Fish, Food and the Fur Trade: The use of Hudson’s Bay Company’s post journals for Moose Factory, Cumberland House, Edmonton House, Fort Athabasca, and Ile a la Crosse to reconstruct the provisioning of fish, fowl and game, ca. 1777 - 1827 by Loriena Pearl Melnick A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Faculty of Native Studies University of Alberta © Loriena Pearl Melnick, 2018 Abstract Most historical research of the fur trade era has focused on the trade of fur and there has been limited recognition of the use of fish for non-commodity uses. Fish were not a commodity that the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) traded for the purpose of exporting back to Europe as had been done with furs. In many parts in Canada, it is theorized that fish in addition to fur was utilized as a trade commodity between Indigenous peoples and the HBC. Due to its reliability and caloric content, fish was a key resource, depended upon, and was exploited year-round by peoples who habituated these regions given local fisheries were able to sustain and support large communities. As less is known about the role of fish in the diet and trade of the HBC and Indigenous peoples, this research explores this lesser known aspect of the trade. Through a series of regional case studies based on HBC post journals of daily occurrences, the significance of freshwater fish to the mercantile fur trade is determined by examining the role of fish in the staple diet, work routines, and trading strategies of HBC fur traders in central Canada between the years of 1777 to 1827, including Fort Athabasca, Cumberland House, Ile a la Crosse, Moose Factory, and Edmonton House. In addition to district reports and account books, post journals offer a complementary depiction of the extent of post dependency on local fisheries, while reflecting HBC’s dependence on enlisting Indigenous labour to supply food, such as fish and game, to posts as a key foodstuff to sustain post servants. Post journals offer an excellent case study of this lesser known aspect of the trade and this research is the first to attempt to make these important linkages. Many Indigenous peoples in Canada took advantage of the new economic opportunities presented by the HBC during the fur trade era, and over time substituted subsistence activities ii with wage labour. By presenting statistical analyses of anecdotal written evidence found in post journals, this research establishes that Indigenous peoples participated in a commercial system with HBC during study period, providing fish to post servants as a foodstuff rather than for goods to export back to London. Results indicate that HBC sought fish from Indigenous peoples to varying degrees at Moose Fort, Cumberland House, and Fort Athabasca to supplement available protein stores. Although the primary focus of this research was on fish, a multitude of game such as geese, moose, deer, and bison were also dietary staples at all five posts. Therefore, this research also examined the Indigenous contribution of game and general provisions to demonstrate the overall dependency on the overall Indigenous procurement of protein sources in comparison to other resources. The results of this research found substantial evidence that Indigenous peoples were closely involved in providing game and provisions at all posts examined. Furthermore, it is also likely that Indigenous peoples involved in this economic opportunity received some form of livelihood in exchange for their labour. But as with the trade of fish, the benefits Indigenous peoples received in return is inconclusive. Overall it was determined that Indigenous peoples were significant contributors of terrestrial protein at all five posts, and to a lesser degree, albeit still a primary contributor, of aquatic protein sources at three of the five posts included as part of this research. The results support that not only were Indigenous peoples before and during this time period trading resources amongst each other, but that they had also established deep in Canada’s interior what appears to be a fairly robust trade economy with Europeans for both fish and game consistently over an extended period of time. Since the demand by posts for fish was limited, unlike the export commercial fisheries that followed, subsistence fisheries continued to have access to this resource. The iii findings also substantiate the standard fur trade scholarship that fish were an important resource for HBC servants; freshwater fish formed a significant part of their regular diet, and were a local trade commodity during the fur trade in central Canada. Freshwater fish were vital to the diet and subsistence of post servants, and Indigenous peoples were involved in the fishery that produced this staple for posts. iv Dedication To my children. It may feel at times as though your dreams are just beyond your grasp, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. If your plan doesn’t work, change your plan but don’t lose sight of your dreams. Adapt. Persevere. Know that it is possible to achieve your goals; sometimes all you need is a little tenacity, a dash of grit, and a whole lot of patience. I hope you find the inspiration and determination to help you achieve your own goals, whatever they may be. v Acknowledgement I would like to acknowledge and thank Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for supporting my enrollment in the Faculty of Native Studies, Graduate Program. A special thanks to DFO’s Pacific Region Librarians, namely Louise Archibald and Anne Lomas, for being so willing to help locate, facilitate loans, and distribute unique reference material that was necessary for my research. Thank you, Jonathan Weselake, for your incredible superhuman mathematical skills. You truly are a genius, and will forever be my superhero. Thank you, Dr. Frank J. Tough, for your mentoring and supervising my research. Your interest, passion, and knowledge of the Indigenous fishery was instrumental in shaping this research. This experience has been invaluable to me and has helped influenced the depth and breadth of my own understanding of the Indigenous fisheries in Canada; this knowledge has had profound meaning to me in all aspects of my life. I also want to acknowledge Dr. Frank J. Tough through the Métis Archival Project, University of Alberta, funded by the Métis Nation and Social Science and Humanities Council of Canada [410-2011-2415] for providing digital data of Hudson’s Bay Company Archives Post journals for Ile a la Crosse and the English River District. I would also like to thank my other committee members Drs. Shalene Jobin and Brenda Parlee for their help and support as well as for providing unique insight into improving my thesis. I am deeply thankful to the Faculty of Native Studies for their ongoing support throughout the years. The Faculty of Native Studies is a key educator for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and is systematically instituting an elevated respect for Indigenous knowledges and histories as well as enabling the awareness of contemporary issues. It has been a wonderfully positive experience, and I am honored to be part of this growing alumni. I would also like to acknowledge and share my respects to the descendants of the Indigenous peoples who are subject to this research. Finally, Mom and Dad, your endless support and encouragement is so greatly appreciated. You have been my personal cheerleaders as I completed this work, and for that I will be forever grateful. vi Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... xii List of Illustrations ................................................................................................................... xiii 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Literature Review...................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 The Traditional Indigenous Economy and subsistence Activities ............................................ 8 2.1.1 Fish: Integral to Cultural Identity and A Key Resource................................................... 10 2.1.2 A Diet of More Than Fish ................................................................................................ 13 2.1.3 Fish Avoidance ................................................................................................................. 14 2.1.4 Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Resource Management ...................................... 16 2.2 Overview of the History of the Fur Trade in Canada ............................................................. 19 2.2.1 The Hudson’s Bay Company ........................................................................................... 24 2.2.2 Trading Strategies