In my opinion, it is hard to say whether the fur trade was a “middle ground” or a “Native ground” since the social and political situations differed between regions in America. The trade could be referred to as a “middle ground” because it established the reciprocal benefits (although may not be equal) between the colonizers and the Native people, and emphasized the critical roles of Native women in the business. At the same time, the trade can be seen as a “Native ground” since the Native were the ones that made the final products and decided who they wanted to do the business with. However, if I have to choose whether the fur trade was a “middle ground” or a “Native ground”, I would choose the “Native ground” option. In general, making money was the top priority for European businessmen. In order to have a good business, they had to be on good terms with the indigenous people and satisfy the requests of their Native business partners.
The business relationship certainly reshaped the social dynamics in North America. Given the role of Native people in the trade, as mentioned in class, we could see the rise in business marriage between the European men and Native women. The roles of Native women were far more than a bridge connecting the Native communities with European traders. In class, we discussed about Natoyist-Siksina, an important Native diplomat, who influenced both the trading scale and politics. The marriage with the indigenous women was a great strategy to establish kinship and receive help from the Native community. Although it is obvious that the European traders benefited a lot from this relationship, personally, the Native communities also received certain “respect” and even political power.
I think the product from the fur trade represents the complex trading network between America and other countries as well as the cultural intertwinement between the European countries and Native people. Reading about the Bandolier Bag article written by Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank (2015), I can see how the bag made its way to the Native community and how the Native women turned the bag into something that can be used and represented their cultures.
Reference
Kilroy-Ewbank, L. (2015, August 9). Bandolier Bag. Smarthistory. Retrieved May 5, 2024 from