Description: In this innovative study the authors investigate the effects of the fur trade on the social patterns of the Algonquian peoples living in the Eastern James Bay region from 1600 to 1870. Of central concern are the problem areas of winter hunting arrangements, land tenure system, and patterns of leadership; but historical setting, ecological factors, and the relations of the Algonquians to other groups are also discussed.
Review Quotes: "...a book whose overall excellence cannot be exaggerated. Rarely does one encounter a solidly based and carefully researched ethno-historical study which is at the same time entertaining and interesting. Partners in Furs can be recommended both to the informed specialist as well as to the general reader. For anyone interested in the background to the current plight of the native peoples of Northern Quebec, faced with the tremendous changes being wrought in their lives by Hydro-Quebec's James Bay Project in this last decade, Partners in Furs is essential. Francis and Morantz have done an admirable job of telling the story of the native-white relations in this area from the time of first contact to a point about a century ago." William C. James, Kingston Whig-Standard