Final answer:
Native American groups often allied with the French due to the French prioritizing trade, particularly in furs, and fostering personal and diplomatic relationships, which included intermarriage and respecting native customs. Additionally, the French engaged in cultural accommodation through missionary work and were less interested in settlement and land acquisition compared to the British.
Step-by-step explanation:
Native American groups tended to ally with the French rather than the British for several reasons. One of the primary reasons was that many French trappers and traders married Native American women, leading to the development of a multicultural and multiracial society. This practice helped forge personal and diplomatic ties between the French and various tribes. Also, the French were more interested in trade than acquiring land, unlike the British who were interested in establishing permanent agricultural settlements. The French colonial model was based on trade, specifically the fur trade, and they often followed native customs in their trading practices, sometimes even intermarrying and becoming part of the tribes.
Moreover, French missionaries, particularly the Jesuits, practiced cultural accommodation instead of complete cultural assimilation, focussing mainly on converting Native Americans to Catholicism, which was often viewed more sympathetically by indigenous populations compared to British Protestant missionaries. The French government also made gestures, such as the Ordonnance, to show they were willing to accept Native Americans as equal members of society, which built stronger relationships, especially with the Algonquin-speaking tribes.
In summary, these amicable relations stemmed from French economic motives that prioritized trade relationships, including the trade of valuable resources such as fur, and their diplomatic approach towards Native American tribes which involved cultural integration and military alliances against common enemies.