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You are here: Home / History / How did Native Americans get rich selling fur and What was Deal Making Chinook Style?

How did Native Americans get rich selling fur and What was Deal Making Chinook Style?

May 30, 2020 by Karen Hill

Some Native American groups grew wealthy by acting as middlemen.

The Chinook, for instance, who lived along the Pacific Coast near the mouth of the Columbia River, were the first Native Americans to meet trading ships that sailed into the region.

The Chinook soon found that they could make a big profit by traveling inland, buying furs from Native Americans there at a low price, then going home and reselling to non-Native American traders at a far higher price.

To retain their privileged position, the Chinook did everything they could to keep other Native Americans from dealing directly with the foreign traders. They told the inland tribes that the whites were cannibals who wanted to eat them.

When the Chinook bought guns from non-Native Americans they went even further: When inland tribes offered them furs at prices they did not like, the Chinook took to shooting guns in the air.

The inland tribes, who had no guns, got the point. Shaken, they offered their furs to the Chinook at whatever price they wanted.

Related Facts

  • What was Chinook Jargon and How was Chinook Jargon used during the Maritime Fur Trade?
  • What was the Maritime Fur Trade and How did Native Americans bargain for goods?
  • What was the fur trade about and When did the fur trade in North America start?
  • Why was contact with non-Native Americans good for Northwest Native Americans?
  • How did the fur trade affect northeastern Native Americans?
  • What are some Words and Phrases and Jargon in the Chinook language?

Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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