The Best Trappers in the Platte

A few years after Pasquinel and McKeag became business partners the frenchman, Pasquinel decided that they should become trappers. A trapper is the person who trapped the beavers, skinned them and sold them afterward. Pasquinel said indians did not always have what they wanted and this way they could finance their own trips and supplies, without the need for a sponsor. McKeag was concerned, they did not know anything about trapping,but Pasquinel assured him they would learn. At first they barely cached anything and faces hunger and low income. that spring they did not return to civilisation and decided they would practice until winter, trapping time, came along. they finally started getting better and divided the labours. Pasquinel would catch the beavers in his traps while McKeag would skin them perfectly (he had learned this while Pasquinel perfected his traps) and they became known as the best trappers in the Platte. 

This is a type of beaver trap

"Normally a father would have preferred his daughters marry to a more substantial type, say, established businessmen, but Bockweiss had not made that long journey from Munich to Saint Louis because he was cautious." (Michener 193). In older times people married because of money and social status. Nowadays people marry because they fell in love and they want to spend their lives together right? The thing is, in my eyes people still believe that some people are not good enough because they do not have as much money or a good job. There are very few people who an say that they do not care who they marry as long as they are in love, that they did not care what their job or future looked like when they met. People claim our society had advanced but I see that in certain matters in has only improved the way of hiding what is really happening. I am not saying we have not improved, but I still see this happening a lot, in some cases very close to me, where a person in flagged because of their social position or their income. people should be equal but how can we reach that point if all we are teaching the next generations if that if you don't have the money or the job with a big pay check people will change your view on you, even dismiss you because you are not on their "class". 

"But the Oregon trappers who had been working the rivers for a longer time, knew that McKeag was right. The beaver were thinning out." (Michener 226). Since old times humans have ended up abusing nature, taking what it has to offer and overusing it so much species have disappeared in our hands, like lonesome George, the last galapagos giant turtle. This is what ahas happening to the beavers here in this part of the story. Thanks to the excessive trapping they were not haven enough time to reproduce and that decreased the number of beavers available each season. why does man destroy the environment around him? One day we will be left with nothing, and that is when people are going to start to care, when it is too late to do something about it. 

Humans are superficial, we tend not to care about what is inside about what we have until its gone, about the damage we cause someone or something and because of that we are going to be the ones who kill ourselves in the end, because we did not care when we could. 

A Life Investment

When Pasquinel got back to civilisation he needed a few months to recover for he was in really bad shape. He needed somebody to help him with money (to pay for what he needed including a boat) so he called his doctor friend who only gave him half the money. Pasquinel embarked on his trip again, determined to never return unless he had beaver pelts. As he came across Panawee lands he warned Rude Water (chief) that if his braves went after him again he would kill them all, with his fire stick. the Panawee agreed to leave him alone. he traded with the Cheyenne and got multiple beaver pelts. Not long afterward the Panawee were approaching him again, this time to tell him that they had captured a white man. After going back to the Panawee camp he asked to se the prisoner, it was a younger man called Alexander McKeag. He had been held hostage for 6 months now and was desperate to escape. Pasquinel negotiated McKeag's freedom in exchange for 50 silver bracelets and some beaver pelts. McKeag spoke many indian languages and helped Pasquinel trade, and grew to be good friends. Because of McKeag's translation of what Pasquinel wanted to say they got more pelts than any other trader, and seeing this had a good future they became partners.

Indians approaching with beaver pelts to trade

"Young McKeag was impressed by the assurance with which Pasquinel operated; the frenchman was only 8 years older, but he always seemed to know what to do" (Michener 185). In this quote the author tells us how McKeag looked up to Pasquinel, with admiration. McKeag reminded me of that moment in my life when I copied everything my older cousin used to do. If she wore a pink dress I wanted one and whenever she told me to do something it made perfect sense. To me it also seemed like my cousin "always knew what to do". The difference of my situation with McKeag's is that I did not know any better so I just did whatever my cousin did because I considered her smarter. on the contrary McKeag was already a grown man ready to make his own decisions and have his own opinions, still the frenchman was (according to McKeag's perception) a smart man who he could learn from. the people you look up to have an impact and influence in your life and can change who you are, influence who you become, like Pasquinel convinced McKeag to become his partner and McKeag only agreed because he looked up to the frenchman. 

click here for the impact of role models to see the effects of what we do

"Pasquinel defeated and Pasquinel victorious were two different men" (Michener 185). People change based on the outcome of the situation around them. We all have different sides to ourselves, when we are happy because it is our birthday is different than when we are happy because we are liberated from a burden. When we are sad because we fought with someone we act differently than when we are sad because we just lost someone we loved. Humans can change who they are, what they do just because the situation around them is different. A defeated man can be frustrated, and can either be determined to try again or give up but it all depends n the situation. the same man can act completely different if he came out victorious, if he accomplished what he wanted. 

I strongly believe people eventually will reveal who they are, if you get to see them in multiple situations you can know who this person really is and how they change (for the better or for worse) and you can see their true colours. 

Influence, by the individual or situation as a whole changes a person and that leaves me thinking, does anybody really know who they are? how do we change in other people's eyes in different situations? Truth is nobody can really decide how their life is going to be and everything around us, the people, the places and the situations we are put in shape the person we become. 

