This article discusses the nature of Chipewyan-white trader relationships during the 1930s, with particular emphasis on local Indian interpretations of events. During the early 1930s and early 1940s, at the time of the Great Depression, the subarctic forests of Canada and Alaska were inundated by thousands of white trappers seeking a source of income from the fur trade. Jarvenpa describes the personal characteristics of these traders, their competition and relationship with the Chipewyan fur traders and the cultural impact of white trappers on native society.