Matonabbee (–1782) was a
Chipewyan
The Chipewyan ( , also called ''Denésoliné'' or ''Dënesųłı̨né'' or ''Dënë Sųłınë́'', meaning "the original/real people") are a Dene Indigenous Canadian people of the Athabaskan language family, whose ancestors are identified ...
hunter and leader. He was also a trader and a Chipewyan representative at the
Prince of Wales Fort. He travelled with Chief
Akaitcho's older brother, Keskarrah.
After his father died, Matonabbee spent some time living at Prince of Wales Fort where he learned to speak English.
He acted as a guide for
Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne (February 1745 – November 1792) was 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 C ...
during his exploration from 1770 to 1772, together they travelled more than . On July 14, 1771, while on an
Arctic
The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
overland journey, he, his followers, and a group of
Yellowknives,
Dene
The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" ha ...
Suline, also known as Chepewyan, who had joined them at
Clowey Lake,
[Hearne, Samuel. (1745-1792) A Journey to the Northern Ocean: The Adventures of Samuel Hearne. Surrey, BC:TouchWood Editions.] massacred a group of over 20 unsuspecting Inuinnait, also known as
Copper Inuit
Copper Inuit, also known as Kitlinermiut and Inuinnait, are a Canadian Inuit group who live north of the tree line, in what is now the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest ...
; this would be known as the
Bloody Falls massacre.
A combination of the deaths of many Chipewyans during a
smallpox epidemic of 1782, and the
defeat of Fort Prince of Wales by the French in the same year, caused Matonabbee to become depressed. Fort Prince of Wales had been the primary source of his fortune and fame and he had been the main middleman between the various tribes of the
Cree
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations.
In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...
and the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...
. He then committed suicide by hanging himself, thus being the earliest record of a northern
First Nations to kill himself.
Literature
*
References
External links
Samuel Hearne's account of Matonabbee*
* {{cite DCB , first=Beryl C. , last=Gillespie , title=Matonabbee , volume=4 , url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/matonabbee_4E.html
1730s births
1782 deaths
18th-century indigenous people of the Americas
Dene people
Canadian explorers
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
Suicides by hanging in Canada
18th-century suicides