Welcome

My family comes from an area named Mattice, Ontario Canada located in Northern Ontario on highway 11 on the Missinabie River. The Neegan name comes from my grandfather's grandfather's father who didn't have an english name. He was simply known as "Neeganagogin" a Cree word meaning the one who is in front. In 1910, a bishop from Cochrane, Ontario shorten the name to Neegan due to the length of Neeganagogin. The translation for Neegan is Front or First.

The Neegan family has always lived on the Missinabie River system which the river and surrounding lakes provided all the necessities of life (food, water and transportation). The Missinabie River was also an important River system for the Cree located on the coast of James and Husdson Bay. Through the River System, the Ojibway from Lake Superior (and the Great Lakes) could use the river to trade with the Northern Cree. The river was also used by the people of Six Nations to attack the people of the coast. Even over the years many war parties did travel up the coast, the people along the river system were left alone.

During the contact Era, many Hudson Bay posts were set up on the Missinabie River. A settlement of a combination of Cree and Ojibways started in the community named Mattice. From my grandparents stories, many families resided in the area that has come to be known as Mattice. Where many of the Aboriginal settled during the summer is currently made into a park by the town.

During the early and mid 1900's, many of the community members were forced to move to other areas where reserves of land were set up for the Indian people. Our members currently belong to mostly Brunswick House, Chapleau Cree, Moose Cree, Constance Lake and other First Nations in the region. Certain settlers wanted the area whwere the Native people were living in for themselves and made a deal with the Indian agent. The Aboriginal people of Mattice were given the choice of moving or the department of Indian Affairs would cease to assist them. Many of the people did move to the other First Nations. It is said one of the reasons that land was not set aside for the Indian people of Mattice is because the people refused to sign Treaty 9. To this day, the land remands to be unceaded in our peoples eyes.

A Group of people remained in the town of Mattice. Those being the Neegan family whose children were from Maggie (McCready's Frazers), John and Alice Neegan. Also the Ma-che-Qus Familty remained. In the 1970's the only remaining people living in Mattice were brothers Fred and David Neegan (formally known as Ma-Che-Qus)and Janie Ma-Che-Qus, David and Christiana Neegan (sons Ken, Gary and Merle Neegan). Later Irene (Ma-Che-Qus) Peltenon husband of Mike Peltenon moved and currently living in Mattice. Many of their children live in the area.

David and Christiana Neegan lived in Mattice until the mid 1980's where they moved closer to a medical centre (Timmins and Kapuskasing Ontario). Their son Ken Neegan in the early 1980's moved to the community of Constance Lake shortly after meeting his wife. Gary lived in Mattice until the CN laid off many people from the area due to down sizing and moved to Kapuskasing and now living in Timmins.

Merle Neegan, my father lived in Mattice until he was sick with cancer of kidneys. Unfortunately the doctors did not catch the cancer until it spread from his kindneys, to his lungs, to his brain. At this time, the cancer just entered his blood stream. Merle is one of the last trappers of the Missinabie River. He is surely missed by all.

Many of the former residents of Mattice are wishing to pursue a community within the area. Clara Neegan of Toronto has expressed moving back to Mattice since the early 1990's. Over the years, she has researched information that would allow the community to start up again. In the mid 1990's, a number of the community members elected our first Chief and Council. Jackie Gagnon of Timmins started collecting additional data. Around the late 1990's, Chief and Council resigned.

During the last year, it is hoped things will begin to happen again. A tentative gathering has been set for June 2003. The communities first gathering since the Indian agents disbanded the community in the mid 1900's. It has been a long time since Aboriginal people lived in Mattice in great numbers. I hope this is the beginning of something new.