Marriage à la façon du pays ([a la fa.sɔ̃ dy pɛ.i]; "according to the custom of the country") refers to the practice of common-law marriage between European fur traders and aboriginal or Métis women in the North American fur trade.^[1]: 4 One historian, Sylvia Van Kirk, suggested these marriages were "the basis for a fur trade society".^[2] The practice persisted from the early 17th century until the late 19th century. It has been suggested that it fell out of practice due to increasing pressures of Catholic ideology and a growing population of non-indigenous women including the new generation of "mixed-breed" daughters who eventually replaced their native mothers as fur traders' wives.^[3] Rituals surrounding the marriages were based on a mix of European and, predominantly, Indigenous customs.

The presence of women in the factories (i.e. trading posts) of what is now Canada had been banned by the Hudson's Bay Company as early as 1683. Intermarriage was common from the start of the fur trade and by 1739 the company overturned its ban. The practice was both a social and a political institution, securing trade relations between Europeans and aboriginals, just as intermarriage between tribes was a political instrument of the aboriginals themselves.^[4]

Women played several important roles in the Canadian fur trade. Indigenous women assisted with the survival and care of the fur traders who overwintered in North America. Europeans were less experienced with the vegetation, wildlife, and seasonal rhythms of North America, so they often relied heavily on the indigenous people for their survival. These marriages often came with the expectation that they would secure trade between the woman's relations and the trader and in times of need, would provide mutual aid. Sometimes, it may also have been the hope of the woman's family that the trader's generosity would increase after the marriage. The marriages between these two groups led to the creation of people referred to as Métis. One writer referred to them the offspring of the fur trade.^[5]: 73 For the fur traders, indigenous women provided intimacy and companionship, as well as playing an economic role in the relationship by producing foods, including pemmican, and suitable winter clothing for the trader's survival.

Before colonization, women played an important role in Indigenous society and were a powerful force. Many First Nations societies were matrilineal, which meant that women politically controlled pre-contact Indigenous societies. Women controlled much of the tribes' politics and were the main property holders. The home belonged to the woman, as well as the products of subsistence activities; thus, she controlled the household's economy. Women were respected by the men, who always sought out the women's opinions. There was a balance between men and women. Men appreciated women for their spiritual and mental strength, as well as their economic and political power, and women appreciated men for their physical strength.^[6]

European men who came to Canada were surprised by the way women conducted themselves. One account from James Strange, an early Maritime trader on Vancouver Island, stated, "The Deserved Ascendancy which the Females have over the minds and actions of their husbands appeared Accordingly in several instances to vary considerably, for my part, in my Mercantile capacity. I dreaded the sight of a Woman, for whenever any were present, they were sure to Preside over & direct all commercial transactions, and as often as that was the case, I was obliged to pay three times the Price for What in their absence, I could have procured for One third the value." Another newcomer named James Swan noted, "The females are permitted to speak freely before the men, to whom, indeed, they sometimes address themselves in a tone of authority."^[7] European men were not used to women being so forthright and in control. They discovered that women were highly regarded as wise, and their opinions were very important.

Before contact, Indigenous infant mortality rates were like infant mortality rates for pre-contact Europeans, and the overall mortality rate for both cultures was comparable. The difference was that Indigenous women breastfed longer than mothers in other parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, and Africa, because Indigenous people in North America did not have domesticated animals from which they could get milk for their children. So although the Indigenous population had similar mortality rates, they had lower pregnancy rates.^[8]

The North American fur trade began in the seventeenth century when European and Aboriginal people began meeting at the St. Lawrence River to trade goods.^[9]: 24 The Europeans were mainly interested in buying furs for the luxury fur and felt market in Europe. Beaver pelts for use in millinery were particularly sought after. Aboriginal people knew the best places and methods for trapping, and therefore became valuable procurers for the Europeans. Because European traders did not know the Canadian landscape and climate, they needed Aboriginal assistance to survive. In contrast, Aboriginal people were interested in European goods that they previously had no access to, such as metal pots and utensils.^[9]: 46 As trade continued, the Ojibwe people would act as middlemen for the traders, bringing goods into the western interior to trade with the Cree and Assiniboine, and bringing furs back to the Europeans.^[9]: 24 As the trade progressed into the eighteenth century, the Cree and Assiniboine people would start becoming middlemen themselves, increasing their participation in the trade.^[9]: 25 As more Aboriginal people became involved in the trade, it became apparent that personal relationships were becoming an important aspect of the process. Fostering relationships was valuable for securing trade access and loyalty between Native groups and European traders. Some historians even believe that this is what caused the great success of the fur trade. For example, Brenda Macdougall writes that Aboriginal people refused to trade only for economic reasons, illuminating how personal relationships were pivotal for the success of the fur trade.^[10]: 10

The purpose of a marriage à la façon du pays was, from the European perspective, to provide the European husband with an advantage over his competitor in the fur trade business. While the Native women fulfilled traditional marital roles as sexual partners and possessed valuable skills such as cooking, sewing, and moccasin- and snowshoe-making, their most attractive feature was the promise of economic prosperity. This was achieved when a Native wife acted as a cultural intermediary between her people and the European fur traders. These marriages were not used to assimilate Indigenous women into European culture but instead worked to create a cultural middle ground where the exchange of goods could take place peacefully.^[20] Aboriginal women often acted as interpreters for traders and trappers, as well as negotiating deals. This inclusion in his wife's Native community guaranteed the European husband steady, easy access to furs.

