Abishabis facts for kids
Abishabis or Small Eyes (died August 30, 1843) was an important Cree religious leader. He became known as a prophet for a new religious movement. This movement spread among Cree communities in northern Manitoba and Ontario in the 1840s.
Abishabis's teachings led some Cree people to stop hunting furs. This made the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) employees upset because it reduced their profits. In 1843, Abishabis lost much of his influence. He was later accused of a serious crime near York Factory. He was arrested and held at Fort Severn. There, a group of Cree people killed him. After his death, his followers slowly stopped believing his teachings. They either destroyed their religious items or practiced their religion in secret.
Abishabis's religious ideas mixed Christianity with traditional Cree beliefs. He taught that he had visited heaven. He also said that followers could use a Cree writing system to create special religious items. These items had different purposes, according to scholars. His followers did not worship him as a god. Instead, they believed his teachings were messages from their god. Cree people passed down stories about Abishabis, saying he was the one who brought Christianity to them.
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Who Was Abishabis?
Abishabis came from the area around York Factory. He was a member of the Cree people. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) called his group "Home Guard Indians." This group often traded with the HBC and used guns for hunting.
Before Abishabis started his religious journey, his group felt something was wrong with their hunting grounds. They found it hard to hunt caribou. James Hargrave, an HBC officer, noted that Abishabis was not special before Methodist missionaries arrived in the area.
How Did Abishabis's Movement Start?
Abishabis's religious activities were first noted in 1842. By late 1842 and early 1843, his movement spread. It reached the Cree people between Fort Churchill (in modern-day Manitoba) and Moose River (in modern-day Ontario). His movement later became known as "Track to Heaven."
Abishabis's teachings caused disagreements among the Cree people. His followers expected him to provide gifts, similar to what Methodist missionaries and the HBC offered. Meanwhile, European traders and settlers worried about Abishabis's preaching. His followers were less likely to hunt furs, which hurt the company's profits. There were also reports that followers relied on wooden carvings for salvation and faced starvation. The HBC and Methodist missionaries both refused to accept Abishabis's authority.
Why Did Abishabis Lose Influence?
Abishabis's influence began to decrease in mid-1843. This was partly because HBC employees spoke out against his movement. One day, after prayers, Abishabis tried to shake Hargrave's hand. This would have shown that the HBC supported Abishabis. But Hargrave refused. This showed the Cree people that Abishabis could not get resources from the company.
Support for Abishabis weakened further when he asked for his followers' wives as a form of religious offering. Also, his promises of food and clothing in exchange for faith did not come true. Hargrave reported that by July 1843, Abishabis was begging for food and supplies. HBC employees reported that Abishabis's missionaries, including a woman and a boy, were spreading his teachings. In response, HBC employees spread a rumor that Abishabis was a windigo. A windigo is a spirit that eats people. Many of Abishabis's wives returned to their families when he could no longer provide for them.
What Happened to Abishabis?
In July 1843, Abishabis gathered supplies to travel to Severn House. He was accused of a serious crime in the York Factory area and taking some items. Researcher Norman James Williamson noted that it's hard to confirm this story. This version of events was told to the HBC by the Cree and expanded upon by Hargrave's wife, Letitia.
Abishabis arrived in Severn a few days after the accusation. He stayed there for a couple of days, bothering people and refusing to leave. Hargrave sent an interpreter named John Cromartie to Severn. Hargrave wanted Cromartie to turn the Cree people against Abishabis by calling him a windigo. Hargrave gave this order to prevent a possible uprising of the Cree people against the HBC.
When Cromartie arrived in Severn House, Indigenous people told him that Abishabis was threatening them for resources. Cromartie did not follow Hargrave's orders. Instead, he arrested Abishabis on August 9. Norman Williamson believes this was due to Cromartie's worry about the situation and not having enough food for winter. Cromartie claimed he questioned Abishabis about the accusations, but Abishabis did not reply. Cromartie allowed Abishabis to escape, thinking he would leave the area. Abishabis did leave for a short time but returned soon after. He was arrested again on August 28. On August 30, three men took him from his cell and killed him.
What Were Abishabis's Religious Ideas?
It is hard to know Abishabis's exact religious beliefs before his preaching. The Cree people did not often share their beliefs with Europeans. In the traditional Cree religion, the main goal was to journey to the afterlife, located in the far west. This was different from the Christian idea of heaven as a place in the sky for good people. So, the Cree found it hard to understand the Christian concept when missionaries explained it.
Abishabis's group likely believed in one god. This god was seen as distant and hard to reach. Methodists described Jesus to the Cree as a way for humans to connect with God. Abishabis used these Methodist teachings as a way for the Cree to talk to their own god. Abishabis encouraged his followers to observe the Sabbath (a day of rest), sing psalms, and paint books.
Before starting his ministry, Abishabis separated himself from his group. When he returned, he said he had traveled to the sky. There, he received blessings and information, including details about God's appearance. Abishabis and his helpers used a syllabic writing system. This system was introduced to the Cree people by Methodist missionary James Evans. They created texts, charts, and pictures using lines drawn on wood or paper.
Scholars have different ideas about what these lines meant. Lee Irwin thought they were seen as paths to heaven and hell. Philip H. Round said they were used to understand the will of spirits, helping the Cree to purify themselves. Norman Williamson believed the revelations helped determine possible futures for the Cree. Timothy E. Williamson said the writings included warnings against adopting European customs. They also promised game on Earth and rewards in heaven for following these teachings. Abishabis taught his followers his technique so they could create their own paths. He also claimed to have received a book from God called "Tracks to Heaven."
Some sources say Abishabis called himself Jesus. Norman Williamson believes this was likely a Methodist interpretation. Instead, Abishabis probably claimed that Jesus guided his spiritual journey. Abishabis's followers did not worship him as a god. They saw his teachings as messages from God. They believed that spirits called on the Cree to accept Abishabis as a prophet. They also believed they should replace Methodist books with Abishabis's religious texts. And they felt they should return to their customs from before colonization.
Abishabis claimed to be the "High Priest of the Tribe." He asked his followers to give him clothing and weapons. Norman Williamson stated that Abishabis's ministry was successful. This was because he was the first person to declare himself a Christian leader among his Cree community. This made them open to a Cree person leading their Christian teachings. Round said Abishabis's success came from mixing Christian ideas with the familiar Cree writing system, which promised empowerment for the Cree.
What Was Abishabis's Legacy?
After Abishabis's death, his followers faced difficulties from the HBC and the Methodist church. A woman and a boy spread Abishabis's teachings to the Albany Cree community. When Methodists found out, they forced them to put their religious items from Abishabis's teachings into a bonfire. Cree people and HBC employees watched this event.
Hargrave sent a report to the British government in London. This report praised Hargrave's actions regarding Abishabis. In February 1844, a Methodist missionary named George Barnley reported that Cree people in Moose Factory were still influenced by Abishabis's teachings. These teachings had also spread to Cree people in Eastmain.
As the HBC's influence grew, and its workers showed disapproval, Abishabis's followers began to hide their faith. Other followers slowly stopped believing Abishabis's teachings. They destroyed materials inspired by him.
In 1930, anthropologist John Montgomery Cooper reported that Cree people in Moose Factory still passed down oral stories about the movement. The Cree said that Abishabis had introduced Christianity to them.
Images for kids
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HBC headquarters at York Factory, pictured in 1853
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James Evans teaching his Cree syllabic writing system, upon which Abishabis's religious relics were based
