Furs and Halos: France in the New World (HIST 431)

I tend to break down colonial North American history to something like this: the Spanish and English conquered; the Dutch and the French (and the Portuguese) traded. But of course — if I’ve learned nothing else in this class — its ahistorical and (mostly) incorrect to generalize. With regard to the French, popular history assumes that the fur trade dominated the French experience in North America. Moreover, there’s this image of French colonists operating relatively peacefully — at least compared to the Spanish and the English — with their Native American neighbors. However, the reality was much more complex.
Settlement in New France consisted of both territorial/economic and cultural/religious intentions, in turn creating different areas of colonialism. The physical and political settlement of New France constituted an idea of colonialism of territory. Yet in more abstract terms, areas of colonialism in New France included attempted efforts to control Native America, both the natural environment and the indigenous population. This area of colonialism would impact the social development of New France.
While the fur trade in New France constituted a major influence on the mercantile economy, other resources and industries established the colony’s social makeup and relationships with Native Americans and other European powers. Furthermore, the French presence in North America — while deeply rooted in economic intentions — additionally included noteworthy religious motivations, creating a divide between French missionaries and Native American communities.

The French presence in North America actually dates back to the early sixteenth-century, with French privateers raiding Spanish settlements in the Caribbean.¹ Similar to Columbus’ voyages to find India going westward, French explorers initially attempted to find the so-called “Northwest Passage” to Asian markets. However, the wealth of natural resources near present-day Canada drove French mercantile efforts. Yet, initially it was not the fur trade, but rather the plentifulness of fish and whales that would establish New France as “one of the most profitable European business destinations in the New World.” However, this industry was not completely dominated by France. Archeological and documental evidence show that a majority of fleets operating near Newfoundland were of Basque origin until the 1580s, working alongside ships from Spain, England, and France.² The presence of Basque fisherman in New France suggests interaction between differing European nationalities, developing the economic and social experience of New France.
Indeed, trade would influence the cultural relationship between New France and Amerindian communities. With the establishment of a European presence in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Native American communities naturally become intertwined with this new economic community. The archaeological presence of manufactured goods — particularly metal tools and jewelry — suggests the importance of trade of between Native American groups and Europeans. Even at the material level, these trade goods suggest different relationships between European nations and Native American groups. For example, archeologists have distinguished thicker, red Basque kettles from thinner, yellow French kettles found at separate Native American sites.³

Through this economic community, contact between Native Americans and Europeans in New France would develop a distinct European vision of Native America. In response to the supposed savagery of Native America — both among Amerindians and the nature of the New World itself, French colonists would see New France as a means of bringing European civilization to Amerindians.⁴ This understanding of colonialism would greatly influence the European socio-political and philosophical justification of New France, especially in regard to treatment of Native American communities. Indeed, historian Christopher M. Parsons notes that, “claims to know nature in New France became claims to know the nature of New France.”⁵
In attempting to bring European civilization to New France, Catholic missionary efforts also proved to be an essential factor in developing this notion of colonialism. Similar to New Spain, New France would facilitate Catholic conversion among the Native American communities in New France. Yet, Jesuit missionaries in New France would integrate into Native America differently than Spanish endeavors, not relying directly on Amerindian labor. Despite the difference however, historian Drew Lopenzina argues that, in an analysis of recorded European missionaries’ dreams, we are still able to distinguish European intentions of dominance and conquest against Native America.⁶ Of course, the success of “Europeanizing” the New World is a contentious point, given both the resilience of Amerindian societies and a lack of French understanding of Native America.

- Ida Altman, “Key to the Indies: Port Towns in the Spanish Caribbean: 1493–1550,” The Americas 74, №1 (2017): 9
- Laurier Turgeon, “French Fishers, Fur Traders, and Amerindians during the Sixteenth Century: History and Archaeology,” The William and Mary Quaterly 55, №4 (1998): 593
- Turgeon, 601.
- Christopher M. Parsons, “Wildness without Wilderness: Biogeography and Empire in Seventeenth-Century French North America,” Environmental History 22 (2017): 646.
- Parsons, 650.
- Drew Lopenzina, “Le Jeune Dreams of Moose: Altered States among the Montagnais in the Jesuit Relations of 1634,” Early American Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal 13, №1, (2015): 5.