The fur trade began in the 1500’s as an exchange between Indians and Europeans. The Indians traded furs for such goods as tools and weapons. Beaver fur, which was used in Europe to make felt hats, became the most valuable of these furs.

Why did Indians participate in the fur trade?

Indian tribes and fur companies enjoyed mutual benefits from the fur trade. Indians obtained manufactured goods such as guns, knives, cloth, and beads that made their lives easier. The traders got furs, food, and a way of life many of them enjoyed.

Does the fur trade still exist today?

Today the importance of the fur trade has diminished; it is based on pelts produced at fur farms and regulated fur-bearer trapping, but has become controversial. Fur has been replaced in some clothing by synthetic imitations, for example, as in ruffs on hoods of parkas.

Why was the fur trade so important to the Indians?

The fur trade was both very good and very bad for American Indians who participated in the trade. The fur trade gave Indians steady and reliable access to manufactured goods, but the trade also forced them into dependency on European Americans and created an epidemic of alcoholism.

What was the result of the collapse of the fur trade?

By the middle of the 19th century, changing fashions in Europe brought about a collapse in fur prices. The American Fur Company and some other companies failed. Many Native American communities were plunged into long-term poverty and consequently lost much of the political influence they once had.

How did the North West Company persuade the Indians to trade?

The mixed-blood children of marriages in other tribes usually grew up with their mother’s people. Traders, especially those working for the North West Company, often used liquor to persuade Indians to trade. Sometimes, liquor was used to cheat Indians out of their furs.

What did the French trade with the natives?

France saw Indigenous nations as allies, and relied on them for survival and fur trade wealth. Indigenous people traded for European goods, established military alliances and hostilities, intermarried, sometimes converted to Christianity, and participated politically in the governance of New France.