by Nikki Rajala | May 5, 2019 | Voyageur
When I needed info on pensions for infirm canoemen, where could I find it? Luckily, a book by Carolyn Podruchny had just enough online to answer my question — and more. Her “Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade” had much to...
by Nikki Rajala | Nov 30, 2018 | Featured
Did voyageurs ever intersect with Quakers? In “Voyageurs: A Novel,” Margaret Elphinstone used that concept to tell the story of the fur trade, sharpening the differences between the two very dissimilar groups. The tale follows a young English Quaker who’s received a...
by Nikki Rajala | Sep 14, 2018 | Featured
A few days back I blogged about red voyageur sashes, though they came in many colors — the sash was the most defining piece of a voyageur’s apparel. Wearing a bright sash was a useful and stylish part of voyageur clothing. In Chapter 2 of “Treacherous Waters,”...
by Nikki Rajala | Aug 10, 2018 | Voyageur
Where in the world is André? Are the waters really treacherous? Please give me a map so I can see where “Treacherous Waters” takes place. Taya, 15, Blake, and Kjell, 13, (Time for maps, one of my favorite tasks.) For a kid in French-Canada in the early...
