Winter Trade By Robert Griffing.
NOTES and INFORMATION on 18TH
CENTURY BLANKETS.
Father Pierre Briard
relates in the work Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents that in 1611 the
Arcadian Indians "often wear our capotes, and in the winter our bed
blankets which they improve with trimming and wear double". Also around
this time Mother Marie de L'Incarnation recorded that she saw Indians wearing
coats made from trade blankets {it should be noted that not all capotes were
made in North America, nor were they all made from trade blankets}. While
having established that blankets and blanket capotes were indeed used during
the early years of the Age of Exploration; we should take the time to examine
the quality of the material used and the colors which were prevalent.
During the early years
we find that Indians used white, red and blue blankets. "In 1663, ten
Normandy "white" blankets are listed among the goods belonging to the
trader Jacques Testad dit Loforet. The term "Normandy" refers to the
location of textile manufacture. In 1693, during a council held in Montreal
involving the French authorities and twelve foreign Indians tribes "no
less than 83 white blankets were given as presents." Another important
aspect of these blankets were that some bore embellishments such as red or blue
stripes at their borders, embroidery, and lace. In fact we see that when the
trader Jean Mailhot died in 1687 an inventory of his "la morte" possessions
included "seven blankets made of capote cloth trimmed with nonpareille
lace". (a very narrow strip of ribbon which was made of false gold, silver
or silk) Drawings by Jesuit Missionaries recorded that this trimming in many
instances was done in a zig zag pattern and consisted of two pieces of lace.
The actual sizes of
trade blankets also differed. During the 1690's the French introduced the
"point system". The term "point" then referred to a unit of
measurement. In fact the French verb " ‘empointer’ was used to describe
that action of making stitches with a thread on a piece of cloth". The
historical norms of these blankets ranged from 1 to 5 points, 5 being the
largest and 1 being the smallest known as "cradle blankets". {It must
be noted that blankets bearing up to 12 points can be found during this same
time period HOWEVER these blankets were intended to be used as bedding for the
Canadians and not trade items.}
"An analysis of
649 blankets sold to Indians at Fort Niagara between 1719 and 1722 gives an
idea of the most popular sizes used in the fur trade; of this number, 64% were
2 point, 22% were cradle blankets, 10% were of 3 points and 2% were 4
points". One surviving example is reported to be a "two point blanket
measuring 59x48 inches and weighs 3 lbs. 7oz."
During the early and
middle years of the 17th Century attempts to regulate the growing trade of
blankets were enforced. Pierre Boucher, then governor of Troi-Rivieres decreed
that one blanket was worth at least five or six beaver pelts. Also the governor
of New France Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy enacted a regulation that a white
"Normandy" blanket could be traded for no less than six beaver pelts
and what was known as an "Iroquois blanket" {coverte a L'iroquoise, a
rateen blanket made from a lesser grade of material} could be had that the
price of three beaver pelts.
The following is as
example of some trade items and their worth in both Montreal and Albany in the
year 1689:
Item Albany Montreal
8 lbs of gun powder 1
beaver 4 beavers
1 gun 2 beavers 5
beavers
40 lbs of lead 1 beaver
3 beavers
1 blanket of red cloth
1 beaver 2 beavers
1 white blanket 1
beaver 2 beavers
4 shirts 1 beaver 2
beavers
6 pairs of stockings 1
beaver 2 beavers
As trade relations grew
competitiveness between the French and English colonies began to intensify. In
an attempt to sway the fur trade away from French traders it was made known
that in Boston, Massachusetts Colony, Indians could get a white or red blanket
for one beaver pelt while in Montreal it would cost much more. Almost 30 years
after the enactment of these price regulations Native Americans could still go
to New England and get a blanket for one beaver while up in Montreal the price
was then a heavy payment of six pelts. In order to subvert this shift in the
colonial trade wars "voyageurs loaded with French goods (were sent)
directly to the Indian Villages, and thanks to the Kings stores, each tribe
yearly received a generous supply of presents". Although this did somewhat
stem the tide the great difference in price did encourage a healthy black
market trade with the English.
The growing concern
with quality sparked the French government to attempt to procure a product as
good as their English competitors. At the turn or the century (1701) the
government of New France sent a letter to Versailles stating that among the
traders there was not a trace of the "certain kind of red or blue cloth
whose breadth is 1 ell 1/4" (5 feet.) and is called escarlatine"
{Common trade blankets at the time were 1 ell and half or 6 feet long}. The
Indians also tended to prize blue colored blankets possessing white stripes,
and red coloured blankets with a darker selvage edge. Examples of English
blankets were found and sent back to France for examination. These
"escarlatine" blankets were divided into the following styles:
Red or blue with black
selvedges, red with a white stripe the length of a finger close to the
selvedge, red or blue with two white stripes the length of a finger; one close
to the selvedge but separated by the length of two fingers.
By 1715, 200 examples
of French made cloth were sent to New France with less than desirable results.
The Native Americans liked the cloth and while it was much higher in quality it
proved far too expensive for French general trading purposes. Other examples
later sent proved not to be as strong or woven as tightly as the English
products. The intendant of New France, Michel Begon commented that the
"Indians are as much refined to judge cloth as the most skillful merchant,
they manage to burn hair of a sample with the purpose of examining the quality
of its woven structure".
By the 1720's
governmental permission was granted to buy English made blankets for trade with
the Native tribes. This move was purely political in nature and gave the French
manufacturers time to improve on their products. Unfortunately while some
French regional manufacturers did produce upwards of 100,000 blankets yearly
destined for the Indian trade a lack of financial support hampered efforts.
By the later 1740’s records
show a diverse collection of trade blankets. While the naturalist Petr Kalm
described Indians wearing white and red blankets, "the white blankets
having one or many blue or red stripes".Also found were green blankets
bearing 7 to 8 stripes {manufactured in Montpellier}, blue and red blankets
with white stripes {manufactured in Limbourg}, along with blankets with red and
yellow stripes...made of dogs hair {manufactured in Bordeaux}.
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