What Did The Fur Traders Trade?

The fur trade began in the 1500’s as an exchange between Indians and Europeans. The Indians traded furs for

such goods as tools and weapons

. Beaver fur, which was used in Europe to make felt hats, became the most valuable of these furs. … Today, almost all trappers sell their pelts.

What animals were traded in the fur trade?

Beaver pelts were in the greatest demand, but other animals such as

mink, muskrat, fox and sable marten

were also trapped. In the 1830s, when beaver lost its value as a staple fur, HBC maintained a profitable trade emphasizing fancy fur.

What did the fur trade include?

During the fur trade in Canada, items of European manufacture (historically referred to in the literature as Indian trade goods) were traded with Indigenous peoples for furs. These items include, for example,

metal objects, weapons and glass beads

.

What did the colonists trade for furs?

The first Europeans to purchase furs from Indians were French and English fishermen who, during the 1500s, fished off the coast of northeastern Canada and occasionally traded with the Indians. In exchange, the Indians received

European-manufactured goods such as guns, metal cooking utensils, and cloth

.

What three factors ended the fur trade?

• to see if river travel all the way to the Pacific Ocean was. possible.
• to learn about the land, plants, animals.
• to learn about the native Indian people.

Why was the fur trade bad?

The fur trade resulted in many long term effects that

negatively impacted Native people throughout North America

, such as starvation due to severely depleted food resources, dependence on European and Anglo-American goods, and negative impacts from the introduction of alcohol-which was often exchanged for furs.

Who started the fur trade?

The fur trade started because of a fashion craze in Europe during the 17th century. Europeans wanted to wear felt hats made of beaver fur. The most important players in the early fur trade were

Indigenous peoples and the French

. The French gave European goods to Indigenous people in exchange for beaver pelts.

Why is beaver fur so valuable?

The pelts of American beavers are

valuable in the fur trade

and are largely used in making coats and hats. During the first several centuries of the European colonization of North America, beaver pelts were one of the most important natural resources to be exported from the northern regions of that continent.

How many animals were killed in the fur trade?

Each year,

around one hundred million animals

are bred and killed on intensive fur farms specifically to supply the fashion industry with not only traditional fur coats but, increasingly, real fur trim for hooded jackets, and real fur pompoms used on hats, gloves, shoes and a range of other clothing and accessories.

Who benefited from the fur trade?

The fur trade contributed to the development of

British and French empires

in North America. During the 1600’s, the prospect of wealth from the fur trade attracted many Europeans to the New World. Traders and trappers explored much of North America in search of fur.

How did the fur trade affect the economy?

When hunting for food, Indigenous peoples would take only what they needed. Surpluses. were not necessary. Now, the fur trade economy meant

that the more furs hunted, the more money there was to be made

.

What is a fur trader called?

Unlicensed independent traders, known as

coureurs des bois (or “runners of the woods”)

, began to do business in the late 17th and early 18th century. Over time, many Métis were drawn to the independent trade; they were the descendants of French trappers and native women.

What is beaver fur called?

There were two types of beaver pelts:

castor gras

and castor sec. The term “castor gras” designates pelts taken by the Indians when prime, trimmed into rectangular shape, 5 to 8 of them sewn together and worn with the fur next to the body for 12 to 18 months.

What two things brought the fur business to an end?

Over trapping led to the virtual extermination of the beavers;

their exhaustion and the simultaneous decline in the popularity of beaver fur hats, replaced by fashionable silk ones

, brought an end to an era.

How much did beaver hats cost in the 1800s?

How did the fur trade affect both natives and fur traders?

The fur trade was both very good and very bad for American Indians who participated in the trade. The

fur trade gave Indians steady and reliable access to manufactured goods

, but the trade also forced them into dependency on European Americans and created an epidemic of alcoholism.