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
• When Voyageurs married First Nations women, they often couldn’t speak each other’s languages.
• Children born into these marriages were exposed to both French and a First Nations language (usually Cree).
• A new language, called ‘Michif’ was created as a mix of those two languages.
• Most of the fur traders were French and Catholic. Métis children practiced both Catholic and Aboriginal beliefs.
RUPERT’S LAND
• Rupert's Land was a large area of Canada that was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company. • King Charles II of England was the one who gave
the land to the HBC.
HUDSON’S BAY COMPANY
HBC land, 1821-1870
• Created in 1670 by King Charles II. Originally called the “The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay”
• The HBC is the oldest retail company in North America and is one of the oldest in the world.
• It acted as a government in parts of North America before European-based colonies and countries existed.
• It was at one time the largest landowner in the world.
• First Nations groups shifted and changed over time.
• Caused difficulties for trade:• Trading partners less predictable • Often resulted in fighting between First Nations
groups for trading rights.
• The French wanted to expand the fur trade West, too.• They
pushed inland and established trade with First Nations.
• The French got in the way of a lot of the English traders because they had a stronger presence inland.
• The HBC decided to build more inland forts, which resulted in more tension.
North America in 1702
North America in 1750.