Page 111 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol III

930 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Life in the Northwest Territories

The following is taken from an account of Duncan but any more frequently just became ‘many’.An Eski-
Pryde’s experiences in the Northwest Territories of the mo might say, ‘I saw a bunch of caribou and killed
Canadian Arctic as an employee of the Hudson Bay some.’ Ask him how many were ‘some’, and if it had
Company. Pride describes the barter system used in the been more than three he would probably say ‘many’.
fur trade and offers a glimpse into life in the Northwest A square token represented one white fox. The
Territories of Canada during the period 1958-1970. round token, about an inch in diameter with an
HBC ‘one’ stamped in the middle (to represent one
When I taught Ian how to trade with the Eskimos, I
dollar) was followed in size by smaller tokens repre-
followed the same barter system I had learned in
senting smaller amounts. The tokens provided a
Baker Lake under Sandy Lunan and used later at
visual form of counting for the Eskimos that they
places like Spence Bay, Gjoa Haven and Perry Island.
quickly understood.
From the beginning the Company had used alumi-
For example, if a hunter brought in ten white fox
num coins or tokens to get around the rather haphaz-
pelts, the prime economic unit in the fur trading
ard way Eskimos had of counting. For example, almost
world of the North, we would lay out one square
any Eskimo would correctly count up to three caribou,

living as singles as the cold Canadian climate was con- Braddick, M. J. (1998). The English government, war, trade, and settle-
ment, 1626–1688. In N. Canny (Ed.), The Oxford history of the
sidered particularly unsuitable for white women.
British empire: The origins of empire (pp. 286–308). Oxford, UK:
In 1869 the British North America Act was passed, Oxford University Press.
creating Canada as a self-governing dominion of the Hudson’s Bay Company. (2004). History of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Retrieved March 18, 2004, from http://www.hbc.com/hbc/e_hi/
British empire. A condition for the formation of the new default.htm
state was the sale of the chartered area and the end of the O’Brien, P. K. (1998). Inseparable connections: Trade, economy, fiscal
state, and the expansion of the empire, 1688–1815. In P. J. Marshall
monopoly of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Given no
(Ed.), The Oxford history of the British empire:The eighteenth century
choice but to sell, the company was handsomely paid for (pp. 53–77). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
giving up its land and rights. After the land sale and Rich, E. E. (1961). Hudson’s Bay Company, 1670–1860. New York:
Macmillan.
breakup of the monopoly, the company turned increas- Steele, I. K. (1998).The anointed, the appointed, and the elected: Gov-
ingly to retail, fur auctioning, and, after 1929, oil and ernance of the British empire, 1689–1784. In P. J. Marshall (Ed.), The
Oxford history of the British empire:The eighteenth century (pp. 105–
gas, remaining an important factor in Canadian business
27). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
and a contributor to the allied efforts in both the First
World War and the Second World War. In 1970 a sup-
plemental royal charter turned the company into a Cana-
dian company, and headquarters were moved from
London to Winnipeg. Today (2004), the Hudson’s Bay Human Evolution
Company is Canada’s biggest company in general retail
and one of its five biggest employers. —Overview

Martha A. Ebbesen
ne important way world historians have expanded
See also Fur Trade Otheir perspectives on humanity’s past is through
the integration of hominid evolution with their custom-
ary consideration of events covering the last 5,000 years.
Further Reading
To understand hominid evolution, they have turned to
Aylmer, G. E. (1998). Navy, state, trade, and empire. In N. Canny (Ed.),
The Oxford history of the British empire: The origins of empire (pp. the findings of paleoanthropologists, who rely primarily
467–81). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. on fossil evidence rather than written records to recon-