Friends of Temagami
At Friends of Temagami, our mission has always been about more than maps, trails, or portages, it’s about the people who embody the spirit of this land. One of those people is Alex Mathias, a respected elder of the Temagami First Nation and one of the last to live year-round on his ancestral territory at Obabika Lake. In this special feature, we invite you to get to know Alex, not just as a steward of the old-growth forest, but as a storyteller, teacher, and living bridge between generations. Through your support, whether by purchasing a map or making a donation, you’re helping Alex continue his quiet but powerful work on the land.
Since 1995, Friends of Temagami has been the pre-eminent voice for wilderness ecosystems, protected areas, and backcountry recreation in the Temagami area. We are a leading voice for the protection and restoration of wilderness values in Temagami and the leading source for backcountry sustainable recreation information. Friends of Temagami is instrumental in ensuring that canoe routes and related values (e.g. campsites, portages, lookouts, hiking trails) are properly recognized, located, restored, protected and maintained. Friends of Temagami is a non-profit organization operated entirely by volunteers. Our funding comes from map sales, donations, and memberships. By buying a map, becoming a Friend, or making a donation, you are directly supporting our work.
Image Credits: Gary McGuffin
Q1. Can you all describe a moment when a scene insisted on being captured—when it wouldn’t let any of you go?
Morning at the campsite on the western side of Chee-skon-abikong Lake where we were struck by the scene across the water of sunlit white pines standing out in sharp contrast to the shaded rock cliff behind.
Q2. Are there certain sounds, smells, or sensations that influence what ends up in your art as a group? How do your individual sensory experiences come together in your collective work?
As artists, we are all uniquely experiencing the sensations of the land but because we are all there together, we are still all hearing the lap of water against shore, a particular birdsong or, in Temagami particularly, the sound of wind through those ancient white pines. And we all have the same smells around us. Pine, cedar, spruce, earth etc. Whether consciously or subconsciously, these smells are influencing our creative work as well.
Image Credits: Gary McGuffin
Q3. Why is the idea of untamed important to all of you as artists? What draws you collectively to that theme?
The untamed places attract us all but also knowing they are under threat. That feeling that we can collectively raise awareness for these wild places through our art in places like Temagami is exciting. Artists and their art forms play such an important role in protecting wild places!
‘Untamed’ has a double meaning. It speaks both to the landscapes, and to the individual artists themselves experiencing unique perspectives on an overall common experience we are having together. I am the only artist whose medium is photography. I am as interested in capturing the story of the artists working together in the landscape, as I am in capturing the landscape myself. I am so inspired by all the untamed spirit around me - on the land and in the artists at work.
Q4. After the hike, after the painting—when you all step back and look at your finished works—how do you know, as a group or individually, that a piece is truly complete?
Untamed Things collective enjoys the camaraderie of discussing the day’s creative efforts around the evening campfire. In Temagami, we had this amazing opportunity to spend time with Alex. To Alex, this place is N’dakimenan. He shared with us a profoundly deeper understanding of this place through a lifetime of stories and experiences through all seasons. These stories brought a whole other awareness and dimension to our own creative work.
Visit our Untamed Things exhibit from May 2nd to May 31st, 2025. Meet all the artists of Untamed Things in person at our opening reception for the exhibit on May 15th from 6-9pm.