women in fur-trade society, 1670-1870
- Categories
- Book/Boek
- Creator
- Van Kirk, Sylvia
- Publish Year
- 1983
- Shelfmark
- CAN 53 1983 - B
- Thesaurus
- beroepen in de handel, handel, indianen, autochtonen, gemengde huwelijken, partners van, integratie, cultuur, mannen, witte vrouwen, racisme, sociale klasse, kolonialisme, historisch, Canada, 17e eeuw, 18e eeuw, 19e eeuw
- Description
- In this book the fur trade is examined not simply as an economic activity but as a social and cultural complex that continued for nearly two centuries. Marriages of fur traders to Indian women created bonds that helped advance trade relations. As a result there emerged a unique society derived from both Indian and European culture. Gradually mixed-blood women took their positions in fur-trade society as they possesed the ideal qualifications for a fur trader's wife. In a society where marriage defined a woman's position, white women felt threatened by the presence of acculturated native women against whom they might have to compete for husbands. White women emerged as agents of racism seeking to protect their social status. The author pieced together information from extensive collections of traders' journals, letters, and wills, examining historica evidence in the broader context of social relevance.