A new exhibition exploring the links between the North-East of Scotland and the fur trade in Northern Canada has opened in the University’s Marischal Museum.
Scots and Orcadians have participated in the fur trade for some four hundred years.
In particular, during the twentieth century the Hudson's Bay Company – the largest of the fur trade enterprises – viewed the fishing and farming communities of the North-east as recruitment grounds for apprentice clerks.
"Scots were regarded as hardy, reliable and adaptable, and many young men were drawn to the fur trade by the prospect of adventure and a love of the outdoors," said Dr Alison Brown who curated the new exhibition with her University of Aberdeen colleague Dr Nancy Wachowich.
The displays draw upon Marischal Museum's excellent collections of Inuit artefacts as well as many photographs and Northern Cree pieces loaned by local families with connections to the Hudson's Bay Company.
The exhibition, however, is just one output of a study called Material Histories: Social Relationships between Scots and Aboriginal People in the Canadian Fur Trade, c1870-1930, undertaken by researchers in the Department of Anthropology.
Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the study has used artefacts, such as beadwork clothing, to learn more about the relationships between the Scots and Orcadians who travelled so far from home, and the Aboriginal people who made these objects.
The study has also brought together Aboriginal artists and historians with museum staff in Scotland in order to share knowledge and information about collections and how they can be used in educational projects. Several publications based on the project are currently being prepared and a website will soon be available.
Dr. Wachowich said: "This exhibition and the forthcoming website will provide opportunities to make the fascinating carvings, beadwork and family heirlooms, which have been the focus of our research, available to a wider audience. We are grateful to the many individuals and families, both in Scotland and in Canada, who have participated in the project."
Neil Curtis, Senior Curator at Marischal Museum, added: "This exhibition shows some of the continuing stories that objects provide us of the connections between people in Scotland and Canada. It is also excellent to be able to display current anthropological research taking place at the University."
Dr. Brown is still keen to hear from families in the North-East with fur trade artefacts and photographs. She can be reached at href="mailto:alison.brown@abdn.ac.uk">alison.brown@abdn.ac.uk</a> or on 01224 274 355.
The Material Histories exhibition is open now and runs until 11 May 2008. Marischal Museum is located in Marischal College in the centre of Aberdeen. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 10am – 5pm and Sunday 2pm – 5pm. Entry to the museum is free.