Marriage à la façon du pays
It has been suggested that it fell out of practice due to increasing pressures of Catholic ideology and a growing population of non-indigenous women including the new generation of "mixed-breed" daughters who eventually replaced their native mothers as fur traders' wives.
The presence of women in the factories (i.e. trading posts) of what is now Canada had been banned by the Hudson's Bay Company as early as 1683.
Europeans were less experienced with the vegetation, wildlife, and seasonal rhythms of North America, so they often relied heavily on the indigenous people for their survival.
These marriages often came with the expectation that they would secure trade between the woman's relations and the trader and in times of need, would provide mutual aid.
One account from James Strange, an early Maritime trader on Vancouver Island, stated, "The Deserved Ascendancy which the Females have over the minds and actions of their husbands appeared Accordingly in several instances to vary considerably, for my part, in my Mercantile capacity.
I dreaded the sight of a Woman, for whenever any were present, they were sure to Preside over & direct all commercial transactions, and as often as that was the case, I was obliged to pay three times the Price for What in their absence, I could have procured for One third the value."
Another newcomer named James Swan noted, "The females are permitted to speak freely before the men, to whom, indeed, they sometimes address themselves in a tone of authority.
Fostering relationships was valuable for securing trade access and loyalty between Native groups and European traders.
[11]: 119 The women's production of food would become increasingly important to the traders when trade locations shifted to Native villages.
[12]: 526 In contrast, Sylvia Van Kirk believes that even though the benefits that Aboriginal women gained were questionable, they were ultimately able to secure certain advantages for themselves through marriage.
One account from a trader was that he was required to pay her family 15 guns and 15 blankets as well as other items in order to take his bride[1] At first, the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) forbade their men from marrying or having sexual relations with Indigenous women.
[14] The North West Company (NWC) was a little more forward-thinking than HBC and encouraged marriages between their officers and Indigenous women.
For example, copper pots and pans lasted longer than clay and were lighter to carry, changing how women worked.
In addition, indigenous wives became language interpreters and cultural liaisons between their fur trader husbands and their family of origin or tribal connections.
Their Native wives helped them to learn these tasks, such as making snowshoes, canoes, clothing, and arguably most important, moccasins.
The elaborate beadwork designs were an important source of income for Indigenous and Métis women, especially when their fur trader husbands could be away for months at a time.
While the Native women fulfilled traditional marital roles as sexual partners and possessed valuable skills such as cooking, sewing, and moccasin- and snowshoe-making, their most attractive feature was the promise of economic prosperity.
This inclusion in his wife's Native community guaranteed the European husband steady, easy access to furs.
[11]: 111 For a Native woman, engaging in a marriage à la façon du pays could be just as beneficial to her as it was to her husband.
Furthermore, Sleeper-Smith claims that being married to a European fur trader increased the authority of his Indigenous wife and the importance of the entire community.
[20]: 423–424 In fact, some women gained enough power that they faced opposition from other traders, who objected to their control over trading practices.
[20]: 426 Marriages between fur traders and Indigenous women declined after the turn of the nineteenth century when intermarriage became less politically and economically advantageous on both sides.
Both Métis and European wives were seen as more appropriate partners, due to growing anti-Aboriginal prejudice and other social and cultural reasons.
[11]: 133 The increase in European traders and settlers in the West also made marriage customs more closely resemble those from Europe.
[13]: 42 The North West Company eventually banned the practice of intermarriage for employees in 1806, though marriage to Métis women was allowed.
[9]: 69 Though they continued to occur throughout the nineteenth century, marriages à la façon du pays would decrease significantly over the following decades.
Many fur traders left the marriages à la façon du pays because they did not see them as legally binding.
[23] The forts were experiencing increased numbers of women seeking assistance since their husbands had abandoned them[24] This left many children being raised with the help of their matrilineal families.
[25] The Métis communities that developed in areas such as the Red River Colony and the Great Lakes region are based upon the connections from relationships between Aboriginal women and French men as they created fur trading posts and factories throughout the West.
[5]: 72 This and their distinctive identity led to several conflicts between the Métis, European settlers, and the Canadian government throughout the nineteenth century, such as the Red River Rebellion.
