 Traders coming into Indian villages facilitated this system of symbolic exchange to establish or maintain alliances and friendships.Marriage also became an important aspect of the trade in both the Ohio River valley and the French "pays d’en haut" with the temporary closing of the French fur trade from 1690 to 1716 and beyond.French fur traders were forced to abandon most posts and those remaining in the region became illegal traders who potentially sought these marriages to secure their safety.