The Europeans affected the fur trade and the people involved in many ways. Europeans in North America and back home in Europe loved furs. This increased the fur trade substantially which caused many problems. There was increased conflict between tribes as they competed for control over areas and trade routes. This caused territorial ownership and greed that did not exist in Native tribes previously. Native fur traders gave up their nomadic lifestyle to be able to stay closer to other traders. Natives once hunted animals only to get what they needed to survive. Once Europeans entered the fur trade, hunting increased substantially and effected animal populations.
Trading also introduced things outside of furs, such as religion, alcohol and diseases. With more and more contact with Europeans, Natives were seen as savages and they needed to be cultured. Religious leaders and groups began to travel to Native tribes and teach them how to be civilized. The added contact also introduced diseases that Native populations had never experienced before. Many tribes were devastated by the number of people who died and could no longer function without the help of European society. This led to Natives relying on trading posts to buy food and products to survive. They got used to European conveniences and over generations they lost the ability to do things that their ancestors could. Alcohol was another item introduced to Aboriginals through trading. For some, this negatively affected their life as they spent their money on alcohol instead of things they needed.
The fur trading industry could be seen as a positive for some, but overall, it affected the lifestyle of Aboriginal tribes so much that they were no longer able to return to the life they enjoyed before European arrival.
No comments:
Post a Comment