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voyageurs
Sign in to savethumb|Shooting the Rapids, 1879 by Frances Anne Hopkins (1838–1919) Voyageurs (; ) were 18th- and 19th-century French and later French Canadians and others who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the and the ) and times where that transportation was over long distances, giving rise to folklore and music that celebrated voyageurs' strength and endurance. They traversed and explored many regions in what is now Canada and the United States.
Article
18 sectionsContents
- History
- Types: voyageurs, {{lang|fr|explorateurs}}, and {{lang|fr|coureurs des bois}}
- Value to the fur trade industry
- British era
- Fading and end of the voyageur era
- Travels
- Routes
- Canoes
- Culture and daily life
- Food
- Music
- Lore
- Rendezvous
- Marriage
- Francophone communities across Canada
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Shooting the Rapids, 1879 by Frances Anne Hopkins (1838–1919) Voyageurs (; ) were 18th- and 19th-century French and later French Canadians and others who transported furs by canoe at the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the and the ) and times where that transportation was over long distances, giving rise to folklore and music that celebrated voyageurs' strength and endurance. They traversed and explored many regions in what is now Canada and the United States.
Despite their fame, their lives were arduous and not nearly as glamorous as folk tales made out. For example, they had to be able to carry two bundles of fur over portages. Some carried four or five, and there is a report of a voyageur carrying seven bundles for half a mile. Hernias were common and frequently caused death. Most voyageurs started working in their early twenties and continued working until in their sixties. They never made enough money to consider early retirement from a physically grueling lifestyle.