Transcript Museum Entrance - Christy Keeler's Homepage

Press
for
Curator
Fur Trade
Room
People of
Trade Room
Native
American
Economics
Welcome to the Bonilla Museum
Museum Entrance
Every Day
Living
Native American Fur Trade
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Room 2
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Museum
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Room 3
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Artifact 10
Museum
Entrance
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Artifact 12
Every Day Living
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People of Trade
Room 4
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Artifact 15
Museum
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Artifact 16
Alcohol Trade
One item traded with the Native
Americans in large quantities was
alcohol. This one substance had a
tremendous affect on Native American
culture. Used in negotiations, it is
theorized that the Europeans introduced
alcohol to cloud Native American thought
and reasoning. It was more likely that
intoxicated Native Americans could be
cheated during trades. This often left
trading Indian communities in a state of
poverty. In the early 1800s, attempts
were made to limit the trade of alcohol
with the Native Americans, but were for
the most part unsuccessful.
Image acquired at:
http://www.artzooks.com/photos-images/beerbarrel.html
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Wampum Belt
A Wampum belt is made of rows of beads
woven together. The beads were made out of
shells that had holes drilled in them so they
could be strung together. The beads were
traded among the Native American tribes.
They were used in religious and ritual
ceremonies. In addition, they represented
validated treaties and were used in their oral
traditions. One tribe may have received a
Wampum belt from another tribe as a message
because the color of the beads had different
meanings. After meeting the Europeans, the
Native Americans expanded their bead trade.
Eventually, the Wampum beads represented a
form of money, because they could be used in
exchange for other types of goods.
Image acquired at:
http://www.nativetech.org/wampum/wamppics.htm
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Native American Copper
Native Americans were trading copper
long before they met the Europeans.
Copper was used as utensils, tools, arrow
points, pipes, and in jewelry. The tribes
living near large copper deposits were
very familiar with mining and working with
the copper. As the Native Americans
came into contact with the Europeans,
copper became a valuable commodity
when trading for items made of iron and
steel.
Image acquired at:
http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_
public/north_public.htm
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Weapons Trade
The first European explorers introduced
firearms to the Native Americans. While
exchange was limited in the beginning,
demand rapidly increased with the
introduction of flintlock in the early 1600s.
By the end of the 1600s, European
companies were trading weapons with
the Native Americans on a large scale.
Initially, the traded weapons were not
guaranteed to fire, as many of them
exploded in the hands of their users.
However, as with other manufactured
items, rigid quality requirements were
placed on the trading companies. Native
Americans fashioned gun cases as a way
of displaying their weapon.
Image acquired at:
http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_
public/north_public.htm
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Beaver Pelt Trade
Native Americans traded beaver pelts
before the Europeans arrived, but in
limited quantities. With the arrival of the
Europeans, pelt trade expanded to the
point of near extinction of beavers. In the
mid 1600s, thousands of pelts were traded
with the Europeans in exchange for guns,
alcohol, blankets, cloth, beads, and food.
The European demand for beaver pelts
was high. Not only did they want the pelts
to make warm clothes, but they also
represented a symbol of status. The overhunting of beaver also affected the natural
eco-system.
Image acquired at:
http://www.sd4history.com/Unit4/changelandlesson1.htm
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Land Rights
The Native Americans and the Europeans
viewed land rights differently. It was the
philosophy of the Europeans that any land
discovered became property of the sovereign
monarch. It could be parsed out as they saw
fit. They, therefore, would claim land
ownership. On the other hand, the Indians
viewed land rights differently. Even though the
Europeans thought the Indians had no formal
interest in the land, the Indians had a
sophisticated trade economy which included
land use. They had intertribal treaties, rules for
land rights, and dispute resolution methods.
When entering trade negotiations with the
Europeans, the Indians thought they were
entering into similar land use agreements. The
notion of land ownership was foreign and
resulted in Indians giving up their land and
being forcibly relocated.
Image acquired at:
http://www.maxdstandley.com/giclees/i/the_trail_of_tears.jpg
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Map Making
Due mostly as a result of the fur trade,
Native Americans were employed or
forced to scout areas and make maps for
the Europeans. The Native Americans
already had extensive trade trails and
well established routes across the
country. The Europeans used the
knowledge of the Native Americans to
map out open land for future migration
and trade routes. Many of the Indian trails
became horse paths, then wagon trails,
caravan roads, and eventually highways.
Image acquired at:
http://www.mtmen.org/mtman/html/bville/bvillmap2.jpg
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Deerskin Trade
Another important trading relationship between
the Native Americans and Europeans was with
deerskin trade. Deerskins were exported to
Europe as it was an important source for the
leather industry. As with the fur trade,
competition was fierce. Alliances were formed
and broken between tribes over hunting
grounds, between the Europeans and Native
Americans over trade negotiations, and
between the Europeans over exporting rights.
By the end of the 1600s, over 100,000 pounds
of deerskin were being exported annually. As
trade relations continued between Native
Americans and Europe, the Native Americans
became more dependent upon the European
goods.
Image acquired at:
www.historycooperative.org
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Cooking Tools and Other Things
Europeans not only traded weapons and
alcohol, but a variety of household items. In
exchange for furs and pelts, European
merchants traded kettles, spoons, fish hooks,
combs, scissors, mirrors, needles and thread,
clothing, and blankets. The Native Americans
readily accepted the trade items as they made
some aspects of their lives easier and more
comfortable. They could incorporate some the
European items directly into their traditional
culture. Over time, some of the Native
American tribes had more European goods in
their household than some of the Europeans
themselves. While this trade seemed beneficial
for all parties, it eventually led to Native
Americans becoming dependent on Europeans
goods of trade.
