Tokens in lieu of cash were nothing new to the tribes of the upper Great Lakes region. Toward the end of the fur trade in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, companies such as the Hudson's Bay Company began issuing "Beaver Dollars" for the pelts brought into the post. These tokens could then be redeemed for goods later as needed.

As the United States grew, new states began replacing ancestral tribal regions. With the loss of unrestricted lands came a loss of Native independence and the eventual loss of traditional autonomy. Federal support programs replaced the fur trade as treaty-ordained annuities were disbursed among the tribes. 

Goods such as blankets, cooking utensils, and tools were doled out to the tribes as per prearrangements. Just as the "beaver dollars" replaced solid trade goods among the later fur trade operations, so too did the Department of Indian Affairs tokens replaced the annuity goods to American tribal wards and served as a form of proxy currency.

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