A Pragmatic Thinker
In this article, the author presents an Abenaki minister’s thoughts about his religious beliefs: Peter Paul Osunkhirhine was a Protestant minister for the former Jesuit mission of St. Francis during the nineteenth century. With the example of two of his letters, the author will show that he was active in debates of his contemporaneous society. He wrote many texts, some of which were published, and he tried to be a key engine of positive social change for his community. He did not hesitate to defend his ideas, even against the Reverend Burns, an eminent member of the Knox church who disagreed with him. Through Osunkhirhine, the active part played by several Amerindians in the social change of their communities is brought to light. The Abenaki minister showed how he managed to make Protestant ideas and values his own to adapt them to his situation.