This image is a depiction of what drew both sides to tolerate the other in what came to be known as the fur trade. Furs from the new world helped finance French expansion and trade items enhanced the living standard of the native nations. Bows and arrows were no longer the preferred hunting method and French cutlery replaced stone axes and knives. Cooking pots, needles and even wire soon became highly prized among the Indians as they became slightly more European. French traders, many of whom lived among the Indians, changed as well. They readily accepted native culture and customs to the extent that it was difficult to distinguish a Frenchman from his native ally. Though they tried, Jesuit priests were not quite as successful at transforming natives into cultured, God-fearing Frenchmen. - JB