NATIVE SONS of RUPERT's LAND 1760 to TEIE 1860S Denise Fuchs
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NATIVE SONS OF RUPERT'S LAND 1760 TO TEIE 1860s BY Denise Fuchs A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Strdles in Partial Fullillment of the Rcquirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PEILOSOPEY Department of Birtoy University of Manitoba Wïnaipeg, Manitoba National Libtary Biblioth ue nationale 1*1 of C8i~da du Cana7 a Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie SeMces services bibliographiques The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sel1 reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous papa or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse N des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. TEE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES ***** COPYRiGHT PERMISSION PACE Native Sons of Rupert's Land 1760 to the 1860s BY Denise Fuchs A Thesis/Practicom submitted to the Faculty of Gridurte Studks of The University of Manitoba in partial fuifiilment of the rquirernents of the degree of Doetor of Phllosophy DENISE FUCHS @ 2ûûû Permission han been graiited to the Libriry of The Udvernity of Manitoba to lend or WU copies of thh thdpracticum, to the Natioiul Llbnry of Canada to dcmfllm thh thesir/pircticum and to lend or sel1 copies of the (Us and to Dirse~tionrAbstracts International to pubhh rn rbatract of thlr thtsir/pncticum. The iuthor resenes other publiudoa rlghts, rad ntlthcr thir ~eddpncticumuor cxtensbe extra- fmm it may bc printeâ or otherwise reproduced without the author's writtea permirrioa ABSTRACT in the pend from 1760 to the 18609, native sons of the fur ûade of Rupert's Land were distinctly shaped by the disparate traditions of both their European fathers and aboriginal mothers. The success of the fur trade depended on the economic interdependence and mutual cooperation of these two sets of strangers. Their progeny, like their fathers and mothers, aided the British-onented companies in whose employ they served. The examination of the attitudes which informed the manner in which native sons were depicteû in the records and their educational achievements and careers within the fur trade revealed that culnual and racial biases affécted their lives, in both subtie and direct ways. These cultt.ual and racial biases became more obvious hm1820 onward. Social, economic and political changes and the concomitant shifts in attitudes toward the native sons shed light on the particular circumstances which chmcterized their lives. From the 1790s onwards, native sons began to contribute their labour to the econorny of the posts in significant ways. Fathas bccame more cognizant of the need to prepare their sons for luger desin the fur trade and began adturating them Mer to the European side of theu heritage. A British-based education was sought for them. Towards the end of the eighteath centuy and in the first two decades of the nineteenth century, some native sons couid obtain clerkships and becorne managers of srnall posts. The attention to race and class, heightd by the arriva1 of white women in the 1820s, resulted in the imposition of social barriers dependent on mkand education that excluded some of the native sons and th& aboriginel or mixeddescent relatives hm circles that had forrnaly included them. Additionally, the nmly amalgamatecl company's adoption of a more rigid hierarchy and the increased ernphasis on upward mobility posed difficulties and challenges for the native sons in the three decades following the 182 1 merger of the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, whai limits were imposed on their movement within the company. in the 1850s and 609 a shift in attitude occurred and restrictions began to be eased allowing some native sons to advance in the company. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A project of this duration does not corne together without the assistance of many people. 1 owe a huge debt to my thesis advisor, Jennifer Brown, for exposing me (and countless othcrs) to the endlessly fascinating area of fur Wesocid history and for dlowing me access to her research matnids in this area. In addition, 1 would like to thank her for her patience, understanding and expert editorial advice. I also wish to thank Emma LaRocque, Jean Friesen and John Kendle whose expertise in native-white relations, abonginai history and British impecialism, respectively, not only influenceci my thinking but also gnatly incdmy understanding and knowledge of fur trade social history. Both neighbourhood friends and relatives hmafar have fhquentiy indulged me with open amis and ears. Many friends hmthe St. Ignatius commwity have been unfailingly inspiring and supportive. Fellow stucîcnts, Paui Hackett and Lacey Sandas, have pmvided encouragement and empathy when 1 ndedit most, as well as technological expertise. 1 am particularly indebted as well to Christine Butterill and al1 my colleagues and fricnds at St. Paul's College who providai wisdom and gwd char. Most important, 1 wish to thank my parents and my immcdiate family, Don, Jessica and Francis for their abundant and unconditional love throughout this entire process. The latter trio provided fiequent technologicd assistance-something 1 seemed to need a lot! nianks, too, to niy brochsï, Gres, who packed up his Packad Bell and delivered it to our house at a vety opportune time. iii This project would not have been possible without the financial assistance of two University of Manitoba fellowships and the Kavanagh-La Verendrye fellowship hmSt. Paul's College. In addition, I would like to thank the Hudson's Bay Company Archives, Provincial Archives of Manitoba, for pmission to use their sources. Archivists Anne Morton, Shirlee Anne Smith, Judith Beattie, and Chns Kotecki, and al1 otha staff members have been most helpful over the years. NATIVE SONS OF RUPERT'S LAND 1760 TO THE 1860s Table of Contents Abbreviations ............................................................................................................ iv 1 . Introâuction-'Born in the service' ...................................................1 2 . 'Natives of Hudson's Bay' ...........................................................-29 Ishiim. Graham and Harmon: Perceptions of Abonginal and Mixed- Descent Pcoples ...................................................................................... 31 Images of Native Sons 1790- 1820.................................................................. 48 images of Native Sons in the Simpson Era .....................................................56 Fathers' Images of Native Sons...................................................................... 69 Cultural Identifications of Native Sons .................................................. 73 3 . 'ToShakeOffaLittleoftheIndian'................................................................. '92 Sons Sait to England or Scotland for Education .......................... ............... 107 Education at Post Schools............................................................................. 14 Education at Red River.................................................e..................e.............. 128 Aboriginal Education .....................................................................................148 4 . 'So mmy obstacles... have beea thrown in the way of .... my. advancement' ............................. ......................................................-162 Hmg of Native Sons................................................................................... 169 Ranks of Postrnaster, Apprentice-Po~tmastctand Apprentice- Laboutet ............................. .... ..............................................................175 Promotion for Native Sons in Higha Rad................................................. 186 Native Sons Obtaining FurlougtL ........................................... ....4 Rcvermd John McCallum' s Obsavations......... .... ......... ... ............. 1W Employea Rctained to Pmaii them hmOpping the Company............ .21 Former Employees Obtaining Work Outside the Company............ .. ....... 208 Accomplishments of Native Sons............... .. ........m...............e..................21 5 . Conclusions-'they are now not fit for anything else' .........................q....... 225 Table I-Native Sons: Parentage. Date and Rank of Entry into the Sdccand . Family. Company Affiliations......... .. ........ .......................................................236 Bibliography......................... .......................................................................... 243 ABBREVIATIONS CMS Church Missionary Society DCB Dictionary of Canadian Biography HBC Hudson's Bay Company HBCA Hudson's Bay Company Archives WC North West Company PAC Public Archives of Canada PAM Provincial Archives of Manitoba PRL Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert's Land CHAPTER ONE-INTRODUCTION 'Born in the Service9' Native sons of fur trade company officers and their aboriginal or mixed-ûescent wives played a significant role in the northem North American fur trade during the