T RADING WITH THE F IRST N ATIONS


Sold since 1779, the Hudson's Bay wool blanket was used to pay First Nations people for beaverskins.
HBC blanket
HBC blanket
mmbc collection
The line markings, or points, are woven into the fabric and indicate the value of the blanket. For example, in 1774 a blanket with three points or lines was traded for four beaverskins. At this time a pistol was worth the same amount of beaverskins. Today, points indicate the dimensions of the blanket.
Trading Beads
Trading Beads
mmbc 996.644.0001-2

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