USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Coureurs de bois (koo-wheres duh bwah) means “runners of the woods.” These men went out from French settlements to trade for animal furs with Native Americans. Their travels took them through the land that is now Michigan. Many of them married women from the Native-American tribes.

Detailed explanation-2: -In New France, the term “coureur de bois” referred to colonists who, as of the 1660s, travelled to Indigenous territories to gather fur (beaver, moose, caribou, etc.). Mainly, these men obtained skins and furs from Indigenous peoples by trading for manufactured products, not by hunting themselves.

Detailed explanation-3: -The independent coureurs des bois played an important role in the European exploration of the continent. They were also vital in establishing trading contacts with Indigenous peoples. Coureurs des bois were itinerant, unlicenced fur traders from New France.

Detailed explanation-4: -Notable examples. Most coureurs des bois were primarily or solely fur-trade entrepreneurs and not individually well known. The most prominent coureurs des bois were also explorers and gained fame as such. Étienne Brûlé was the first European to see the Great Lakes.