Case 6 Assimilable for Blanket

Blankets used to become a popular trade item. Europeans interested in obtaining furs had to make compromises with the buyers, the indigenous groups. Indigenous customers would refuse to trade if the product was defective or the color was unsatisfactory in any way. Indigenous demand for certain goods, such as blankets, and the strategies they use to obtain better prices for these items have shaped the fur trade.

Today, the distinctive design of point blanket strips has been used as part of the HBC Collection brand on products ranging from umbrellas to smart phone cases. The point blanket has become an icon of Canadian style, often featured in Canadian home and style magazines and blogs.

This is seen as the acceptance of Western cultural artifacts by the Aboriginal people. Blankets with specific patterns also imply the development of a tacit norm of trade. Modern capitalism has changed the Aboriginal people faster than expected. At the same time, it also means that “Assimilable or Unassimilable” is not a one-way, rigid process, but the result of the joint efforts of both peoples.