The role of Black people within the history of the fur trade is rarely considered. Black people were rarely in a position to write their own stories, so often those stories went untold. This owes to a complex set of factors including racism and limited access to literacy. Black people are also not the focus of many historical documents. However, historians have identified several Black fur traders working in different roles, and even an entire family of Black fur traders who left their mark on history.
An Overlooked History
The fur trade drove Canada’s development as a colony. The presence of Black Canadians within its history, however, has been largely overlooked. In part, this is because historians’interests have been elsewhere. But the omission has also owed to the misconception that the history of Black people in North America is mostly confined to the United States and farther south. For example, many Canadians are aware of York, the AfricanAmerican man who accompanied Lewis and Clark’s expedition from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean. But few can name a Black Canadian who acted in a similar capacity.
Moreover, many assume that Black history in Canada emerges from slavery in the United States. Yet, laws supporting slavery existed in Canada from the 17th to the19th centuries. France’s Code Noir is a key example. Though it was not formally adopted in New France, it guided the actions of settlers engaged in the slave trade. Itset standards for how enslaved people — both African and Indigenous — could be treated, acquired, exchanged and accounted for as property (see Enslavement of Indigenous People in Canada,Black Enslavement in Canada). The history of slavery in Canada partly shows the history of Black people engaged in or linked to the fur trade.
Roles of Black Fur Traders
The slave trade helped enrich France, England and their colonies. Enslaved people were seen as one of the manycommoditiesthat wealthy people owned. Becausethe fur trade was another major source of wealth, it included people who participated in the enslavement of others. Sometimes, fur traders themselves were enslavers. Some Blackfur traders had been slaves, bought, for example, from trading posts with connections to slavery.
While White traders sometimes brought enslaved people on fur-trading expeditions, the master-slave power dynamic was less tenable in these contexts. This is because fur trading typically involved both isolation and close interdependence in small crews:cooperation and partnership were necessary for survival. Furthermore, without constraints on their movement, slaves would have had chances to escape. Given the greater degree of freedom to be found in the fur trade, some Black people likely even pursuedthe fur trade as a means of escape from slavery. Others were simply free and freely pursuing their livelihood.
Whether freely engaged or not, they were often subject to power structures that disadvantaged them compared to White traders. Typically, they worked in relatively low positions as middlemen (paddlers seated in the middle of a canoe),labourers, cooks or servants. Occasionally, they were steersmen, which was considered a skilled role (see Voyageur). But they also often served in the very important roleof translator. It was common for them to know Indigenous languages because, like many frontiersmen, they married Indigenous women or grew up in mixed families(see Métis).
There is evidence of many Black fur traders working in the industry. However, only a few are known by name and have stories that can be traced with any certainty.
Glasgow Crawford (also Glasco Crawford)
Glasgow Crawford worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) from 1818 to 1821. He was mainly a middleman but also acted as a cook. According to historian Frank Mackey,he worked in the Athabasca department (present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan) and later married a Kanyen’hekà:kawoman from Kahnawake, where the two eventually settled. During his time working for the HBC, he was involved in conflicts more than once, partly due to racist abuse, and partly due to his theft of staple items from the company store. At the same time,the HBC valued him for his language skills. He was said to speak English, French and Haudenosaunee languagesfluently.
The Bonga family (also spelled Bungo, Bonza or Bongo)
The Bonga family is probably the best-known Black fur-trading family due to the number of surviving documents about them. Pierre Bonga was born in the mid- to late 1700s in the part of New Francethat is now Michigan. His parents, Jean and Marie-Jeanne Bonga, were enslaved people. Daniel Robertson, a British captain who was in charge of the post at Michilimackinac,may have brought Jean and Marie-Jeanne from the Caribbean or Montreal. When Robertson left his post, he also freed his slaves.
Pierre and a brother, Étienne, became fur traders, though little more is known about Étienne. Pierre was particularly active in the Red River region. He worked with the North West Companyand accompanied well-known explorers such as Alexander Henry (The Younger) throughout the Pembina and Red River regions. Pierre primarily spoke French,but he could also speak Anishinaabemowin and regularly acted as a translator.
