Anishnabai of Temagami
Alex Mathias
Alex Mathias of Obabika Lake.
Misa'bi Family Head,
Ojibwa Elder of Temagami First Nation 		Alex Mathias, Misabi family Head, and Ojibwa elder from Temagami First Nation - Teme-Augama( Deep Water People)- lives off the Reserve with his family in their ancestral unceded tribal territory, at the place with 8000 years of Native history where O-bawb-ika(Obabika) River flows out of Obabika lake.
Everyone is welcome to join the Change of Seasons Ceremony which takes place at ancient camp site at Obabika lake twice a year.
Ask Alex Mathias about details and read what he has to tell about the Land of his ancestors which suffered from logging, mining and acid rains of newcomers' conquest and is currently under threat of clear cutting around sacred lake of Spirit Rock- Chee-Skon-abikong.

Rainbow over Obabika lake
Lake Obabika

Unceded Traditional Family Land

Misabi land
Obabika lake, looking south
Alex Mathias in 2003 Alex Mathias spent his childhood at lake Obabika, where his family lived the traditional ways of Deep Water people. His parents were buried among old-growth red pines on the west side of Obabika lake.

Alex worked as a construction contractor on Bear island but decided to move back to the bush, to his family lands at Obabika lake, where he built a homestead and lives with his family there.

Alex maintains that Timagamis never ceded their land to any governemnt and has some documents in his archive as a prove. MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) of Ontario tried to evict him from his house and threatened to destroy it several times, harassing and even blowing up a hole in an Goulard logging road to Obabika lake, left behind by Goulard Lumber - a company responsible for clearcutting of old-growth white and red pines around Obabika lake.

Alex Mathias In late 1980s Alex was arrested by OPP (Ontario Provincial Police) during Highway 805 blockades. He was protesting against logging of old-growth around Obabika lake. Highway 805 runs through Temagami forest and turns into Goulard logging road which leads to his family lands at Obabika lake. He did not give up and these days Alex tours once in a while around Ontario, talking about history of his family and Native culture, discussing his struggle to save the land of his ancestors.
Alex Mathias

Contact Alex Mathias:

Cellular phone:

1.705.498.2818
Write:

Alex Mathias
Box 11
River Valley, Ontario
P0H 2C0
Canada
Internet E-Mail: obabikalake@hotmail.com
Neodim Kollobok, April 2005
Photos from personal archive of Alex Mathias are being published with permission.
visitors since spring of 2005! digits.com
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