A Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri: The Journal and Description of Jean-Baptiste Truteau, 1794–1796 ed. by Raymond J. DeMallie, Douglas R. Parks, and Robert Vézina

Abstract

Reviewed by: A Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri: The Journal and Description of Jean-Baptiste Truteau, 1794–1796 ed. by Raymond J. DeMallie, Douglas R. Parks, and Robert Vézina Eileen M. Angelini DeMallie, Raymond J., Douglas R. Parks, and Robert Vézina, eds. A Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri: The Journal and Description of Jean-Baptiste Truteau, 1794–1796. UP of Nebraska, 2017. ISBN 978-0-8032-4427-6. Pp. 752. As part of the University of Nebraska's Studies in the Anthropology of North American Indian series, A Fur Trader on the Upper Missouri is the first annotated edition of the 1794–1796 travel journal of Jean-Baptiste Truteau, the voyageur who explored the central and northern Plains prior to the explorations of Lewis and Clark. This work features side-by-side French and English pages, colored illustrations, such as Figure 1, "James de Berty Trudeau, wearing clothing given to him by the Osages upon his departure," a painting by John Woodhouse Audubon, younger son of naturalist John Hames Audubon, and Figure 5, "Certificate given to Omaha Chief Blackbird (L'oiseau noir) on May 12, 1796, by Baron Francisco de Carondelet, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, to accompany a medal given to him." The reader is provided with a thorough analysis of the expedition of the voyageur who set out from St. Lewis with an eight-man crew and two-year supply of trade goods to go up the Missouri River and build a fort in the village of Mandan Indians. Figures, maps, and tables compare, for example, versions of the journal (44) and initial-vowel masculine nouns feminized in Truteau's writing (435). Literally no stone is left unturned in this detailed volume, which includes the Company of the Upper Missouri instructions to be followed by Truteau and the diagram of the fort he was to build upon his arrival at the Mandans (367), made even more compelling when one sees the original drawing of the plan for the fort in Figure 6. While it is fascinating enough to consider Truteau's journal as a primary source on the late-eighteenth-century fur trade, his journal not only provides a detailed description of the Upper Missouri but also an intriguing firsthand look into the culture, customs, traditions, beliefs, and ritualistic ceremonies of the region's Native Americans, such as the Arikaras, Cheyennes, Lakotas-Dakotas-Nakotas, Omahas, and Pawnees. Some Native American topics covered are beaver hunting, first contacts with Europeans, perceptions of white men, folklore, gifts, peace talks, mourning practices, warfare, and social stratification. Particularly useful for understanding Truteau's journal is the glossary of "Voyageur French" prepared by Robert Vézina that helps the reader to become more familiar with the unique vocabulary used by the voyageurs, thereby aiding the reader to recognize the significance of this specific vocabulary as it relates to the history of the French language spoken in North America. Especially notable is the analysis of animal names, such as "Belette f. [End Page 219] n. 'weasel'"—Truteau probably referred to the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), a species found only in the New World" (511)—or "Biche f. n. 'cow elk'" (514). Equally intriguing are terms that are made up of words that one would not expect to be used to describe a voyageur's equipment: "Berceau de nuit m. n. 'covered outdoor bed providing protection against mosquitoes and other stinging insects'" (511). In sum, this book is a reference resource that will satisfy the needs of historians and linguists alike. Eileen M. Angelini East Carolina University (NC) Copyright © 2019 American Association of Teachers of French