Hivernants

Hivernants were used during the North American fur trade to describe Métis who spent the winter months hunting and trapping on the Canadian prairies where they built small temporary villages.

This was as opposed to the summer hunt, which was primarily aimed at harvesting meat.

Hivernant may also refer to a vacationer who spends the winter months at a resort or vacation center in a warmer climate.

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, many of the seasonal visitors to the French Riviera were referred to as hivernants.

With the ability to vacation abroad (or domestically if they were French) for months on end (usually October until May), these hivernants were typically wealthy elites.