How Did The Fur Trade Affect Indian Culture

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Trade was a major influence that came upon the Native American society. The Indians became dependent on fur trading, and they served as important trading partners to European Immigrants. By the 1700’s, the flow of trading goods steadily increased. This dramatically affected the natives lives by making them less self-sufficient. By 1750, almost every Indian man had a rifle or musket, and many Indian women relied on metal cooking pots and other utensils. Most of the Indians wore European made wool clothing, instead of leather or fur. The fur trading also affected Indian culture because as it grew more important, the Indians changed their ways of hunting and living so that they could focus on hunting the animals with valuable pelts, like beavers …show more content…

One way that the Natives resisted Europeans who tried to take their land was by fighting back. Many battles, generally known as “Indian Wars”, were fought over land. Some of these battles included, The Pequot War, and King Phillip’s War. King Phillip’s war began in 1675. During this war, a Native tribe, known as the Wampanoags, rose up to resist English invasions into their lands. “For three years, the natives, well organized and armed with guns, terrorized a sting of Massachusetts towns, destroying twenty of them and causing the deaths of as many as a thousand people” (American History, page 48). The Pequot War, was the first major conflict between the Natives and the Europeans. War broke out in 1637, because of friction over land. “English settlers allied with the Mohegan and Narragansett Indians (who were also rivals of the Pequots). The greatest savagery in the conflict was the work of the English” (American History, page 48). They set their stronghold on fire and killed hundreds of Indians inside. Those who survived were hunted down, captured, and sold as slaves. The Pequot tribe was almost completely wiped out after this battle. The Europeans won both of these battles, but it did not end the tension. There were other indian tribes who could attack English

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