Matonabbee
Encyclopedia
Matonabbee was a Chipewyan
hunter and leader. He traveled with Chief Akaitcho
's older brother, Keskarrah. After his father died, Matonabbee spent some time living at Fort Prince of Wales where he learned to speak English
.
He acted as a guide for Samuel Hearne
during his exploration from 1770 to 1772. On July 14, 1771, on Arctic overland journey, he, his followers, and "Copper Indians" who had joined them at Clowey, massacred a group of over 20 unsuspecting Inuit ("Esquimaux"); this would be known as the Bloody Falls Massacre
.
After the death of many Chipewyans during a smallpox
epidemic of 1782 and the defeat of Fort Prince of Wales by the French
, Matonabbee became depressed after the destruction of the Churchill Factory 1782, which had been the primary source of his fortune and fame. He had been the main middleman between the various tribes of the Cree and the Hudson's Bay Company. He then committed suicide by hanging himself, thus being the earliest record of a Northern Indian to kill himself.
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
hunter and leader. He traveled with Chief Akaitcho
Akaitcho
Akaitcho was a Copper Indian, and Chief of the Yellowknives...
's older brother, Keskarrah. After his father died, Matonabbee spent some time living at Fort Prince of Wales where he learned to speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
He acted as a guide for Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
during his exploration from 1770 to 1772. On July 14, 1771, on Arctic overland journey, he, his followers, and "Copper Indians" who had joined them at Clowey, massacred a group of over 20 unsuspecting Inuit ("Esquimaux"); this would be known as the Bloody Falls Massacre
Bloody Falls Massacre
The Massacre at Bloody Falls was an incident that took place during Samuel Hearne's exploration of the Coppermine River on 17 July 1771. Chipewyan and "Copper Indian" Dene men led by Hearne's guide and companion Matonabbee attacked a group of Copper Inuit camped by rapids approximately upstream...
.
After the death of many Chipewyans during a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic of 1782 and the defeat of Fort Prince of Wales by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Matonabbee became depressed after the destruction of the Churchill Factory 1782, which had been the primary source of his fortune and fame. He had been the main middleman between the various tribes of the Cree and the Hudson's Bay Company. He then committed suicide by hanging himself, thus being the earliest record of a Northern Indian to kill himself.
Literature
- Strother Roberts: The life and death of Matonabbee: fur trade and leadership among the Chipewyan, 1736-1782, Manitoba Historical Society 2007.