Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade

by Carolyn Podruchny

~ Voyageurs are highly visible today as colourful caricatures in popular culture and history. They adorn the labels of beer bottles, the sides of U-Haul vans, and web sites. Winter festivals in Minnesota and Manitoba commemorate their legend. By placing them squarely in the centre of fur trade and labour studies, Carolyn Podruchny’s Making the Voyageur World frees voyageurs from their mystique as picturesque historical cartoons through a detailed analysis of their unique occupational culture. Voyageur life was shaped by the men’s shared roots as canadiens and habitants, as well as their encounters with Aboriginal peoples, and the exigencies of their jobs – they traveled constantly through varied landscapes and social worlds. Voyageurs numerically dominated the Montreal fur trade, formed kin ties with Aboriginal women, and settled in the northwest to raise their families. By examining their lives in conjunction with the metaphor of the voyage, Podruchny reveals not only the everyday lives of her subjects – what they ate, their cosmology, rituals of celebration, their families, and above all, their work – but underscores their resonance in history as well as in the Métis communities they helped found. ~

Genres: History, Canada, Nonfiction, Native American

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2006

Reviews

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Podruchny seeks to investigate voyageurs and their world as they were, thereby delving past many of the stereotypes and romantic images that popular memory has formed. Podruchny places the voyageurs of the Montreal fur trade within a liminal state of existence (p. 14). This transitional environment meant that voyageurs formulated their identities within changing contexts. The transitional nature of their work also meant that voyageurs came into contact with various cultures and groups. Podruchny argues that three major influences shaped the voyageur identity. Firstly, because many voyageurs were first habitants, labouring long days on seigneurial plots, they retained many cultural ties to French-Canadian traditions including practicing Roman Catholic rites such as baptism and singing romantic songs stemming from French tradition. Second, voyageurs interacted with various Indigenous groups, often as a result of trading for furs but also supplies to survive. Moreover, voyageurs also formed relationships with Indigenous women. As such, Indigenous cosmology and belief systems began to infuse voyageur culture. Third, the workplace itself influenced voyageur identity. As indentured servants to clerks and masters, voyageurs used masculinity, strength, fine-skilled work, and other attractive abilities to establish themselves as an important member of the voyageur team and negotiating better contracts which included arguing for better pay, more and better food, and even days off in bad weather.

[Grace McMorris]

Summer camps really went YOINK

[Christopher G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carolyn Podruchny is a historian and a professor of history at York University, Toronto. She gained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She obtained her Master of Arts degree and Ph.D. in History at the University of Toronto. She has written other notable works on the fur trade and aboriginals including Gathering Places: Aboriginal and Fur Trade Histories in 2010. Podruchny is qualified to write on the subject and has won several awards for her work.

Carolyn Padruchny’s Making the Voyageur World dives into the experiences of French Canadian voyageurs in the fur trade, focusing on their relationships with their families, their beliefs and practices, and their dynamics with their masters. In the first five chapters we discover that, despite being far from home, voyageurs maintained strong emotional and economic bonds with their families. Many voyageurs entered the trade with the intention of supporting their family farms, and they regularly sent money back home or wrote letters to their loved ones.

However, Podruchny also details instances where voyageurs were drawn away from their families by the allure of adventure and freedom in the former territory of Pays d’en Haut. Some voyageurs chose not to send money home or return at all as they strived to create a new life. Some of the factors that distracted voyageurs from their former families included; rites of passage, festivities, friendships, and new romantic relationships.

The “magico-religious” worldview of the voyageurs played a significant role in shaping their experiences and was influenced by their work in the Pays d’en Haut. Departing from the guidance of priests, voyageurs improvised their religious rituals as they journeyed farther from the St. Lawrence Valley. These rituals reflected their adherence to Roman Catholicism but also incorporated elements of Aboriginal cosmologies. Voyageurs’ naming practices further showcased their integration into the landscapes they traversed, establishing a sense of belonging and synchrony.

