DCHP-1 Online

made beaver Fur Trade, Hist.

• 1 n. a unit of exchange equilent to the value of one prime beaver pelt, used in buying furs and bartering provisions, more usually referred to be trappers as a skin (def. 1).

  See also: beaver (def. 4)  beaver skin (def. 2)  marten (def. 2b)  M.B.  MBeaver  plu (def. 1)  skin  MB  

  • 1723  (1965)  . . . I understand their last year's trade did not exceed 12,000 skins everything made beaver. . . .
  • 1830  (1909)  Poitras, a Chipewyan half-breed, arrived, and delivered 81 made beavers in prime furs, though he says he has been sickly all winter.
  • 1965  Although the "made beaver" . . . has been replaced by dollars and cents, the language of trade is still Cree.

• 2 n. one of the coins or tokens constituting beaver currency.

  See also: beaver (def. 5a)  

  • 1896  Thus, an Indian having brought in a parcel of furs was told that they amounted to so many "made beaver." Soon it was found more convenient to have a token which should represent the "made beaver."
  • 1928  Later brass discs were substituted for convenience, values as low as "1/4 Made-Beaver" being issued.
  • 1965  Foxes were valued and an equivalent amount in "Made Beaver" or shiny round HBC tokens was spread out on the counter.