The marriages were conducted using the traditions of the group that the woman came from. Marriages were much less formal than those in Europe, and were often consecrated by the bride's family based on the exchange of a bride-price.^[21] Unlike European marriages performed by clergy members, these unions were not seen as permanent. Both parties understood they could leave the marriage if they were dissatisfied or no longer interested in the union. Some of the men involved had wives in their home country, and would later leave their North American wives. In Native communities, the exchange of women was common among allies, and Native leaders expected that the European traders would reciprocate their offers of Native women in the form of access to trading posts and provisions.^[13]: 32 Bruce M. White has also identified the importance that Native people placed on the giving of gifts and respect, and the reciprocation of said gifts and respect, in order to keep the fur trade running smoothly.^[11]: 111

For a Native woman, engaging in a marriage à la façon du pays could be just as beneficial to her as it was to her husband. According to Susan Sleeper-Smith, establishing these relationships was a process of cultural and economic adaptation bred out of necessity. Furthermore, Sleeper-Smith claims that being married to a European fur trader increased the authority of his Indigenous wife and the importance of the entire community. Native women were able to build networks through kinship and religion (specifically Catholicism), making trade easier and "allowing these women to negotiate for themselves positions of prominence and power".^{[20]: 423–424} In fact, some women gained enough power that they faced opposition from other traders, who objected to their control over trading practices. Some, such as Magdalaine Marcot la Framboise and her sister Thérèse Marcot Lasalier Schindler, became so powerful that they were able to set themselves up as independent fur traders.^[20]: 426

Marriages between fur traders and Indigenous women declined after the turn of the nineteenth century when intermarriage became less politically and economically advantageous on both sides. Marriage-based alliances became less important to trade relations as trading became more established. An influx of European and Métis women in the Canadian and American West gave European traders more options for marriage and companionship. Both Métis and European wives were seen as more appropriate partners, due to growing anti-Aboriginal prejudice and other social and cultural reasons. Bringing more Native women into the forts and factories also put a greater financial burden on the trading companies.^[11]: 133 The increase in European traders and settlers in the West also made marriage customs more closely resemble those from Europe.^[1]: 11 Growing missionary presence condemned marriage by "Indian rules".

In general, prolonged exposure to European men and settlers brewed animosity among Indigenous women and their communities, discouraging women from forming partnerships. Van Kirk has also argued that over time conditions for Native women living with European men deteriorated.^[13]: 37 The women were often more exposed to disease, and the burden of having more children at smaller intervals placed strains on their health. Cultural differences, especially regarding who had control over raising the child, also caused animosity and discouraged intermarriage. In addition, some Indigenous groups would prevent certain traders from marrying their women, or entirely ban relationships with European traders.^[13]: 42 The North West Company eventually banned the practice of intermarriage for employees in 1806, though marriage to Métis women was allowed.^[9]: 69 Though they continued to occur throughout the nineteenth century, marriages à la façon du pays would decrease significantly over the following decades.

Once European women began arriving in Western Canada, many fur traders abandoned their Native wives for the "preferred" Europeans. Many fur traders left the marriages à la façon du pays because they did not see them as legally binding. When fur traders retired, some would stay in North America, but others would return to their European homeland for good. Those returning to their country of origin would leave behind their Native wife and children. Sometimes, when a trader retired and a younger trader took his position, that younger trader would also assume the partnership with the abandoned woman. The NWC was often bombarded with requests for support from the abandoned or widowed wives.^[22] The woman, along with the children from the marriage, would usually return to her family of origin.^[23] The forts were experiencing increased numbers of women seeking assistance since their husbands had abandoned them^[24] This left many children being raised with the help of their matrilineal families.

There are also many examples of marriages that lasted for years, with the husband writing about his grief after the death of his beloved wife. Many fur traders thought that their Indigenous wives were exceptional mothers and partners.^[25]

The Métis communities that developed in areas such as the Red River Colony and the Great Lakes region are based upon the connections from relationships between Aboriginal women and French men as they created fur trading posts and factories throughout the West.^[20]: 432 The Métis communities were distinctive because of the intensity of the connections to both the French Catholic social and economic networks and the Native lives that the women were already used to living.^[20]: 432 The Aboriginal women who became mothers to the Métis community were mainly from the Cree and Ojibwe tribes.^[5]: 73 The Métis communities became one of the most influential ties between the Aboriginal peoples and the Europeans. Macdougall noted that the Métis people were influential to the running of the fur trade and even one of the major determining factors in how the fur trade came to be run.^[10]: 13

Marriage for Métis people, especially young Métis men, became quite difficult because of their strong connections to both Native traditions and French customs, leading to many marriages being potentially seen as illegitimate.^{[26]: 48–49} The Métis families began marrying between Métis kin, particularly those situated around the Great Lakes who were parts of the much larger fur trade communities.^[20]: 441 This intermarriage led to an extremely distinctive culture of Métis people in the Great Lakes and the Canadian West.^[20]: 441 In contrast to many minority groups, the Métis people made a conscious effort to be non-conformist.^[5]: 72 This and their distinctive identity led to several conflicts between the Métis, European settlers, and the Canadian government throughout the nineteenth century, such as the Red River Rebellion. The government of Alberta has made the official distinction for Métis people by saying that the Métis are those who fail to meet the social and legal distinctions of Native or European but are the offspring of both.^[5]: 72

• King's Daughters or Filles du Roy
• Filles à la cassette
• Custom of Paris in New France
• Common-law relationships in Manitoba
• More danico, marriage according to the Norse custom