Women in the fur trade, and marriage “a’ la facon du pays”

During the fur trade, marriage a’ la facon du pays, or marriage in the manner of the country, was a marital relationship between Native women and European fur traders, based on Native cultural norms and local customs rather than European ones. Although sometimes temporary, such marriages often lasted a lifetime with or without a Church blessing.

There’s a tendency to think of these marriages as casual liaisons established (and abandoned) wherever the men happened to be working. Yet, promiscuity apparently was not the norm in fur trade society. In fact, relationships between Native women and fur traders probably focused more on building strong family relationships.

In looking at marriage within the fur trade we must keep in mind that fur trade society wasn’t uniform. Different companies had their own rules regarding marriage between their employees and Native women which changed over time. Native groups also had distinct social norms and different contacts with Europeans which influenced their behavior. Still, a study by Sylvia Van Kirk (published in the book Many Tender Ties) demonstrates that “the norm for sexual relationships in fur-trade society was not casual, promiscuous encounters, but the development of marital unions which gave rise to distinct family units.”

Generally, the best interests of both parties were served. Very simply put, fur traders gained helpmates to cement alliances and make a monotonous life more bearable; Native Americans were offered a way of life which placed them in an important position politically and which was richer materially.

Yet the services of Native women (beyond any sexual involvement) were essential to the smooth running of the fur trade. They served as cultural and linguistic interpreters; they trapped small game and fished (and on more than one occasion were responsible for providing the only food available at a post, thus saving the men from starvation). They sewed moccasins, netted snowshoes, and made pemmican. They prepared the skins for shipment and made clothing. They cleaned and washed and, in later years, cared for large gardens at many posts.

A brief comparison between the North West Company (NWC) and Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) serves to highlight some typical differences. The NWC continued the French practice of extensive intermarriage, and all ranks (bourgeois, clerk, and engage) were permitted to marry a’ la facon du pays. The daughters and sons of these unions also intermarried across class lines. One journaler, Ross Cox, writes that Louis La Liberte, a voyageur, apparently addressed one of the company’s proprietors with “familiarity,” because three of his daughters had married wintering partners.

The HBC officially frowned on intermarriage, however, the economic and social pressures were so strong that many officers bent the rules. While London finally altered its stance regarding officers marrying a’ la facon du pays, it was only partially successful in limiting marriage in the upper ranks of the companies. Anxious to retain those who could stand the rigors of a long tenure in the interior, the HBC was forced to turn a blind eye to these indiscretions, creating a hypocritical two-tiered system.

By the early decades of the 1800’s, customs and rules had changed regarding marital relations. Not only did the companies have different concerns, but many Native Americans had become disillusioned and offended by some of the fur traders’ behavior. During this time a group of marriageable women, ideally suited to be fur trade wives, had grown large enough to supplant the full-blooded Indians. This group was the métis, or mixed bloods. They were specifically included as permissible mates in the NWC’s resolution of 1806, which forbid marriages to full bloods.

Thus, another stage in the changing world of fur trade society had begun.