Alcohol and Trade

Fur traders doing business with Native Americans in 1777, with a barrel of rum.By William Faden - Library and Archives Canada - originally from: Cartouche from William Faden, "A map of the Inhabited Part of Canada from the French Surveys; with the Frontiers of New York and New England", 1777, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1196945

    
    While there are many theories and arguments for how exactly alcohol was placed into the hands of Native Americans and into their stomachs, a standout instance of alcohol introduction would be in the use of trade between tribes and white traders. 


   Fine furs, material, guns, livestock, and other fineries were traded back and forth between the tribes and the traders, a prominent proponent was alcohol, which composed a large part of the trade deal.  “Alcohol, mainly rum but also brandy and other spirits, was ubiquitous in the lives of native peoples, (2)” within the 1800’s. 

  Alcohol was “a standard trade item and an important element of the diplomatic councils and political transactions, (1) ” used between local tribes and white settlers looking to maintain peace and further their own interests, as they "found that providing free alcohol during trading sessions gave them a distinct advantage in their negotiations," (2). 
Alcohol was a vessel for understanding, and “was used to open and seal treaty negotiations, maintain alliances, and create new ones, (1)” which limited any negative disputes that could potentially arise.

1722 woodcut of Native Americans with various western goods that they received in trade for furs.

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=486160

   Once alcohol was introduced, American Indians began walking a path that they were unable to control. The colonists may not have necessarily introduced alcohol to Native Americans, but they certainly manipulated and abused their influence with it, which led to larger and larger problems for Native Americans as time would go on.