I believe that the fur trade in the early United States was not only a common ground between Native culture and European culture, but I believe that it is THE common ground between Native culture and European culture. The Native understanding of the land and the area that was present was a huge benefactor in their favor in the early buddings of these trade relationships. The knowledge they had allowed for them to not only provide invaluable knowledge to the British, but also dictate the market, as the unfamiliar territory brought with it many riches that were not easy to access by someone who does not know anything about the area. This gave a lot of mutual respect between the two sides and allowed them to flourish and grow as partners. However, as the British began to colonize North America, we see these relationships and power dynamics take a turn. Just as it was with many of the other aspects of Native and British interaction, we see the British side become more exploitative and manipulative of the Indigenous peoples. The power had shifted hands to the knowledge being in British hands and the relationship slightly dwindled, especially after the revolution when much of the land ended up being taken from these peoples. The push of Native peoples out of their own land allowed the Europeans to just take what they needed, rather than trade for it. While it did not completely die, it was diminished. When we look at the artifacts like we viewed in our discussions that were exchanged, especially from the native side, we can most definitely use them as historical documents. In my opinion, it is a physical receipt of the wheelings and dealings of the fur trade. A lot of textiles and crafted materials were given away, such as the bandolier bag, in exchange for the other goods that they could not find around their homeland. These are not only direct examples of the transactions that went on, but a lot of them are beautiful, and can be just as much viewed as a primary source as a letter from the same time period.