- Title:
- The Niitsitapi trade : Euroamericans and the Blackfoot-speaking peoples, to the mid-1830s
- Creator:
- Smyth, David
- Date Created:
- 2002
- Degree Awarded:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Subjects:
- First Nations trade
- Geographical Focus:
- Canada US
- Supporting Materials:
- n/a
- Description:
- The history of the Niitsitapi (the three Blackfoot-speaking peoples of the northern Plains) has largely been misunderstood. This thesis is a re-examination of the Niitsitapi trade, to the 1830s, principally with the North West and Hudson’s Bay companies, and later with American concerns. A more rigorous examination of the documentary record and an understanding of Niitsitapi cultural and religious beliefs permit new interpretations of some key issues in their history. There was no Niitsitapi trade at York Factory in the 18th century, nor was there an Archithinue (a term that included the Niitsitapi and several other First Nations peoples) trade there either. There is insufficient evidence to support the contention of an 18th-century Niitsitapi-Cree trade and military alliance. The Niitsitapi initially refused to kill beaver for the trade because of their belief systems; only after the Hudson’s Bay Company merger of 1821 and a drastic devaluation of wolf pelts did one of the three Niitsitapi peoples (the Piikani) enter the beaver trade, driven to protect their national interests in a 19th-century arms race with neighbouring enemies. Conflict with Americans resulted in part from the American failure to adapt to Niitsitapi protocols of external relations, and in part because the Americans came to Niitsitapi country as hunters and trappers, rather than as traders. Only when ex-North West and Hudson's Bay company employees joined the Missouri River trade did American attitudes change. After 1831, the bulk of the Niitsitapi trade was lost to the British. However, the American demand for and capacity to carry buffalo robes allowed the Piikani to stop killing beaver and to meet their needs through the robe trade. The three Niitsitapi peoples rationally assessed the particular approaches and practices of the three groups of Euroamerican newcomers, recognized the obstacles and opportunities presented in each set of circumstances, and then showed remarkable flexibility in the actions which they took to ensure their survival and prosperity.
Source
- Preferred Citation:
- Smyth, David. 2002. "The Niitsitapi trade : Euroamericans and the Blackfoot-speaking peoples, to the mid-1830s", Department of History, Carleton University
- Link to this page:
- https://cuhistory.github.io/grads/items/hist_173.html
Rights
- Rights:
- Copyright the author, all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.