Featured Article Summary #65

Abishabis was a Cree religious leader in the 1840s who spread a religious movement among the Cree communities in northern Manitoba and Ontario. His preaching resulted in some Cree people giving up fur hunting, which angered the Hudson's Bay Company and affected their profits. After losing influence, Abishabis was suspected of murdering a First Nations family and was arrested and imprisoned. However, a group of people broke into his jail cell, murdered him, and burned his body. His followers gradually rejected his teachings and either destroyed relics from the movement or practiced their religion in secret. Abishabis's teachings combined Christianity and Cree beliefs, and he claimed to have visited heaven. His followers did not worship him as a deity but believed his teachings were a revelation from their god. According to Cree stories, Abishabis was credited with introducing Christianity to the Cree people. Abishabis was an Omushkego Cree who traded with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and served as an intermediary between the company and Indigenous fur trappers. He lived near the York Factory trading post and, like his group, relied on hunting for furs. Before the arrival of Methodist missionaries, there was nothing remarkable about Abishabis. Religious activity associated with Abishabis began in 1842 and his movement, called "Track to Heaven," spread to the Cree in the Fort Churchill and Moose River area. As his following grew, Abishabis accumulated goods and wives, but his followers expected him to provide gifts like the Methodist missionaries and the Hudson's Bay Company did. However, European colonists and businessmen were concerned about his preaching, as his followers stopped hunting for furs, hurting profits. The HBC and the missionaries refused to recognize Abishabis's authority and his influence decreased when the HBC condemned his teachings and refused to support him. Abishabis was accused of murdering an Indigenous family and taking their possessions, although this account is difficult to verify. Abishabis arrived at Severn House, causing trouble and refusing to leave, prompting Hargrave to order the Cree population to kill him. However, Abishabis was eventually arrested by John Cromartie, who disobeyed Hargrave's orders. Abishabis was questioned but denied involvement in the murders. He was allowed to escape but was arrested again and ultimately killed by three men who believed he may have been a windigo, later burning his body to prevent haunting. Abishabis's religious beliefs were not well known before he began preaching, as the Cree did not openly share their beliefs with Europeans. The Cree had a different understanding of the afterlife than Christians, which made it difficult for them to understand Christian concepts. Abishabis claimed to have received blessings and information from a deity after traveling to the sky, and he used a syllabic writing system introduced by a missionary to create texts and charts. His followers viewed him as a prophet and believed his teachings were revelations of God's will.