The main reason mainland France wanted a colony on American soil in the 16th and early 17th centuries was the increasingly profitable fur trade. Mainland France depended heavily on Indigenous communities who hunted on the land and exchanged different products. Yet, Indigenous nations had very complicated relationships among them.
On one hand, Indigenous peoples from the Saint Lawrence Valley exchanged with the French, but the Dutch and English, who were settled further south, competed with them for furs.
On the other hand, Indigenous nations were competing with one another to trade with the Europeans. The conflicts and military alliances eventually created a complex political network for all the nations.
Under these circumstances, a French expedition arrived at the Tadoussac trading post in 1603. Led by experienced navigator François Gravé Du Pont, the group included two Innu, who learned French in France, and Samuel de Champlain. The men arrived in spring while a large Indigenous festival was being held. There, Du Pont and Champlain met nations who were celebrating their victory against the Iroquoian Five Nations. The victors became important business partners for the explorers.
For these nations, an alliance with the French was well received because it strengthened their military power against the Iroquoians. This was supported by the accounts of the two Innu interpreters. In fact, the positive description of their treatment in France resulted in strengthening ties between the French and these Indigenous nations.
Two weeks later, during another festival, a trading and military alliance was formed between all the nations present: Innu, Malecites, Algonquins and French. In joining forces with these nations, the French were officially involved in the conflict with the Iroquoian nations.