NRC 225 1st Edition Lecture 6Outline of Last Lecture I. Land EthicII. Why Study the Fur TradeIII. Who were the real savvy traders?IV. Where in the World in 1650?V. Where in the World in 1810?VI. RiversVII. BeaversVIII. Trading CompaniesIX. ExplorationX. CanoesOutline of Current Lecture I. Furs from all animalsII. Course of EventsIII. As we traded with the IndiansIV. Practicality of the canoeV. Trading CurrenciesVI. Ecological FootprintVII. Forest Ecosystem EffectsCurrent LectureThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Key Points from Part 1Aboriginal lifeway’s (1,000’s of year)European lifeway’sGlobal in scope….ecological and sociopolitical impactsForest, wildlife, waterways, indigenous peopleThe furs came to be from all different types of animalsThe more rare the animal the more expensiveSome furs became more expensive per weight than gold and became known as “soft gold”Well organized fur trade businessCourse of EventsExploration, contact, and trade from East to WestMade possible because of network of rivers and lakesStrategic sites for Trading Posts (local economy)Geography w/r to tribes largely unplannedOften times they couldn’t even speak the same languagesCooperation and alliances(Traders and native people…intermarriage)Both sides benefit from the tradesCoexistence, competition, and conflictLoss of traditional skills=dependence on tradersDisplacement by logging, farming, settlementsSo efficient that it was the fore runner of the more obvious changesLandscape was forever transformedAs we traded with Indians Conflicts with tribes around themTrade them for fur in exchange of weaponsThe tribe with the modern weapons bigger and more powerful than other tribeSome tribes cease to exist because of these patterns of occurrenceUnintended consequence of the efficiencies of fur tradeThree tons of cargo could be carried in each Montreal canoeYou would have been better off on a ship than a canoe-it was riskyVery strategic about packingExample: Bring pales that stacked on top of each otherBrought ax heads and would find wood for the bodyTrading “currency”=one prime beaver peltTable of prices based on beaver peltsYou would go to a store and pay in beaver peltsIndigenous people also traded helpful survival items to the men working the trading postsExample: Guiding a trader to another post=11 beaversEverything based on beaver pelt for example 1 bear pelt=1 beaver peltEcological Footprint of Northwest Company in 1790Beaver-106,000Musquash-17,000Total animals-184,300“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe”-John MuirPopulations all out of whack the effects are felt throughout the ecosystemForest Ecosystem Effects (1700-present)Of the extirpation of beaverOn wetlandsStreams and riversWaterfowl Fish communitiesOf the reduction/elimination of predators (large and small)PreyPopulation cyclesForest vegetationForest successionHudson Bay Company and Northwest Company started using teams of dogs to carry sledsMost food we eat is a combination of native meats and European recipesFiddle-adopted instrument of fur tradeLondon School of Economics founded by fur