The colorful beads and silver or copper or pewter pendants (above) are representative of the trade goods bartered between French fur traders and Native Americans throughout New France (Canada) in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In an effort to control the fur trade the governors of New France only licensed a few French traders, and expected the Indians to bring their furs to Montreal where the government could keep an eye on them.
But, in short order hundreds of young, enterprising Frenchmen known as voyageurs ("travelers" in French) paddled canoes up the St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers to rendezvous with Indian trappers to obtain their furs.

Another bolder class of Frenchmen known as couriers de bois ("Runners of the Woods" in French) loaded their canoes with metal hatchets, knives, kettles, traps, needles, fish hooks, cloth and blankets, jewelry and decorative items. In later times they also exchanged firearms and sometimes illegal alcohol.

They pushed into the remote wilds of Canada, where they paddled their canoes as many as 16 hours a day while carrying two packs weighing 90 pounds (40 kilograms) each across portages. They learned the Indians' language and customs and gained their friendship with gifts like the colorful beads and trade silver pendants above.

The couriers de bois would often spend a year or two living and trapping with the Indians.

They learned to live, hunt, and dress like the Indians. Sometimes they married Indian women and settled down with their tribes. They learned to survive the freezing winters. Many they did not see another European for several years.


1. Fur Trade Hudson Bay Medallion

Hudson Bay 18" Adj. Trade Necklace, Celtic Cross HB Touch Mark at its best ....Medium sized budded Celtic cross. Design attributed to Narcisse Roy, and sold by the Hudson Bay trading company. The "NR" and "HB" hallmarks are visible on the front. Measures 3 3/8" by 2", highly polished German Silver with ring. The oval on the front is sized for a 9 x 6 mm jewel, stone, or waumpum piece; add your own favorite color and material to make your piece unique...The Beads are Crow Beads Carved Rondel Bone Beads and Hudson Bay Cornaline d' Aleppo Trade Beads White Hearts As Pictured
Hudson Bay Trade German Silver Celtic Cross is a beautifully made of original a piece from the Fur Trade Era.

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