Battle Wounds

After the death of Lame Beaver we move on to the story of the traders who had given Our People their fist gun. The man's name was Pasquinel, a frenchman living off the trade with indians. He brought beads from Paris and bracelets from Germany. Pasquinel moved about in his small canoe through the Platte, stopping in indian tribes to (hopefully) trade what he had for beaver pelts. This job was extremely dangerous for there was always the tension between white men and the indians, the fight for dominance in the plains. any white could be seen as a friends and then turn into a prey or enemy overnight so Pasquinel always carried a knife and gun with him. Pasquinel reached a tribe, but hid his canoe a mile away, fearing the indians would steal his possessions when he wan no there. After trading he left and one of the indians, under orders of his chief, tried to kill pasquinel to get everything he had. With an arrowhead in his back Pasquinel rowed his way back to civilisation. As he moved on towards civilisation he found a couple of Cheyenne indians who helped move the arrow into a position that no longer caused Pasquinel pain and later tried to defend him against englishmen who stole everything he had left, leaving him to fend for his own. He made it back to Saint Louis 5 months after.

"Occasionally , as he hiked, he could feel the arrowhead adjusting itself, but each week it caused less pain" (Michener 177). Pasquinel, after that wound did not stop trading with the indians, he did not give not fear. What impresses me the most it that the arrowhead was a constant reminder of the Panawee's betrayal, nevertheless Pasquinel did not show fear or even resentment towards the indians. Personally my reaction would have been mainly based on fear and resentment, but Pasquinel seemed to take it as a normal day in the job. What would our world be like if we all blindly forgave people who had done us wrong, believing they just had their reason to. Without the need for an apology or some form of regret towards the win they caused. If everyone behaved like this a lot of arguments that exist today would never appear and a lot of problems could be solved easily.

"In sign language Pasquinel spoke from some minutes, explaining that he had come from Sain Louis, that he came in peace, that all he wanted was to trade for beaver. He concluded by saying that when he returned through Panawee lands he would bring Chief Rude Water many presents." (Michener 175). I find it fascinating how people used to easily communicate without the need from words, and found a way to express themselves even if they were from two different worlds. For example indians believed in nature and living in harmony with the world around them. On the other had "white men" believed in innovation and discovering how to live a life of commodity. Both of these people have nothing in common except the fact that they are human beings, but somehow they manage to communicate with each other and share contact. I am intrigued as to how did they do this? How could they know if the other person was understanding and how did they know what they understood was what the other person said? If they had spoken the same language would the relationship between indians and "white men" have been less violent, or any different? 

As we move along the story we seem to find less and less honour in a man's word and more back stabbing for one's benefit. If we keep on moving this way where will we find ourselves in 20, 50 years? 

The Warrior's End

The first gun Our People had came from "pale skins" that came to trade with the indians. Lame beaver, very satisfied with the trade was now ready to protect his tribe for tension was rising in the plains. Lame beaver and the rest of the rifle knew very well that they had the Cheyenne on their side. However the rise of the Sioux and the Apaches, both terrible warriors , were driving tribes off the plains and killing those who stayed. Our people barely stood a chance. after a lot of discussions within the tribe Lame Beaver decided he would scout himself out against a battle with the Apaches so their main tribe could be destroyed by the Cheyenne. The terrible fight came and Lame Beaver was tied to a tree and he fought until his body held no more. That day Our People's greatest warriors died. Soon after they became one tribe with the Cheyenne and fought manny battles but Lame Beaver was never forgotten.

"In the morning she was found frozen to death. In this partial manner the Arapaho living at Rattlesnake Buttes were freed from the encumbrance of an old woman who had outlived her usefulness" (Michener 166) What I am seeing is that we live, up to now in a man's world. Since the beginning of societies and civilisations women were, and are treated like less or like objects that only have certain purposes. Women are given a certain role to full fill in society and always men have better options when facing the same situations as women. For example, with the Arapaho (Our People) when a woman had no husband she was left to die alone in the darkness and nobody could interfere and aid her. On the other hand when a man was left wife-less nothing changed in his life, it just became the life he had as a younger boy and had to look after himself. Will this ever change? Has it improved over time? Will we ever reach a pint in which we are equal?

"Thanks to the heroism of Lame Beaver, their eastern flank was secured for a few more years. Not soon would the Panawee want to invade Arapaho lands after such defeat. They would be back of course, in time." (Michener 164). The devotion Lame Beaver had for his people doesn't stop surprising me. It was known among the people of his tribe, including him that even if they won the battle the Panawee would be back to invade them eventually. Even with this information at hand Lame Beaver did not hesitate to give his life up for his people. The most impressing part of all this, to me is that in a tribe the bond people had was almost like a family, they where all willing to give up their life for the greater good, or to save people in a futile situation. They believe they must at least try or at least die trying to protect their own. The author shows that even though technology has improved in our society this sense of brotherhood/sisterhood is slowly disappearing until we are left to care for ourselves only, no family or friends to accompany us or to care about. We in the end will be left alone, living like animals, only for survival.