People/explorer

Matonabbee

Matonabbee (1737–1782), explorer, from Canada. Linked to copper.

The lucky break

His report of a trip to the Coppermine River by the late 1760s, with the push of the Churchill factor, led the Hudson's Bay Company to order Samuel Hearne to survey the area. He later guided Hearne there.1

The downfall

DCB cites Andrew Graham saying he took his own life after the French destroyed Churchill Factory in 1782.1

Legacy

A Chipewyan leader whose knowledge of the copper country shaped early northern exploration.1

Story cards

Where next

People

Partner ofAw-gee-nah (English Chief)Two Chipewyan leaders guided the first European to the Coppermine River.2

Sources

  1. MATONABBEE Dictionary of Canadian Biography
  2. AW-GEE-NAH (English Chief) Dictionary of Canadian Biography

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

Keep exploring

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Haul trucks by Lechhabmed, CC BY-SA 4.0. Pictures: Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 15 Crew, NASA JSC (Public domain (NASA media, no copyright)); Elektrisk malmletning. Undersökningar på Billiton, 1920., Okänd / Europeana (Public Domain Mark 1.0).