Podruchny continues her study on how voyageurs expressed their power and cultural values through their labor and songs. Interestingly, despite the rugged and masculine nature of their work, voyageurs’ songs possessed a feminine quality, reminding them of their families and providing guidance on labor relations.

The relationship between masters and servants in the fur trade was complex, with negotiations over labor conditions playing a central role. Masters sought control through indebtedness, monopolizing resources, and promoting a resilient masculine ethos. Personal authority and symbolic displays reinforced their power. However, voyageurs actively shaped their working environment by challenging expectations, setting their own pace, and demanding fair treatment. They engaged in counter-theater, slowing down work and asserting their autonomy. Desertion emerged as a powerful bargaining tool, although voyageurs tended to act individually rather than collectively.

Podruchny continues to explore the role of play in the lives of voyageurs, the interactions between voyageurs and Aboriginal peoples, and the choices voyageurs faced after completing their service in the fur trade. Play served as an avenue for voyageurs to express their anxieties, frustrations, and excitement in a controlled and structured manner. It allowed them to channel their emotions about the unfamiliar Pays d’en Haut and fostered values aligned with effective work skills. Various forms of play contributed to the creation of a distinctive voyageur culture and facilitated social bonding.
Voyageurs’ interactions with Aboriginal peoples were essential for survival and cultural exchange. Through trading, they adopted indigenous techniques and technologies that proved vital in the Northwest. Deep friendships and kinship ties often developed, extending beyond mere survival. Podruchny specifically details the dynamics and significance of relationships between voyageurs and Aboriginal women.

The transient nature of these relationships can be seen through the quotes of Alexander Ross and Daniel Harmon. However, Podruchny convinces that the genuineness of the connections between voyageur and Aboriginal should not be diminished. Harmon’s own experiences highlighted the evolution of attitudes towards relationships. He initially resisted marrying an Aboriginal woman but later married Elizabeth Duval, reflecting on the benefits of companionship and the complexities of fitting into the “civilized world.”

After completing their service, voyageurs had various options for their future. They could return home, settle in established communities, join Métis hunters, integrate into Aboriginal families, become independent traders, or continue in the service. Some dedicated their entire lives to being voyageurs, passing away while on the job. In conclusion, Podruchny’s study gives insights into the role of play, interactions with Aboriginal peoples, and the choices voyageurs faced in their lives. The voyageurs’ experiences shaped their culture and left a lasting impact on the fur trade in the Northwest, shaping Quebec today.

Podruchny employs a multitude of primary sources, quoting from diaries, journal entries, letters, and first hand accounts. She also relies on work from other historians and pulls from her own work alongside the list of secondary sources. I really enjoyed reading about the intricacies of the voyageurs and their interactions with the Aboriginals. It’s a fresh take on colonization from the French perspective that I’m not used to reading as I’ve spent the majority of my time researching Spanish and English colonization. I recommend this book not only for its scholarship, but for anyone interested in Native American relations, the fur trade, or the geography of the voyageurs.

[John Racioppi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of the best, if not the best, academic work on the voyageurs I have read so far.

The voyageurs(and the fur trade in general) do not get enough attention from historians and history buffs. With pretty limited primary sources on the subject, mostly due to the fact that many voyageurs were illiterate, Podruchny really went above and beyond when it came to the research. Diving into records and documents from clerks, the outposts, etc. the author does a great job of trying to bring to life the everyday world of these legendary fur traders.

On a side note: Anyone that are survivalists or avid outdoorsmen there are a number of good tips for wilderness survival here that are worth reading and learning about. Now, excuse me. I got to make some spruce gum!

[Michael Primiani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clearly written book about the voyageurs, which until now have largely avoided serious academic study

[Sherri Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book had many interesting facts. It was interesting how she divided material into chapters. I thought in some cases Podruchny made some assumptions based on very few and questionable statements.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without question, the finest academic study of the French-Canadian fur trade and its personnel in the last 30 years. And I'd know.