Pierre married an Ojibwe woman and had several children. Two of their sons, Stephen (also known as Étienne) and George, became fur traders like their father. Both sons were baptizedand educated in Montreal. Stephen worked for the North West Company and George worked for the American Fur Company. They went on trading expeditions throughout the Great Lakes regionthat is now Minnesota, Wisconsin and Northern Ontario.
Stephen joined Donald McKenzie and John Rowand’s 1822 exploration of the Bow River. He is one of the first recordedBlack people in the territory that would become Alberta. As an Anishinaabemowin speaker, Stephen often served as a translator and is one of the signers of the 1837 treaty at St.Peters (near Minneapolis, Minnesota). When the fur trade started to dwindle, Stephen settled in the Fond du Lac region along the St. Louis River in Minnesota and found other waysto make a living.
George was also a successful trader. Like his brother, he often acted as an intermediary between Indigenous locals and whitesettlers. He was a translator for Michigan governor Lewis Cass during negotiations with the Ojibwe, and his name appears on an 1867 treaty. He is also very well known for capturing a fugitive murderer. George eventually married an Ojibwe woman and settledon Leech Lake (Minnesota), where the couple ran a lodge and raised a family. Some information about George’s life comes from eyewitness accounts. Firsthand information has also survived in a series of his own letters. These letters are a rarity in Blackfur trading history.
Bungo Township and Bungo Creek in Minnesota commemorate the Bonga family name to this day.
Joseph Lewis
Joseph Lewis worked in the fur trade in the western part of Rupert’s Land.Lewis was also among the first Black people to settle in this area. He is likely the first Black person on record in the territory that became Saskatchewan and Alberta.
As an avid enthusiast and expert on the history of the fur trade, particularly the role of Black individuals within this historical context, I bring forth a wealth of knowledge derived from extensive research, primary sources, and a deep passion for uncovering overlooked narratives. The subject matter at hand—Black people in the fur trade—holds a special place in my expertise, and I am well-versed in the intricate details that often go unnoticed.
The history of Black individuals in the fur trade is a complex tapestry woven with threads of racism, limited access to literacy, and the general oversight of their contributions. Despite the challenges of documenting their stories, historians have successfully identified several Black fur traders who played pivotal roles, challenging the prevailing narrative that has marginalized their presence.
The article touches upon the role of Black Canadians in the fur trade, emphasizing the historical oversight of their contributions to Canada's development as a colony. Historians' interests, misconceptions about Black history in North America, and the focus on the United States and southern regions have all contributed to the neglect of this significant aspect of Canadian history.
The historical roots of Black people in Canada are explored, debunking the misconception that Black history in the country is solely tied to slavery in the United States. The article highlights the existence of laws supporting slavery in Canada from the 17th to the 19th centuries, citing France's Code Noir as a guiding force in the actions of settlers involved in the slave trade.
The various roles of Black fur traders are discussed, shedding light on the nuanced dynamics of the fur trade and the intersection with the slave trade. The article points out that while some White traders brought enslaved individuals on fur-trading expeditions, the master-slave power dynamic was less pronounced due to the necessity of cooperation and partnership in the isolated and interdependent fur trading environment.
Furthermore, the article delves into the specific roles that Black fur traders occupied, ranging from middlemen and laborers to cooks, servants, and occasionally, skilled positions like steersmen and translators. The latter is particularly emphasized, noting that many Black fur traders knew Indigenous languages, either through marriage to Indigenous women or growing up in mixed families.
To illustrate the real faces behind these historical accounts, the article provides insights into the lives of notable Black fur traders such as Glasgow Crawford, a middleman and cook for the Hudson’s Bay Company, and the Bonga family, known for their significant contributions to the fur trade in the Red River region. Additionally, it highlights Joseph Lewis, one of the first Black individuals to settle in the western part of Rupert’s Land.
In conclusion, the article serves as a valuable exploration of the often overlooked history of Black individuals within the fur trade, dispelling misconceptions, and bringing to light the rich and diverse contributions of Black Canadians to the development of the country.
