Anchored in Canadian popular culture, the Coureurs des Bois are emblematic characters in the history of New France. Long considered vagabonds and illegal immigrants by the French colonial regime, these men upset the codes of the fur trade and greatly influenced the development of Canadian society. From the 17th century to the present day, a look back at the adventures of these pioneers of the fur trade.
The Origin of the Coureurs des Bois Myth in Canada
North America experienced one of the highest points in its history at the beginning of the 17th century. The arrival of French settlers in New France (Canada) notably enabled the establishment of a trade based on the exchange of manufactured products for local pelts. Coming from the St. Lawrence Valley, the natives came to the trading posts established in Tadoussac and in Quebec to deliver fox, deer, muskrat, ermine and beaver furs to wintering residents. The settlers therefore did not need to travel to the woods to hunt and find something to keep warm.
Another social category will appear from the 1650s: that of the wood runners. This period was marked by a sharp drop in supplies to the camps and tough competition with the Dutch and the English. Traveling in the woods was thus the alternative to finding provisions quickly and easily. Perceived as French outlaws and greedy for easy money by the regime in place, the Couriers des Bois criss-crossed the Amerindian territories by canoe and on foot in order to engage in the collection of skins and furs. These itinerant and unlicensed merchants negotiated directly with the Aboriginals, with the aim of making more profit from them in the resale of pelts.
Characteristics of wood runners
Coureurs des bois were French voyageurs who entered the fur trade between 1650 and 1700 in New France. Rebellious, casual and cunning, these men set out to explore unknown territory by canoe and on foot, without official authorization. Pierre-Esprit Radisson is notably one of the first “coureurs des bois” in North America. In the company of his brother-in-law Des Groseilliers, this pioneer criss-crossed the 04 corners of Trois-Rivières to the west of Lake Superior without the approval of his superiors. They are the first to forge ties with the Aboriginal peoples and to live with them. They learned their culture, their language and their customs. The runners of the woods contributed to the birth of what will become Canada.
Appearance-wise, you can recognize a woodsman by his tattoos. Indeed, custom dictates that the latter be tattooed by Native Americans. At the crossroads of two cultural universes, the Coureur des Bois is distinguished by clothing close to navigators. He usually wore a linen cap and wore a linen shirt to hide his cloth loincloth. Likewise, he was shod in moccasins, while his legs were covered with mitasses. Equipped with his petun sack, the courier des bois had the primary function of leading a bark canoe into distant lands, in order to load it with as many furs and skins as possible.
Coureur des bois, a job like any other
The fur trade was a controlled activity under the colonial regime in New France. Indeed, the royal edict stated like this the principles of trade between “Whites and Amerindians”: a gun or a white blanket from Normandy against 06 beaver skins, a gun, 03 beaver skins against a large hood, etc. Those who complied were considered to be trade travelers exercising a noble profession, while the Coureurs des Bois were reduced to the rank of vagabonds, disreputable flippants and parasites on the development of the colony. However, some wood runners have always cared about the community and brought back large quantities of furs from their journey. Others are said to have learned to live with the Aboriginals and imbibed the Amerindian know-how. As a result, the fur trade became a real professional activity on a large scale and everyone profited from it. Aware of the many economic advantages that flow from this, the French colonial regime established prices and quotas for bartered products.
Europeans among Native Americans
The wood runner are whites who have established excellent relations with the native population of New France. Exploring the vast expanses of North America, these men were guided by Native Americans throughout their journey and learned to hunt and be content with what nature gave them. Canada being still at the embryonic stage of its development, the coureurs des bois contributed to the establishment of the first foundations of the current Canadian society. Very close to the natives, these caterers built a new social group that would later be marked by the significant cultural diversity in Canada.
The Legacy of the Coureurs des Bois in Today's Canadian Society
Even today, despite strong persecution, the Coureurs des bois are a major figure in Canadian popular culture. Being the subject of much anthropological and scientific research, these men have greatly influenced present-day Quebec civilization. Indeed, the relationship of trust that they maintained with the Amerindians resulted in marriages between White and Aboriginal, which will mark today the significant presence of Métis people in Quebec.
In Canada as in Quebec, hunting and trapping are activities rooted in local customs. Respect for the environment, the ecosystem or even the fauna and flora are all principles known to the natives. The hunters are inspired by the hunting techniques developed by the coureurs des bois, who previously learned from the Amerindians. This ancestral way of life is also an important cultural heritage of Canada.
The fur trade remains an economic activity with high added value in Canada, especially in Quebec. Canadians are known for being great traditionals, and that continues to this day.
