The fur trade as a whole became a ‘place’ where cultures collided in the Americas. I think that this place created an interesting dynamic between the colonial Europeans (primarily French and British) and the native people who already inhabited that land. This dynamic created a sort of middle ground between them where both had some semblance of power over the other. The native people had power over the European people that came to their land by it being the native home turf, they knew the land and its animals, their habits and the best ways to hunt them. The native people could provide these furs that they had been hunting for generations, and the knowledge of how to acquire and subsequently process these furs. The native people because of this could demand certain products from the Europeans. The Europeans clearly had power here in this situation with the use of guns, other steel tools, and an army that can continuously send new troops. The European population had also not been devastated by the plagues brought over the Atlantic, they were of course inoculated. This area was not only a middle ground because of the power dynamics which both held over the other but also because of the collision of culture. This created a place in which these vastly different cultures could combine and adopt practices from one another. One text, or artifact, perfectly illustrates the way that these cultures come together, the bandolier bag. This bag is a distinctly native made, and worn, artifact, however, it is inspired by the bandolier bags worn by Europeans and only could be made after contact with European people. It also is made with glass beads provided by European people. Despite all of this, it is still uniquely native, it still uses clear native artistic conventions and stylistic choices. Like the vibrant colors and geometric, but clearly naturally inspired, shapes. This bag distills this cross cultural contamination that occurred in this middle ground. It shows how native people, under the influence of European powers, adopted their symbols of power, like a bag that carries European ammunition, a bag that says “look at me, I have the power to kill.” They take these symbols of power as a way to reclaim their own.
