THE TSIMSHIAN, THE HUDSONS-BAY-COMPANY, AND THE GEOPOLITICS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST FUR TRADE, 1787-1840

The paper examines the first half-century of the fur trade on the Nort hwest Coast from the perspective of its First Nations participants. It focuses on the array of initiatives taken by Ligeex, a prominent Tsim shian chief to insert non-native traders within the geopolitics of the indigenous world. The reconstruction is undertaken by linking Tsimshi an oral narratives with Euro-American documentary sources.