Clothing

Clothes and necessity

Because of frequent contact with water, voyageurs required quick-drying garments. Cotton, linen and wool were the fabrics of choice rather than animal hides. Voyageur attire generally consisted of a linen or cotton shirt, a pair of mitasses , a wool cap, moccasins and a hooded coat for cold weather.

While voyageurs developed their own styles, they began their service with much the same attire. As part of his contract, the NWC outfitted each engagé with a few essential articles of clothing: a pair of trousers, a shirt, a blanket and a pair of souliers de boeuf. Other typical voyageur garments included a wool cap, a hooded capote, leggings, and a woollen sash or ceinture fléchée.

Clothes and experience

Clothing was a way for a voyageur to display his wealth. The better-paid voyageurs, such as the hommes du nord, tended to be more flamboyant in their dress. Also, because of their closer ties with Native peoples, the hommes du nord were more likely to adopt Native styles of clothing. The mangeurs de lard, often wore canvas trousers and a red or blue cap. The more seasoned ones wore mitasses, a colourful shirt with ruffles and cuffs, as well as a colourful wool sash around the waist. Sometimes they tied a handkerchief around their heads to prevent sweat from beading.

In winter, the hommes du nord wore a large hooded coat, which they fastened with a wide belt. On their feet they wore Indian boots. Their day-to-day costume was more Native, colourful and practical than that of the Montreal voyageurs.

Pomp and ceremony, voyageur style

For formal occasions, voyageurs had only one spare shirt and a few accessories. For these times, they still wore their everyday mitasses and moccasins, but washed their long hair and shaved carefully.

Symbols of identity

Some items from the voyageur's survival kit have become symbols of his identity:

• Pipe and tobacco pouch
• Tump line
• Knife
• Bowl
• Paddle
• Wool cap
• Handkerchief or hat
• Sash

Origins of the voyageur sash

The sash is essential to the voyageur's clothing kit. Other than holding his coat closed around the waist, historians also believe the sash provided back support during portages. At first, people called it a ceinture à fleche. The name ceinture fléchée came into use around 1798. By 1800, the NWC was purchasing sashes from L'Assomption. While, a standardized pattern may have emerged by mid-century, the sash was a familiar emblem of the fur trade well before then.

Many theories exist about its origins. The most probable is that it came from Native peoples, from the Great Lakes region or the Assomption area of Quebec.

Mutual influences

Natives and voyageurs exchanged clothing styles whenever they realized that these styles helped them adapt to their environment. For example, the first Euro-Canadians adopted mitasses, which were more suitable for travelling through the forest than pants made from cloth. They also took to moccasins, which were more practical than wooden shoes. For their part, Natives borrowed clothing and other European objects that made their lives easier.

Questionable hygiene

Although NWC voyageurs shaved regularly en route, their personal hygiene was not up to modern standards, especially after a day of hard work. While some would bathe before bedtime, they always scrubbed up thoroughly and put on a clean shirt before arriving at a fort rendezvous.

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