Coureur des bois

A coureur des bois (French: [kuʁœʁ de bwɑ]; lit. 'runner of the woods') or coureur de bois (French: [kuʁœʁ də bwɑ]; pl. coureurs de(s) bois) were independent entrepreneurial French Canadian traders who travelled in New France and the interior of North America, usually to trade with First Nations peoples by exchanging various European items for furs. Sometimes they operated in competition with the larger and licensed voyageurs. Some coureurs des bois learned the trades and practices of the indigenous peoples, and even went into business with them. These expeditions were part of the beginning of the fur trade in the North American interior. Initially they traded for beaver coats and furs. However, as the market grew, coureurs de bois were trapping and trading prime beavers whose skins were ...