- Definition
Coureurs de bois" were French adventurers who lived in the wilderness and traded furs with Indigenous people, acting as a link between them and French merchants.
A coureur de bois might trade French metal pots for beaver pelts from an Algonquin trapping party.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Think of the coureurs de bois like independent traveling salespeople who paddled deep into the wilderness to trade goods, acting as a bridge between two different cultures.
Ask your child: Imagine you were a coureur de bois. What goods would you have in your canoe?
Common mix-up: Kids may think the coureurs de bois were the trappers themselves, but they were actually the expert traders connecting First Nations trappers with French merchants.
Examples
- Learning First Nations languages and customs to build the trust needed for trade.
- Paddling a canoe full of European goods up a river to a First Nations village.
coureurs de bois is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
