"We must of course perish for want of subsistence": Iroquois Indians, Imperial Politics and the Atlantic Economy

Gail D. Danvers

Iroquois Indians played an active role in the Atlantic world economy both as consumers and producers. This paper examines their experience during the tumultuous period of the mid-eighteenth century (roughly 1740-1770). Imperial warfare followed by a frenzy of white westward migration and the rapid commercialization of trade relations caused significant economic strain within Iroquois communities. As a means to supplement their livelihood, an increasing number resorted to various forms of paid employment. This paper traces out these themes of land, trade and labor, to demonstrate how the Iroquois became more firmly entangled in an Atlantic economy as the century wore on. Evidence of this trend includes the development of a new accumulation ethos, which, by the later part of the century began to hammer away at traditional values of redistribution and reciprocity. This paper posits the Seven Years War as a critical period in Iroquois history. Both the events of the war and its aftermath greatly diminished the ability of the Iroquois to isolate themselves from a larger capitalist world.

[WP # 99006]