Why some folks feel weird about Hudson's Bay blankets

Why would anyone frown at awarm and fuzzy blanket?

For many, the Hudson's Bay Company blanket with its familiarred, green, yellow and indigo stripes is as iconicas the maple leaf. The classicdesign,originally commissioned in 1780,is a beloved staple inmany Canadian homes.

But the same blanketischilling tosome Indigenous people for reasons dating back just as far.

To kick off the second season of The Secret Life of Canada an unconventional podcast about the country you know and the stories you don't co-hosts Falen Johnson and Leah-Simone Bowenexplorethedisputed and contentiousstory of a Canadian icon.

The Secret Life of Canada37:31S2: Bay Blanket

The Bay Blanket. These warm blankets are as iconic as Mariah Carey's lip-syncing, but some people believe they were used to spread smallpox and decimate entire Indigenous communities. We dive into the history of The Hudson's Bay Company and unpack the very complicated story of the iconic striped blanket. For books and films referenced in this episode please visit our website at cbc.ca/secretlifeofcanadaFor transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcastnews/inappropriate-questions-transcripts-listen-1.6740372

What you'll hear this episode:

• A brief history of the Hudson's Bay Company, North America's oldest company.
• Historians and researchers JamesDaschukand CarolynPodruchnyand writer, activist and Elder Dr. Duke Redbird on the effects of the fur trade and the history of the HBC blanket.
• What to do when your boss makes you eat moss.
• An inquiryinto the rumoured "smallpox blanket" and the troubling case of Fort Pitt.
• Adebate: eating while shopping? Gross or great?
• What early settlers had in common with the cast ofFloribamaShore.

References:

• The Other Side of the Ledger: An Indian View of the Hudson's Bay Company. A National Film Board documentary featuring Dr. Duke Redbird, produced by the historic Indian Film Crew.
• Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life. A book by historian and researcher James Daschuk.
• Making the Voyageur World: Travelers and Traders in the North American Fur Trade. A book by professor and Historian Carolyn Podruchny.
• A Brief History of HBC. Ashort historical overview of Hudson's Bay Company byHBC Heritage,an internal department of the Hudson's Bay Company.
• The Secret Life of The North. An earlierepisode of The Secret Life of Canada referenced in this episode.