Aboriginal History

ABORIGINAL HISTORY
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(10/06/2012)
Aboriginal History
Introduction
In the fur Trade Society of Western Canada, women were influenced in the trade in different occasions. As it was properly expressed, the fur trade was being referred to the history of the early Canadian west. This trade dominated the force for shaping the history of Canadian`s four western provinces for several time. This helped in the formation of western Canada to frontier society that appeared to be unique in the realm of interracial contact. The history for Canada for a long time was characterized by relatively less violent between white and the Indians citizens.[Keith, Cole The aborigines of Victoria, New York: Keith Cole publications, 1982]
The little violent that were experienced between the whites and the Indians were as a result of the following reasons. The first point was that, by its very nature, the fur trade that was taking place in Canada was predicted on mutual dependency, as well as, exchange among Indian and the white. At this point, it was known that the only essential Indian was the one that was alive for it was the Indian who gave out both the market, as well as, the pelts for European commodities. According to the researchers, it was approved that not only the Indian men who promoted the Fur trade but also the women worked hard in the establishment of this trade in India.[Richard, Broome. Aboriginal Victorians: A History since 1800, New York: Allen and Unwin 2005]
During this trade, women were responsible for trapping smaller fur- trade animals especially the marten was expensively sold. The Indian women also emerged as diplomats, as well as, peacemakers, symbolizing that they were ready to maintain the flow of European commodities into their country. During this time, some of the goods were still on demand by the Indian women comprised of cloths, kettle, needles, and knives. These commodities were to assist in alleviating the Canadian women`s work role.
The other factors, which encouraged the, Indian women to promote harmonious relationship was the wider occurrence of intermarriage that was taking place between the incoming traders, as well as, the Indian women. This was especially experienced among the Ojibwa and the Chipewyan. As a result, the Indian women showed indispensable helpmates to the men, as well as, officers who belonged to both the Canadian rival and British based Hudson`s Bay Company, together with the North West Company. As a result, those unions, which were interracial, were the basis for a fur trade society and were sanctioned by indigenous rights.[Langton, Marcia Rachel, Pks. First Australians. Sydney: The Miegunyah press, 2010]
The establishment of marriage contributed to a complete and changing interaction among the traders and the local Indians societies. As a result, several Indian bands actively encouraged the establishment of marital alliances between their ladies and traders who visited their country. This made the Indians understand marriage in an intergraded social, as well as, economic context. Therefore, through marriage, several traders were drawn into the Indian kinship circle in return for offering the traders sexual and domestic rights to their women. It was also approved that Indian expected reciprocal privileges, which included free, access to the provisions and posts.[Richard, Broome. Aboriginal Victorians: A History since 1800, New York: Allen and Unwin 2005] [Langton, Marcia Rachel, Pks. First Australians. Sydney: The Miegunyah press, 2010]
The attitude of Indian changed, impressing the traders concerning marriage alliance that were essential means of ensuring commodities were improving trade relationship between the new tribes. During this period, the North West Company learned from their former French predecessors about the benefits to be gained from intermarriage practices. During that time, the Hudson`s Bay Company was slower on appreciating the truth concerning life in Rupert`s Land. That was the name given the chartered territory of the Hudson`s Bay Company encouraging the west drainage basis of Hudson. At that time, official policy established limited interaction between this tribe but officers who were in the field at the beginning started breaking the rules. That officer led in the formation of unions with the women related to the prominent Indian leaders, although there were several variations in the extent to which their servants were permitted to form unions with their native women.[McPhee. Gribble, Aboriginal Melbourne: the lost land of the kulin people. Mcphee Gribble, 1994.]
Other than the, public social, benefits, traders desire to form unions with Indian women was added by the absence of the white women. Although, they never came as settlers several of the fur traders spent the good part of their live in Rupert`s land and were a fact which helped in the development of West Canadian that for a century was dominated with white women. At the some, stability of several international unions established in India stemmed partly from the fact that Indian women gave out the only opportunity for a trader for domestic life with wife and children. At the sometimes the traders as well learned that they dealt with Indian women at their own peril. It was also experienced that as in the trade ceremony, the ritual of marriage signified a lot to Indians customs compared to European.[Van Kirk. Sylvia, Many Tender Ties: Women in Far Trade Society in Western Canada, 1670 - 1870. New York: Watson Dwyer Publishing Limited. 1983]
As a result, there were two basic aspects which encouraged them to form unions. The first step was to protect the consent of the women`s relationship. It as well appeared that the wishes of the women were suspected for there was evidence that Indian women actively sought fur trade husbands. As a result, the bride price had to be decided although it varied considerably among the tribes. The bride price could amount to many hundreds of dollars` worth of trade goods. After the bride price, the couple was ceremoniously conducted to the fort where they were duly recognized as husband and wife. At the same time, marriage payments in the Canadian West became a must for, Indian white, union which were reinforced by mutual interest, traditional, as well as, peer group pressure.
As a rule, the custom of the nation was to be strongly observed, it was a significant that in the year of 1867, when the legitimacy of the union between the Chief factor, William Connolly and his wife was tried before Canadian court. Later on, the judge ordered the marriage to be valid as the wife had been married according to the customs of her own people. The intermarriage system contributed to personal benefits as well as, remarkable economic partnership between those people. The Indian ladies possessed some range of skills that were believed to be valid for the white wife. On the other hand, although the work role of the nomadic Indian woman was somehow disregarded as a result of the post of the fur trade, a point at which the trade relied upon their technology kept the women busy.
Additionally, the most essential domestic duty that was performed by the women at the fur trade post was to ensure shoes were supplied to men on time. During that period, the men of all companies never dressed in Indian style, but they universally adopted the Indian shoes as the most practical footwear for the wilderness. Indian women also made an essential contribution in the preservation of food. That was because they were responsible for skinning the animal that was hunted, as well as cutting the meat up into smaller pieces to enable them dried in the sun, as well as, fire which was lighting in the slowest rate. Immediately the meat was ready, the women pounded it into a thick, flaky mass. Th...