Many Tender Ties Intro and Ch 1

Key Themes (Intro)
The fur trade formed the basis of recorded history in western Canada.
In 1821 the Hudson Bay Company won control of western fur trade.
The culture and social relationships were complex.
One important difference between fur trade and other industry was that it was based on a commodity exchange between two different groups of people.
Marriage a la Facon du pays is: marriage which combined both Indian and European marriage customs to produce a unique and valued family life.
The Indian wife was a cultural liaison between traders and tribes.
The white wife presented the decline of the fur trade coming of colonization no place for Native women in white society.
The woman’s roles were defined in terms of relationship to men.
Chapter 1
The fur trade didn’t seek to conquer the Indian rather there was a mutual dependence.
Ceremonies such as funerals, jostled the common stereotype that Englishmen “insensitive in their dealings with the Natives” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 16).
In written history male fur traders have typically viewed “women as being the fragile, weaker sex dependent upon the chivalrous protection of men” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 17).
The white man was shocked at the “hardships” the Native women faced in every day life. However, they were equally surprised by their intense strength. In fact, life was hard for both sexes and because the women engaged in so much work they had much freedom and had a lot of impact on the decisions made.
The European male was also surprised by the sexual freedom possessed by Native women and although European males were dismayed by it, they also exploited their sexual freedom as well.


Important Quotes (Intro)
In other parts of the world marriage was used as a tool of conquest but in Canada “alliances with Indian women were the central social aspect of the fur traders’ progress across the country” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 4).
Chapter 1
“In the fur trade, white Indian met on the most equitable footing that has ever characterized the meeting of “civilized” and “primitive” people” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 9).
“The fur trader did not seek to conquer the Indian, to take his land or to change his basic way of life or beliefs” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 9).
“The Canadians mixed with the Indians on intimate social terms, which was initially an important factor in their success” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 13).
The traders realized that an “Indian mate could be an effective agent in adding to the trader’s knowledge of Indian life” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 13).
“Unlike the Indian, the European male tended to view woman as a sexual object, placing much more emphasis on her physical attributes” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 21).
“…the liberal sexual attitudes of the Indians served to arouse the white man’s desire, especially in a situation where native women were the only females to be encountered” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 25).

Thoughts/Reflections/Reactions
I think the aspects of sexuality brought up in this section of Many Tender Ties is captivating because it shows the different viewpoints held by both the Native people of the fur trading region and of the European fur traders. The views are interesting because it is the Native people, who are seen as savages, that view sexuality as an integral part of forming relationships and as a part of everyday life while the “sophisticated” Europeans view sexuality as a means of procreation and as something to be ashamed of. Yet it is the Europeans who saw the “woman as a sexual object” (Van Kirk, 1980, p. 21). This is funny to me because my idea of a “sophisticated” or refined people is that the more sophisticated one becomes, the more open and accepting one should be to other’s ways of life and to expressing themselves in any way they so choose. To me this is how native people viewed life and the sexual aspect of life. It was part of their lifestyle and not something that should be hidden or ashamed of but as an expression and as a means of forming relationships. On the other hand, Europeans saw it as something to be ashamed of but behind closed doors engaged in sexual activity. So what I observed here is that the “sophisticated society” is ashamed while the “sava