Sumith Prasad
In Netflix’s Western series ‘American Primeval,’ Jacob and Abish Pratt are Mormons who travel from Illinois to Utah seeking better living conditions to practice their religion. The prosecution they face as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints makes them embark on a journey to find a new home. Unfortunately, midway through their expedition, they are attacked by a group of anonymous people who murder nearly all of their traveling companions. Jacob and Abish survive the massacre but become separated, paving the way for perilous personal journeys to find each other. Since the brutal massacre is based on a real harrowing tragedy, the husband and wife may seem like actual Mormons. However, that’s not really the case! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Jacob and Abish Pratt Are Fictional Mormons Used to Recreate the Mountain Meadows Massacre
Jacob and Abish Pratt do not have real-life counterparts. They are fictional characters created by the screenwriter Mark L. Smith to explore the Mormon institution of the mid-19th century in detail. Since both these characters are part of the same faith, placing them among actual figures like Brigham Young allowed Smith to delve into the history of the religious group comprehensively. Primarily, ‘American Primeval’ is all about the conflicts that once existed between the Mormons, Native American tribes such as the Shoshone, the US Army, and emigrating pioneers, which formed an integral part of the history of the American West. Each of these groups is represented by a set of characters to explore the respective side.
Jacob and Abish are conceived as pioneers who are also Mormons, which allowed Smith to dive into the conflicts between the two groups. In the series, they are presented as two of the survivors of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. However, in reality, according to Smithsonian Magazine, nobody over the age of 7 survived the brutal massacre. Still, despite being fictional, Jacob and Abish are highly integral to the narrative of the period drama. It is through the former’s experiences that the series depicts the violent history of Mormons, which significantly defined the 19th-century period in the West.
For the sake of the narrative, Jacob has to be a Mormon for him to be accepted by the members of the faith and the Mormon militia. The show then uses his POV to showcase how brutal the members of the religion can be, especially towards the US Army and Native American tribes. Jacob’s gradual discovery of the true intentions of his brethren makes the particular storyline more sentimental and affecting, justifying the creation of the character.
American Primeval Sheds Light on the Conflicts Between the Mormons and the Native Americans Through Abish Pratt
In the case of Abish Pratt, ‘American Primeval’ uses her character to present the attacks and battles involving the Mormons and Native American tribes. First of all, the young woman’s storyline is completely fictional. As mentioned above, no adults survived the Mountain Meadows Massacre, clarifying that she never existed in real life. Furthermore, the battle she fights along with the Shoshone against the Mormons, which is presented as an aftermath of the Meadows Massacre, didn’t happen in reality. Still, the period drama relies on Abish to shed light on the tumultuous, occasionally deadly relationship between the Mormons and Native American tribes.
Even though Abish’s battle against the Mormons is fictional, several similar attacks did happen in real life. Around three years before the Meadows Massacre, a group of Mormons reportedly executed seven individuals from the Goshute Western Shoshone people and took three others as prisoners. Similarly, as per reports, a group of Timpanogos families were surrounded and murdered by Mormon militiamen in 1850. The tragedy, which caused around 40-100 deaths, was eventually known as the Provo River Massacre or Fort Utah Massacre. The Grass Valley Massacre, also known as the Squaw Fight, is another shared chapter in the histories of the Mormons and Native Americans.
These massacres and many more are represented in ‘American Primeval’ through Abish, who co-leads a group of the Shoshone people against the Mormon militia. Through the character’s POV, the series empathizes with the plights of the Native Americans, who are targeted and executed without any sense of compassion.
Read More: American Primeval: Are Sara Rowell and Isaac Reed Based on Real People?
