Chapter 11: Supply and Demand
The economy of the Mishigami was essentially a series of palace economies. The amount of water from the irrigation canals, and therefore the amount of manoomin that could be grown, was centrally planned by the Mide and his acolytes. Once the manoomin was grown, it was taken, stored, and guarded by the Sagamos and his
zhimaaganish warriors. It was then redistributed to the populace as needed.
Skilled labor was restricted to select doodem, called
nitaa. Some clans only held this privilege locally. Others had exclusive control of entire industries in the Mishigami. No matter how large or small, each nitaa clan jealously guarded the secrets of their craft. Powerful nitaa clans would pressure Sagamos to enforce their monopolies.
For example, members of the
amik doodem (“beaver clan”) had exclusive control over copper smithing. No other clan was allowed to work copper in the entire Mishigami. If someone else made a copper plate and it was bought, both maker and buyer would be banned from doing business with the entire beaver clan. The Sagamos might punish the rule breakers as well, depending on his relationship with the clan. The beaver clan might even try to kill the buyer, seller, or both in order to preserve their copper monopoly.
It was not unusual for an “extra” son to be sent to another village. He would marry a local girl and set up shop in order to keep from having to compete with his relatives. Daughters were excluded from learning the craft, as they would leave the doodem when they married. If a daughter was the only heir of a nitaa clan member, a man from another clan could be adopted into the nitaa clan and married to the daughter in order to keep things in the family.
Trade was also restricted to certain doodem, called
odawa. They were the only ones allowed to take raw materials and finished goods from one city to another. Like nitaa clans, odawa clans jealously guarded this right. Black market traders were often violently suppressed.
Different odawa clans might control trade in certain materials or control certain trade routes. For example, the deer clan had a monopoly on the salt trade out of Onondagega [Syracuse, NY]. This made them extraordinarily rich and powerful.
Most goods were transported on canoes or barges, either on the Great Lakes or on the innumerable rivers that cut through the landscape. This meant that the connections between the Great Lakes and portages between drainage basins became strategically important chokepoints for trade. Control over these chokepoints would enrich and empower whoever held them.
There were four major routes from the western basin, consisting of Lakes Gichigami [Lake Superior] Inogami [Lake Michigan] and Karegami [Lake Huron], to the eastern basin, consisting of Lakes Wabishigami [Lake Eire] and Ontario as well as the Micta River [St. Lawrence River].
Major Trade Routes in the Mishigami
[1]
The first of these was the northern portage. Goods were transported overland to the Odawa River [Ottawa River] and then floated
[2] down to Hoshalaga [Montreal, QC].
The second major trade route was overland through the Odawa Peninsula [Ontario Peninsula]. Traders would use Lake Zhooniyaang (“Silver”) [Lake Simcoe] and its associated rivers to shorten the trip as much as possible.
Due to the difficulty of long overland travel, these first two routes were only used with high value, low weight items that could be easily and cheaply carried. Silver, copper, and salt were the life blood of the northern passages.
The third route was via Lake Waawiyaataanong [Lake St. Claire] and the associated rivers around Miyamee [Detroit, MI]. This meant heavy tolls and taxes. For certain items, it meant being forced to sell to the odawa clans in Miyamee, who acted as middle men to sellers on the other side. This route was only profitable for high volume items, such as manoomin.
The fourth route was the southern portage. This route went from Lake Inogami [Lake Michigan] straight to Lake Wabishigami [Lake Eire], bypassing Miyamee and Lake Karegami [Lake Huron] altogether. This route was the slowest, most profitable and the most highly contested.
Trade links with the rest of Minisia
[3]
Wine from Wiikwetong [Traverse City, MI], ceramics from the Meskwaki Valley [Fox River Valley, WI], salt from Onondagega [Syracuse, NY], silver from Animikiing [Thunder Bay, ON], copper from Minong Island
[4] [Isle Royale in Lake Superior], spices, red pipestone, porcupine quills, birch bark, and slaves travelled these routes to be bought and sold across the Mishigami.
Trade routes also stretched far beyond the Mishigami. Obsidian from Bide Mahpe [Yellowstone], jade from the Pacific Northwest, shells and mother of pearl from the gulf coast, and many strange plants were taken into the Mishigami from elsewhere on the continent. Copper, silver, and much more were taken out of the Mishigami and distributed elsewhere.
There was no currency, per se, but many items filled a similar role. Wampum beads, silver ingots, and bags of salt were all accepted at similar values throughout the Mishigami. A fawn skin bag of manoomin was a standard measure.
Groups of nitaa and odawa clans could form an oligarchy. For example, the nitaa and odawa clans of Miyamee [Detroit, MI] had the power to depose and appoint the Sagamos of the city almost at will. Nitaa and odawa clans were also important political players in the Three Waters Confederacy that dominated the Western Basin.
Next time, we will discuss the beginnings of historical records in the Mishigami.
[1] Modified from:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Great-Lakes-Map-Blank-5997120
[2] I have tried and found no elegant way to say this in the text. There are no sails in this time period so they cannot “sail” down the river.
[3] Taken from: MEDIA=imgur]lcYeFCL[/MEDIA Please ignore the OTL borders
[4] Not the Minong we previously discussed. It was a fairly common name.
My map-making skills leave much to be desired. Comments? Questions?
