Review: Women of the Fur Trade

Women of the Fur Trade by Frances Koncan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another entry in my immersion into the world of First Nations, Metis and Inuit literature as I prepare to teach my course in the fall. In this case, this is a play, performed several times include at the Stratford Festival in 2020.

The story happens at the key moment of Louis Riel's arrival at the Red River colony in 1869, at least, as far as one can nail down a time. The characters are, primarily, the Ojibwe Eugenia, the Metis Marie-Angelique and the white Cecilia- three women associated with the fur trade, but also with events as they lead up to the Red River Resistance. The focus is, as the title would suggest, on the women, as they interrelate in the intersection of race and gender.

The result is very funny, especially because the character's knowledge (and hence allusions) range all over history until now. There's a noticeable absurdist feel to the play, but it also packs a political punch. It is definitely worth reading and considering.

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