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Established in Nouvelle-France in 1627 under the direction of Cardinal
Richelieu, the method of land ownership in Nouvelle-France was known
as the seigneurial system. Technically, all the land was controlled by the
king, but he distributed large grants of land in North America to some
soldiers, merchants, and nobility, as well as to the Church for its mission
settlements. The seigneurial system relied on having one person, a lord or
seigneur, rent out the land to censitaires, or habitants (“habitants” refers
to French immigrants who lived and farmed the seigneur’s land). The
seigneur was expected to build a manor house, be present on the land for
much of the year, and build a gristmill. The habitant was expected to pay
tithes (taxes) to support the Church, as well as annual fees for the land,
for having his grain ground at the seigneur’s gristmill, and for fishing and
hunting rights.
FUR -rRADE
It has often been said that a rodent, not people, built Nouvelle-France.
What exactly is meant by that? In short, it was the fur trade that established
the economic viability of Nouvelle-France. in Europe, hats made from
beaver pelts (as shown in Figure 2-18) were in great demand. The source
of the best beaver skins was the forests of North America, from the First
Nations hunters who trapped them and the First Nations women who
prepared the skins for market. It was Europe’s increasing demand for beaver
furs that brought the French not oniy farther into North America, but also
into trading relationships with more First Nations. The demand for fur
altered the course of history for everyone involved.
MOI1FlCATTONS OP TILE JIE*VEX hAT.
Figure 2-18 These different styles of
beaver hats were in such demand in
Europe that they helped fuel the fur
trade in North America.
If there had not been a fashion demand for beaver pelts in Europe,
how do you think this would have affected colonization efforts in
Nouvelle-France?
COUREUR DE OI5
In the last half of the seventeenth century, beaver became scarce along the
St. Lawrence lowlands. In order to fill the demand for furs, French traders
began to travel farther north in search of new sources of beaver pelts. Large
numbers of young men left their settlements to go live and trade with First
Nations in northern areas. These young, adventurous men became known
as coureurs tie bois, or “runners of the woods.” They spent hunting
seasons living among the First Nations and developed an understanding
of and appreciation for First Nations cultures. Many came to prefer life
among First Nations people to life in the settlements, where they were
under the watchful eyes of French officials and priests. The carefree
lifestyle of the coureurs de bois did not put them in good favour with
the missionaries and government officials. While the Jesuits were trying
to create settlements filled with men who would behave like European
Farmers, the coureurs de bois went against everything they taught.
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Figum2-19 (oureusdebois engaged in the fur trade without permission from
French authorities. They learned the ways of the woods from First Nations people,
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