Highland Scots Fur Traders

[Oldetexian]

Another snippet gleaned from Facebook...this was the article under a painting of a Highland Scot talking with a Native American. (sorry I could not get the photo to copy.)

John Stewart Longhunter 1744-1770

The Scottish fur traders arrived in the colonies largely as single men. The Scots were so compatible with the Indians that after 1750 nearly all the fur traders among the Eastern Indians were Highland Scots.

They soon aligned with Native American women. These marriages facilitated trade because Native wives usually taught their husbands their tribal languages. It was well acknowledged the key roles that Native wives played in their husband's operations.

Historically there were a number of parallels between the American Indians and the Highland Scots. The two groups had much in common. The Cherokee admired the Highland Scots whom they considered fellow warriors. Each had fought lengthy battles, stretching over centuries, both against one another and against English speaking invaders.

Members of both groups being driven from their homelands deepened the parallel. Both were mountain people with proud, independent, warrior societies who gloried in a good fight, rough games and reckless living. Each had achieved partial, but by no means complete, success in fending off invasions.

As indigenous peoples, their social structures reflected numerous similarities. Each viewed land as essentially a communal resource, not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit. Each identified itself by bands or clans, and since chiefdom descended through lineage, each devised a system flexible enough to allow selection of the best person for the job. Both were clan societies which considered loyalty to the clan their first obligation.

An Indian's insistence on vengeance for the killing of a member of his clan was perfectly understood by an 18th century Highlander with a similar custom. There were even parallels between their harvest ceremonies.

Both cultures were primarily oral, with folklore and stories passed on to the children containing the distilled wisdom of their people. Finally, the deep wisdom and strength of character that each group has displayed over the centuries has allowed them to endure their calamities with dignity

[rollingb]

Interesting! 

[BEAVERMAN]

  good stuff Ray! I'll bet Puffer has a ton of info to add to this post.

[Oldetexian]

 
My thoughts, exactly. I would luv to have our "Resident Expert" share some of his knowledge on the subject. No one knows the fur trade era more than he does, and even though this is a much earlier period and in the East, I bet he can share some interesting facts.

[Winter Hawk]

another great quote, Ray!  Thanks for sharing it.

Getting the photo to copy, did you try right clicking on it, then clicking "Copy Image" which will put it on the clipboard, from which it can be pasted into the article.  Of course you knew that, and Facebook probably has it so you can't do this...

~Kees~