Image acquired at:
http://kikipotamus.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/steami
ng-kettle.jpg
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Corn
One of the main crops for Native
Americans was corn. Over the years,
they developed special cultivation
techniques to produce the best corn for
human consumption. They could grow
corn in almost any type of environment.
The Native Americans would dry and
grind corn to be stored for later
consumption. Corn crops varied from
different tribes, so it was often used in
trade. When the Europeans arrived, corn
became a necessary commodity for
them. They were eager to trade for corn
or corn products.
Image acquired at:
http://www.inmagine.com/searchterms/indian_corn5.html
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Herbs and Medicines
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, the
Native Americans had extensive knowledge of
local herb medicines and treatments. This
included knowing which plants to use, how to
dry or prepare them, and how to store and mix
them for particular ailments. The Indians knew
where the plants grew or which tribe to trade
with if the plant did not grow locally. After the
arrival of the Europeans, the Native American
medicines were not a high value commodity in
the trade circuit. However, knowledge and
techniques were exchanged. Even though
European doctors viewed Native American
healing with a critical eye, many of the herb
ingredients found a place in European
treatments.
Image acquired at:
http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_
public/north_public.htm
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Horse Trade
The Plains Indian horses were introduced to
North America by the Spanish Conquistadors
in the 16th century. They brought a mixture of
breeds and varied in size and color. The
introduction of horses allowed for greater
mobility and were a sought after commodity by
many tribes. When trade was limited, horse
stealing raids occurred. Horse trade was one
of the few items that did not leave the Indians
dependent on the Europeans. In fact, some
tribes were able to breed the horses to
improve their economic situation. Unlike other
items of trade, the horse did not belong to the
whole tribe. It was the property of individuals,
which led to increased status within the tribe.
Image acquired at:
http://www.thefurtrapper.com/indian_horse.htm
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Native American Women
Before coming into contact with the
Europeans, Native American tribes were
matriarchal. While division of labor was equal,
the women were in charge of land tenure and
use. Inheritance and family clans were through
the mother and the women handled the trade
transactions and distribution of goods. They
had a great deal of power and authority over
their lives. Women were responsible for taking
care of the family, caring for the sick and
injured, and maintaining the spirituality of the
tribe. It was often the women who met with
other tribes to negotiate treaties or to make
trade agreements.
Image acquired at:
http://anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/databases/north_
public/north_public.htm
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European Trade
Trade relations with the Native Americans varied depending on
which county the Europeans originated from.
Spain: The Spanish explored new lands in search of precious
metals to increase Spain’s financial status. Successful
conquistadors from Mexico found the new land to be different.
Under the guise of religion, Spain established missions for political
economical purposes. They used Native Americans to work in the
missions and were paid in inexpensive trade goods.
France: The French, like the Spanish, originally explored new lands
looking for precious metals. When the French arrived in North
America, they found few precious metals, but found something
more valuable; fur. Unlike the English, the French were not initially
interested in establishing permanent colonies. They simply wanted
to trade for fur from the Native Americans and export it back to their
homeland.
England: While England eventually got involved in the fur trade,
they originally came to America for different reasons. They were
looking to establish permanent colonies. With the arrival of the
English in Jamestown, the Native Americans were cautious at first.
In time, an offering of informal trade began. The Native Americans
offered food and land use to the English. Relationships became
strained when the English interpreted land use as land ownership.
Image acquired at:
http://www.gracegalleries.com/images/Repros/REPRO29.jpg
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Tribal Men
Traditionally, Native American tribes were
matriarchal. Any power the men had was given
to them by the women and could be taken
away by the women. However, with the arrival
of the Europeans, this changed. Europe was a
patriarchal society, where men were in charge.
They assumed that the Native American
society would be the same. In meetings with
the Indians, the Europeans wanted to deal with
the men. Trade negotiations, treaties, land
rights, and diplomatic relations went through
the men. This led to a change within the Native
American culture and a power shift from the
women to the men.
Image acquired at:
http://nativeamericans.com/NativeAmericanImages4.htm
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Intertribal Trade
Long before the arrival of the Europeans, the
Native Americans had an elaborate system of
trade that networked throughout the country.
Not only did the hunting tribes trade with the
farming tribes, but specialty items that
originated hundreds of miles away could be
traded. Examples include copper from Lake
Superior, pipestone from Minnesota, turquoise
from New Mexico, and marine shells from
coastal tribes. Native Americans exchanged
different varieties of corn, feathers, and hides.
As Native American tribes began trading with
the Europeans, some of the new products
would reach tribes years before the people
would even meet.
Image acquired at:
http://kyusa.addr.com/Cherokee/
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Jennifer Bonilla
Hi, I am a third grade teacher at
Hollingsworth Elementary. I have been
teaching and working in Las Vegas for six
years. This picture is from the Alaskan
cruise that I took this summer. I visited a
dog sled training camp and this is one of
four puppies that an Iditarod racer had
recently birthed.
If you have any questions about my museum,
please e-mail me at
[email protected]
Note: Virtual museums were first introduced by educators at Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham,
Pennsylvania. This template was designed by Dr. Christy Keeler based on one of the sample virtual museums
provided by the Keith Valley staff at ISTE’s NECC 2005. Contact Dr. Keeler for more information on using
this template.
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