Now this is a story I tell at times at Fort Edmonton but I always have to preface it with a bit of historiographical background. It's the story of the Piegan Haircut.
Now the Piegan (or Peigan, depending on which side of the border you're on) are a tribe in the Blackfoot Confederacy. Along with peoples like the Blood, the Blackfeet and others (to use the historic white names for their people), their territory stretches throughout Southern and Central Alberta, bits of Saskatchewan, and trails into Montana, South of the border. They are said to be the traditional enemies of the Cree, who are to the North and East of them, going all the way to Manitoba and even Hudson's Bay. All you have to know is that they do NOT like each other at this point.
It is the... 1830s or 1840s. The setting is Fort Edmonton, a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading fort. The sole reason the Europeans/Euro-Canadians are there is to make profit. This is Rupert's Land: it's not even a part of Canada... which doesn't even exist as a country yet. All the company wants is furs (beaver, mostly, but they'll accept anything as long as it's not dog or horse). They need to be on good relation with the natives for this, because they're the source of these goods.
I should just let you know that the word "haircut" in the title is a euphemism. This is a story about scalping. Now, there was a trend that began in the 1960s with the resurgence of aboriginal culture in North America that blamed Europeans for teaching natives to scalp people, or at least encouraging it with bounties and such. That's... probably not true. There's lots of archaeological evidence that demonstrates that scalping did happen WAY before European contact. You can tell from the cut marks on skulls. Anyway, it probably evolved as an easier thing to carry along with you as a war prize than, say, a whole skull. There's ceremonial value to it. Scalping is also not necessarily a fatal wound. There are medical treatises from the East Coast from the 1820s explaining how to treat a scalped head wound. It didn't happen NEARLY as often as Hollywood would have you believe, but it did happen in the West. European metal knives may have made it easier.
Anyway, so the Chief Factor (read: general manager of the the Saskatchewan District, AKA all of the Forts on the Saskatchewan Rivers AKA most of three modern provinces) of Fort Edmonton, John Rowand, rules over his men with an iron fist. He doesn't want trouble. It's in his best interest that everyone gets along, and that includes his customers. Fort Edmonton sits on the North side of the North Saskatchewan River, which is Cree territory. However, he's negotiated so that the Blackfoot can come up to trade unmolested.
However, Rowand, who is pretty important in the company, has to go to Fort Pitt, much further east, for some kind of annual meeting. He leaves stern instructions to the Chief Trader for the two or three weeks he'll be gone.
Of course, with all of the things I've prefaced this story with... you know something is going to go wrong. Essentially, a group of Cree and a group of Peigan both come up to trade at the same time. The Cree see the Peigan approach, think "eeeh..." and decide to retreat and come trade after the Blackfoot are gone.
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Date: 2011-02-16 12:33 am (UTC)Now the Piegan (or Peigan, depending on which side of the border you're on) are a tribe in the Blackfoot Confederacy. Along with peoples like the Blood, the Blackfeet and others (to use the historic white names for their people), their territory stretches throughout Southern and Central Alberta, bits of Saskatchewan, and trails into Montana, South of the border. They are said to be the traditional enemies of the Cree, who are to the North and East of them, going all the way to Manitoba and even Hudson's Bay. All you have to know is that they do NOT like each other at this point.
It is the... 1830s or 1840s. The setting is Fort Edmonton, a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading fort. The sole reason the Europeans/Euro-Canadians are there is to make profit. This is Rupert's Land: it's not even a part of Canada... which doesn't even exist as a country yet. All the company wants is furs (beaver, mostly, but they'll accept anything as long as it's not dog or horse). They need to be on good relation with the natives for this, because they're the source of these goods.
I should just let you know that the word "haircut" in the title is a euphemism. This is a story about scalping. Now, there was a trend that began in the 1960s with the resurgence of aboriginal culture in North America that blamed Europeans for teaching natives to scalp people, or at least encouraging it with bounties and such. That's... probably not true. There's lots of archaeological evidence that demonstrates that scalping did happen WAY before European contact. You can tell from the cut marks on skulls. Anyway, it probably evolved as an easier thing to carry along with you as a war prize than, say, a whole skull. There's ceremonial value to it. Scalping is also not necessarily a fatal wound. There are medical treatises from the East Coast from the 1820s explaining how to treat a scalped head wound. It didn't happen NEARLY as often as Hollywood would have you believe, but it did happen in the West. European metal knives may have made it easier.
Anyway, so the Chief Factor (read: general manager of the the Saskatchewan District, AKA all of the Forts on the Saskatchewan Rivers AKA most of three modern provinces) of Fort Edmonton, John Rowand, rules over his men with an iron fist. He doesn't want trouble. It's in his best interest that everyone gets along, and that includes his customers. Fort Edmonton sits on the North side of the North Saskatchewan River, which is Cree territory. However, he's negotiated so that the Blackfoot can come up to trade unmolested.
However, Rowand, who is pretty important in the company, has to go to Fort Pitt, much further east, for some kind of annual meeting. He leaves stern instructions to the Chief Trader for the two or three weeks he'll be gone.
Of course, with all of the things I've prefaced this story with... you know something is going to go wrong. Essentially, a group of Cree and a group of Peigan both come up to trade at the same time. The Cree see the Peigan approach, think "eeeh..." and decide to retreat and come trade after the Blackfoot are gone.