Weeks 15-17: Rise of the West IDs
The Furry North American Trade
The North American Fur trade started in North America right after the European exploration of America started. It was one of the most important industries in North America and encouraged the Europeans to invest more effort in exploration. The fur trade started around the 1500's as the Europeans slowly interacted with the Native Americans more and more. The Europeans who had lots of tools and weapons, gave these items to the Indians in exchange for animal fur. The fur was used for warmth, decorations, ceremonies, and symbolized pride. The first traders with the Indians were the French and thier early trade spurred a demand for fur in Europe. This demand led to an increase in hunting in America as well as an increase in the species hunted. The ability to trade fur along with the desire to find treasure led to more exploration and expiditions in the Western Hemisphere.
The major items that were traded for fur were:
-knives
-awls
-Axe heads
-glass beads
-kettles
-jewelry
-cloth of various type and color
-linen shirts
-woolen blankets
-fish hooks
-muskets
-gun powder/ammo
Link to a North American Fur trade related site http://www.thefurtrapper.com/rendezvous.htm
<<< its a beaver pelt. Beaver was one of the most poplar items of fur that was traded.
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