Beaver Wars

In this episode, we explore the Beaver Wars, a brutal series of 17th-century conflicts centered on the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s struggle for power, trade, and survival in a world transformed by European disease and colonial competition. We look at how firearms from Dutch and English traders, alliances with the French, and the demand for beaver pelts fueled raids that displaced nations such as the Wendat and Erie, reshaping the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. We also examine the role of captive adoption, the Great Peace of Montreal in 1701, and the ongoing debate over whether these wars should be understood as conquest, assimilation, or genocide.