Early Trade

Native peoples had established trade routes in Asia and North America, exchanging natural resources long before Russian fur traders arrived. These early people traded for items not found in their own region; for example, people living along rivers traded fish and caribou skins for walrus ivory and sealskins that were harvested by marine hunters. Many of these trade materials were incorporated into clothing. Complex trade networks also created opportunities for social, spiritual and technical exchange; for example, Inupiat from King Island may have learned hair embroidery from Siberian Yupik and Chukchi traders.