What did the Voyageurs eat?
6 min read
Asked by: Javier Morales
The voyageurs ate a mid-day snack of pemmican and biscuit around 2:00 p.m., while paddling. At night, they settled by the firelight to enjoy a meal of pemmican, dried peas, or cornmeal. Cornmeal was made into hominy, a type of thick white porridge combined with bacon fat or bear grease for added taste.
What did the voyageurs eat for breakfast?
As they paddled through Georgian Bay, the men saw hardly anyone for weeks, and they set off at first light, paddling for several hours before stopping for a breakfast of oatmeal, cornmeal, or beans.
Why did voyageurs become known as pork eaters?
Voyageurs became known as pork eaters because of the amount of pork fat added to their meals. This lightweight and nutritious food was the staple of the voyageur diet, providing some 5,000 calories a day if needed.
What was the lifestyle of the voyageurs?
Their life was full of perilous adventure, gruelling work and cheerful camaraderie. Voyageurs were independent contractors, workers or minor partners in companies involved in the fur trade. They were licensed to transport goods to trading posts and were usually forbidden to do any trading of their own.
What goods did voyageurs transport?
Voyageurs were the canoe transportation workers in organized, licensed long-distance transportation of furs and trade goods in the interior of the continent. Coureurs des bois were entrepreneur woodsmen engaged in all aspects of fur trading rather than being focused on just the transportation of fur trade goods.
What did the voyageurs eat for lunch?
The voyageurs ate a mid-day snack of pemmican and biscuit around 2:00 p.m., while paddling. At night, they settled by the firelight to enjoy a meal of pemmican, dried peas, or cornmeal. Cornmeal was made into hominy, a type of thick white porridge combined with bacon fat or bear grease for added taste.
What is pemmican Why was it a good food for voyageurs?
Pemmican is made from dried and pulverized meat combined with melted fat and sometimes Saskatoon berries, a small red berry similar to a cranberry. Pemmican is filling and nutritious. Lightweight and long-lasting, it was a staple for voyageurs during their long journeys.
What food did the fur traders eat?
Hearty proteins such as bison, beef and mutton were also popular staples, complemented with butter, cheese and bread. In addition to stiffer drinks, coffee became a favorite fur trade era beverage because its caffeine brought renewed energy to travel-weary traders.
How do I become a voyageur?
When a youth had developed his arm and back strength, he could become a voyageur, about age 16, but some started as early as age 11. Voyageurs had to carry two 90-pound bundles of fur or trade goods over portages (and some carried more — they liked proving themselves). This job was at the lowest level in the fur trade.
What songs did the voyageurs sing?
Voyageurs songs
- Au chant de l’Alouette Bonhomm’, Bonhomm’ C’est l’oiseau et l’alouette Histoire d’antan C’est l’aviron.
- La chanson du voyageur La chasse aux perdraux Le rossignol y chante M’envenant à la fontaine Mon père il m’a marié
What weapons did the voyageurs use?
Probably had a knife, probably had a flint, a striker, his pipe, some tobacco. Probably not a great deal more than that. JG: Would they carry any weapons? RC: The voyageur, probably not very many would have owned their weapons.
What does voyageur mean in English?
traveller
a woodsman, guide, trapper, boatman, or explorer, esp in the North. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers. Word origin. C19: from French: traveller, from voyager to voyage.
What did the voyageurs use for mosquito repellent?
Voyageurs suffered from drowning, hernias and broken limbs, twisted spines, rheumatism as well as clouds of black flies and mosquitoes against which the best repellent was a mix of bear grease and skunk urine.
Are voyageurs Metis?
A generation after the first voyageurs, many of them were Métis, men whose father was European (usually French) and whose mother was First Nations. Many of the oldest family names in Sault Ste. Marie are Métis.
How many voyageurs are there?
Voyageur is a French word, meaning “traveler”. From the beginning of the fur trade in the 1680s until the late 1870s, the voyageurs were the blue-collar workers of the Montreal fur trade. At their height in the 1810s, they numbered as many as 3,000 men. Hired from farms and villages of the St.
What does a fur trader do?
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued.
How many beavers were killed in the fur trade?
Two hundred plus years of the fur trade killed off beaver populations—40 to 60 million beavers basked in North America in the 19th century before hunters massacred them for hats and perfume.
How many animals were killed in the fur trade?
one hundred million animals
Each year, around one hundred million animals are bred and killed on intensive fur farms specifically to supply the fashion industry with not only traditional fur coats but, increasingly, real fur trim for hooded jackets, and real fur pompoms used on hats, gloves, shoes and a range of other clothing and accessories.
How much was a beaver pelt worth in the 1800s?
6.6 shillings per pelt
The Prices of Parchment and Coat Beaver
From 1713 to 1726, before the carotting process had become established, coat beaver generally fetched a higher price than parchment beaver, averaging 6.6 shillings per pelt as compared to 5.5 shillings.
How much is a wolf pelt worth?
The average price for a wolf pelt was about $210, but skinning a wolf is a lot more work than skinning a cat-sized marten – especially if it’s frozen solid on a remote trapline. A lynx pelt fetched about $150, a river otter about $80, beaver about $30, and mink about $15.
What ended the fur trade?
In 1701, the French and their allies reached a truce with the Haudenosaunee, known as the Great Peace of Montreal. This effectively ended the Beaver Wars over the fur trade.
How much is a fox hide worth?
Red fox has been extremely tough to move during the past few years, and prices remain well below the $20 USD mark. At Fur Harvesters, Northern skins brought $16.68 average, while Eastern pelts brought $12.13. Cross and silver foxes being a specialty items, sell more easily and averaged $33 to $35 per skin.
Do silver foxes exist?
Silver foxes may be found over much of the northern hemisphere and even in Australia. Humans introduced them to many habitats for hunting purposes. In North America, they are found mostly in the Northwest although historically they were trapped in the East.
Is coyote fur worth anything?
While Eastern coyotes were selling for $25-45 lately, I would expect those prices to be cut in half this year. Southern and lower quality coyote pelts may get $10-15. Muskrat pelts have seen decent demand lately and are one of the only fur items that have actually increased in price over the past years.
What are fur prices for 2021?
The better Alaskan and Canadian marten averaged about $43, while the lower grades and other areas mostly brought $20-30. 60% of otters sold for an average of $23.35. Mink were $3.50-6.50.
How do you tan coyote pelts?
Warm tanning oil on a stove and use a soft brush to apply the oil to the skin. Allow the skin to absorb the oil and repeat the process until the skin will no longer accept oil. Leave the hide to dry for several extra days before removing the nails and using the hide.
What is beaver pelt?
Beaver pelts were divided into two major categories in the fur trade: coat beaver and parchment. Coat beaver (castor gras) pelts had been processed and worn for a season by hunters — usually Aboriginal peoples — before being traded.
