By Bay Paulsen, Staff Writer
It only took a few minutes of walking away from the rural parking spot to reach a space where “civilization” melted away, where the only sound of the unnatural world was the faint buzz of trucks and commuters driving along the nearby highway. The snow on the ground, several inches to a foot in depth, and the soft clumps clinging to the trees helped to dampen the fading noise. Ojibwe fur trapper, GLIFWC’s Travis Swanson, led the way through the winter woods past chattering coveys of birds as the ever-present “swish” of his sled carrying a bundle of trapping supplies traced our progress.
The pelts of many animals have been used to make warm clothing for people in the Great Lakes region far before the time Europeans arrived, but the arrival of the French and the demand for furs overseas sparked a new economy, and even society, of trapping and trading within the territory.
The French set up their own trading towns but quickly learned to work within the existing structures of trade in the region, becoming friendly and welcome guests, even overwintering with Ojibwe families and finding love among the women, according to The Story of the Chippewa Indians by Dr. Gregory O. Gagnon, Bad River Band citizen. The resulting mixed-heritage children became valued communicators and “cultural brokers” as visitors began to gather more frequently at fur trading posts located at major Ojibwe communities.
The price of pelts fluctuated depending on the time of year the beaver was harvested, the quality of the fur, and demand overseas. Reports vary, but from the year 1700 to 1800, the price of a single beaver pelt from North America rose from roughly $30 USD to about $95 USD (adjusted for today’s value) according to the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
This high price was thanks to the exploding popularity of the felt hat in Europe, made from the underfur of the beaver and highly valued for the way the hairs locked together and held their shape even when wet. But when felt fell out of fashion and was replaced with silk, the price of beaver fell again. General fur trapping remained a valued tradition among communities, both native and non-native, with many people continuing to make a living on it. Today, trapping doesn’t yield the financial bounty it once did, with the vast majority of modern trappers taking part as a hobby or for supplemental income.
Back in the woods with Swanson, as he trudged out of the dense trees and onto a bright, ice and snow-covered pond and stream system, towards a distant beaver lodge, he explained that his great-grandfather and even grandfather in his early life used to make their living from it, but with the high expenses of today, it’s impossible to make ends meet with trapping alone. Prices peaked again in the 1980’s, but the income was still not enough to live on.
Swanson, who serves as GLIFWC’s forest ecology program coordinator and is a tribal member of Bad River, noted that prices had been higher the last few years, averaging $40-50 for a good, large beaver pelt. He chuckled explaining that today’s market is not only driven by regular consumers in China and Russia; in the United States the popularity of felt cowboy hats has increased since the television show “Yellowstone” gained a widespread audience.
“I wanted to learn it because of tradition and family heritage, and just to know how to do it,” said Swanson. “Nowadays, I trap to pass the tradition on to my kids.”
He also explained that he traps “nuisance animals,” clarifying that they only become “nuisances” because we, as people, decided to live near or construct our infrastructure in places the animals were already existing. Swanson does not generally sell the furs he harvests. Instead, he keeps and tans them as gifts for his friends or family who may need them for projects, such as items for traditional regalia. No matter what the trapping motivation comes down to, beavers deserve the same respect, gratefulness, and ceremony that any other harvested plant or animal would receive.