Abstract

The character and abundance of ethnohistoric data available on the fur trade contact with the peoples of the H.B.C, Colvile District of the Columbia Plateau are evaluated. Most attention is given to the documents of the Hudson's Bay Company, but some comparison is made to other types of records. Along with the discussion of sources, reference is made to some of the conclusions that may be drawn from them with varying degrees of reliability. Such conclusions refer to demographic changes, alterations of political structure, the emergence of larger ethnic entities, rates of acculturation in relation to the proximity of Fort Colvile, interpretations of the markets, the spread of European ideology and custom, trapping intensity, the role of the Company in gold mining, and the question of peonage to the Company.