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History of the Canadian Fur Trade and Western Indigenous Nations
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History of the Canadian Fur Trade and Western Indigenous Nations
History of the Canadian Fur Trade and Western Indigenous Nations
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1
Question
How does the environmental carrying capacity of northern Canada compare to the southern regions?
Page 2
Answer
The North had a much lower carrying capacity than southern Canada, which prevented the support of large farming populations in pre-industrial times.
2
Question
Which Indigenous group moved across the Arctic from Alaska to Labrador between about 900 and 1500 CE?
Page 2
Answer
The Thule people moved across the Arctic, eventually replacing or overwhelming the Dorset people.
3
Question
What is the primary reason why French expansion into the North was slow during the 17th century?
Page 4
Answer
The French relied on Indigenous middlemen like the Wendat and Innu, meaning they did not need to push north immediately.
4
Question
How did Radisson and Des Groseilliers contribute to the creation of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC)?
Page 5
Answer
They traveled to James Bay, were punished by the French, and then took their knowledge to the English to help form the company in 1670.
5
Question
What was the function of the 'home guard' system around Hudson’s Bay Company forts?
Page 7
Answer
Indigenous groups with prior territorial claims got first access to trade goods and provided fresh meat and hunting access.
6
Question
Who was Thanadelthur, and why was her role significant in 1715?
Page 7
Answer
She was an escaped Cree slave and Dënesųlįné woman who acted as an intermediary to negotiate peace between the Cree and Dënesųlįné.
7
Question
What were the structural differences between the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC)?
Page 11
Answer
The NWC used a flexible profit-sharing system with wintering partners, while the HBC was hierarchical, centralized in London, and led by men with little trade experience.
8
Question
What impact did the smallpox epidemic of 1780 have on the political balance of the western Plains?
Page 12
Answer
It disrupted the possibility of Indigenous peoples forcing Europeans out of the region and changed the overall political balance.
9
Question
Who was the first European to cross the North American continent, and whose maps did he use?
Page 12
Answer
Alexander Mackenzie became the first European to cross the continent, using maps created by Peter Pond.
10
Question
How did Jay’s Treaty of 1794 affect the North West Company (NWC)?
Page 10
Answer
It limited access to the American northwest, which forced the North West Company to push its operations farther north and west.
11
Question
What characterized the Western fur trade as a frontier of commerce?
Page 13
Answer
The Western fur trade was a contested, unstable, and often violent system shaped by both Indigenous nations and Europeans.
12
Question
When did horses first arrive on the northern Plains, and when did they become widely spread?
Page 13
Answer
Horses arrived in the 1730s and spread widely across the northern Plains by the mid-18th century.
13
Question
What evidence suggests that dogs remained important to the Plains Cree despite the arrival of horses?
Page 13
Answer
The Plains Cree continued to use huge numbers of dogs as late as the mid-19th century.
14
Question
What were the primary responsibilities of women regarding dog packs in Indigenous Plains communities?
Page 13
Answer
Women managed large dog packs, fed and trained them, culled litters, and prepared dog meat for ceremonial feasts.
15
Question
Between 1680 and 1750, from which specific factors did the Cree derive their power?
Page 13
Answer
Cree power came from access to HBC guns, control of trade relationships, and alliances with the Anishinaabeg and Nakoda Oyadebi.
16
Question
Why were Shoshone sinew-backed bows considered effective rivals to guns in the early 19th century?
Page 13
Answer
The bows were extremely effective when combined with iron arrowheads and were often valued as much as a horse or a gun.
17
Question
How did Cree marksmen with English guns affect Shoshone dominance in the South Saskatchewan River region?
Page 14
Answer
The Cree stopped Shoshone dominance and pushed them south by meeting their raids with English guns.
18
Question
Following the acquisition of horses by both the Iron Confederacy and Niitsitapi, what items became subjects of their competition?
Page 14
Answer
They competed over trade, horses, gunpowder, shot, and the locations of fur trade posts.
19
Question
Which four groups were primarily involved in the emergence of a broad 'Plains Indian' culture by the late 18th century?
Page 14
Answer
The Cree, Nakoda Oyadebi, Anishinaabe, and Niitsitapi were the groups involved in this emerging culture.
20
Question
What three social results occurred on the Plains due to better food supplies and bison hunting?
Page 14
Answer
Better food supplies led to population growth, longer life expectancy, and larger, more complex social organization.
21
Question
How did the rise of bison-centered life specifically affect the labor of Indigenous women?
Page 14
Answer
It increased women’s work in butchering and meat preparation, making them central to the cultural transformation.
22
Question
In the Northwest fur trade, who were 'home guards' and what did they provide to major forts?
Page 15
Answer
Home guards were Indigenous communities living near forts who supplied labor, food, and intelligence.
23
Question
What did marriage to an Indigenous woman provide for European fur traders working inland?
Page 15
Answer
It provided reliable annual fur returns and stronger local alliances with Indigenous groups.
24
Question
Why did Indigenous women's status often decline in fur trade society during the 19th century?
Page 16
Answer
Their status declined as European and Canadian women entered society and the system became more race-conscious.
25
Question
How did the British/HBC pattern of intermarriage differ from the Montreal/French pattern?
Page 16
Answer
HBC unions were year-round and led to British-oriented identities; French relationships were more mobile, informal, and later formalized 'à la façon du pays'.
26
Question
What linguistic components make up the Michif language developed by the Métis around 1800?
Page 17
Answer
Michif is a mixed language that combines French nouns with Cree verb phrases.
27
Question
Why was the Red River cart considered a major innovation for the Métis?
Page 17
Answer
It could carry large loads across prairie and rivers, facilitating long-distance transport and dominance over trade routes.
28
Question
What is pemmican, and why was it vital for the western fur trade?
Page 18
Answer
Pemmican is dried bison meat mixed with fat and berries; it provided the energy source needed for long canoe journeys.
29
Question
What was the purpose of the 1814 Pemmican Proclamation issued by Miles Macdonnell?
Page 18
Answer
It banned pemmican exports to NWC forts to protect food supplies for HBC settlers in the Red River Colony.
30
Question
What was the outcome and significance of the Battle of Seven Oaks on June 19, 1816?
Page 18
Answer
Governor Robert Semple and 19 HBC men were killed; it marked the rise of the Métis as a self-aware nation.