Agatha_Biddle
Agatha Biddle
Métis fur trader and community leader
Agatha de LaVigne Biddle (1797–1873) was a woman of Odawa and French heritage, who primarily identified with her Odawa kin.[1] She resided on Mackinac Island during the fur trade era and after.[1] She acted as a partner with her husband in running their fur trade business,[1][2] and Biddle was known as a shrewd businesswoman and her kinship connections were an integral part of the Biddle business.[3] Following in the footsteps of another native woman, Maw-che-paw-go-quay, Agatha Biddle was also a woman serving as chief for the Mackinac Island band of the Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians.[4] She was pivotal in the negotiations of the 1855 Treaty of Detroit where she used her relationships with local Indigenous peoples and settlers to negotiate on behalf of the Ojibwe and Odawa peoples.[5] Biddle was also renowned for her charity, and the aid she provided to her community, including needy children.[1] The home she shared with her husband, independent fur trader Edward Biddle, known as Biddle House, still stands on Mackinac Island and was the site of many local gatherings.[2] Agatha Biddle was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame on October 18, 2018.[2][6][7]