The Fur Trade: Relationship Between The Aboriginal Peoples And The Europeans

The fur trade was a significant point in history regarding the relationship between the Aboriginal Peoples and the Europeans. It was a key factor in shaping North America into the land it now is. The trade brought European goods, permanent trading posts, European communities and settlers across the waters over to North American. The relationships between the English, French and the Natives developed, as did conflict and war. War among the parties occurred when those involved wanted to control the fur trade. The Iroquoian Wars were a series of conflicts primarily between the Iroquoian against the Huron, Algonquin and French. This lead to many deaths, but was inevitable when two vastly different cultures meet with one seeking the economic benefits …show more content…
When the Iroquois started attacking the Huron, the Huron were forced north to their French allies. Afterwards, the Iroquois extended their attacks to the French. Raids on settlements and Montreal followed, which left many dead. Prisoners were taken, many people were butchered by tomahawks and scalping knifes and others were even slowly tortured. With vengeance and greed on their minds, the wars brought out the worst in the people, namely the Iroquoian tribes. Not only were they expanding north, but they continued west as well. Their expansion west pushed the Algonquin out of the Ohio area, and as well as the Lakota from the east. This event altered the Lakota’s lifestyle to a nomadic one as they were now in the Plains and had just to adjust to their new surroundings. It wasn’t until the French lead a counter attack that the Iroquoian stopped their expansion. However, when the French Governor aggressively tried to expand the fur trade to the west, the Iroquois fought back. Once again, another war begun for years, until peace was made the Iroquois agreed to stop their attacks and …show more content…
War is born from conflict and most commonly greed. Ideally this conflict is resolved through peaceful means before one party decides to use force to obtain what they desire. War has always been a problem since ancient times to modern day and is the cause of countless deaths throughout time. War is never a good thing because it is used when one side goes to the extreme to destroy the other, leaving both sides with causalities and the other with a loss of their beliefs. Relating to the Iroquoian Wars, war occurred as the Iroquoian tribes were pressured by a decline in population due to disease and a desire to control the fur trade. By controlling the fur trade they would gain a boost to their economy, thus gaining more power in the new world. War is often the simplest way for a group to obtain what they desire. In the case of the Iroquoians, they fought for greed and were successful. However, they became carried away during their expansion. They started to fight against the French who they could not successfully conquer when their Dutch allies are no more and additionally held too much land to control. Along with this, they violently slaughtered their enemies, harming their future relationships with one another immensely. War brings out the worst in people and can devastate cultures to the point of