The Protestant missionary and fur trade society: initial contact in the Hudson's Bay territory, 1820-1850
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Date
1983
Authors
Fast, Vera Kathrin
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Abstract
While historians have long been interested in many and varied dimensions of fur trade history, they have, until recently, either largely neglected the role of the missionary or treated him with something less than enthusiasm. This thesis seeks to understand and re-evaluate the first contact Protestant missionary in Rupert's Land, 1820-1850, by investigating his background, personality, motivation for mission, the methods he used, and particularly his attitude to and understanding of the people he served. It also examines the nascent Indian church which resulted from his presence, the role of the missionary wife, and the relationship of the clergy with "other whites". This study concludes that these early missionaries generally differed in background, outlook, and expectations from their successors in the second half of the nineteenth century; that individuality, circumstances, and the structure of fur-trade society were, in the final analysis, the most crucial components of their "success" or "failure" (both being relative terms); and that, despite their faults and shortcomings, their presence on the whole proved a salutary rather than a negative influence.
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Keywords
Protestant, Missionary, Fur trade, Rupert's Land