Life in the
early 1800's was extremely difficult for both men and women. The life of a fur
trader was even more difficult as he tried to survive in the uncharted
wilderness to make a living as a trapper. Women of European descent were
virtually unheard of in the fur trade. The very few women, usually wives of
managers of fur companies such as the Hudson’s Bay Company or the Northwest
Company, who accompanied husbands to remote outposts, were considered “tender
exotics.”
Because of
society’s class structure in those days, most of these women didn’t last longer
than a year on these posts before suffering from mental health problems or
returning to cities in the east. Wives of managers were expected to associate
only with other wives of other managers, and in those remote posts, these were
far and few between. The women were not allowed to associate with Indian women
or half-breed women, even if they could communicate somehow. Servants (Indian
women) were usually available to perform domestic duties, so there was nothing
for a wife to do to even relieve her boredom. Her only duty was to her husband
and family, and most of the time the husband wasn’t even at the post, traveling
for months at a time.
Fur trappers
in the Rocky Mountains often took Indian women as wives. An Indian woman’s
primary responsibilities in her tribe was that of housekeeping, which included
child rearing, butchering, cooking, the labor-intensive task of tanning hides,
collecting firewood, preserving food for winter, setting up and maintaining
camp, and sewing clothing.
A man who
wanted to take a bride would have to provide the woman’s father (or oldest male
relative if the father was dead) with certain trade goods such as horses, guns,
blankets, etc., in exchange for the woman. The bride price was determined by
the father based on the value he placed on his daughter’s loss of productivity
around his lodge.
Many Indian
women considered it an honor to be chosen as the wife of a fur trapper. It
offered the woman a different way of life which was often easier physically and
offered her more material things. An Indian woman married to a trapper
either remained at her village, or moved to the fort or trading post with her
husband. She might also accompany him on his wanderings. If a woman remained
with her village, her life probably didn’t change much, except that she had
access to many luxury items which were not available to the other women. Items
such as kettles, knives, awls and wool and cotton fabrics greatly eased the
domestic burdens of the women.
Because
there were no preachers or priests to perform wedding ceremonies, marriages
were “after the customs of the country,” or a
la facon du pays. This arrangement met both the needs of the Indian and the
trapper. By making their women available to trappers and traders, the Indians
were able to forge trade alliances and social bonds, and expected access to
trading posts, provisions, and trade goods.
Trappers
also realized the benefits of marriage to an Indian woman, especially the
daughter of a chief or highly respected hunter. Such an arrangement provided
the trapper with a translator and cultural liaison within the tribe. The
domestic chores the wife performed freed the trapper to spend more time
trapping and trading.
Marriages
were easy to terminate by either the man or the woman. A man could simply “turn
off” his wife by leaving her behind, and a woman who wanted a “divorce” would
indicate this by leaving the man’s belongings outside their lodge. Statistically,
most marriages lasted up to 15 years, and most ended with the death of one or
the other spouse.
Anyone who has read any of my Yellowstone Romance Series books knows that I fudge with the historical accuracy quite a bit. My mountain men heros live in the remote Yellowstone region year round, which most likely never happened, and even more far-fetched is it that they would marry a white woman and raise a family there. My new trilogy of books is set a little south of Yellowstone in the Teton/Jackson Hole region, and I introduce a new mountain man hero, and the woman who proves herself strong enough to endure all that the wilderness (and the people of the era) can throw at her.
This was very interesting Peggy, thanks for posting it!
ReplyDeleteI think the important part of a good story is the right energy. Historically being pure often would be boring and tragic ;)
ReplyDeletePeggy, you should cite the source of the material above. Readers may visit Michael Schaubs webpage at http://www.mman.us/women.htm
ReplyDelete