Mathias Colomb First Nation

The Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (MCCN) (Cree: ᐸᑲᑕᐚᑲᐣ, pukatawâkan)—also known as Mathias Colomb First Nation, Mathias Colomb (Cree) First Nation, and Pukatawagan/Mathias Colomb Cree Nation—is a remote First Nations community in northern Manitoba, located 210 km (130 mi) north of The Pas and 819 km (509 mi) northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

It had two reserves under its jurisdiction, part of Treaty 6. The main community is at Indian Reserve 198 (Pukatawagan 198) in Pukatawagan, consisting of 1,536.6 ha (15.366 km²; 5.933 sq mi) on the shore of Pukatawagan Lake, and lying about 210 km (130 mi) north of The Pas. The second reserve, Highrock reserve (Indian Reserve No. 199) (CSD), located on Highrock Lake, 30 km (19 mi) downstream from Pukatawagan, was dissolved by 2006.

According to Statistics Canada and based on the 2016 Census the population of Pukatawagan 198 was 1,724, a decrease of 5.6% from 2011. Of the 2016 population 1,680 people were registered or Treaty Indian, 45 identified as neither and 25 people identified non-Aboriginal. No other Indigenous peoples were identified. The First Nations peoples identified as Cree, Ojibway, Saulteaux and Sioux. Besides English people in the community spoke Cree-Montagnais languages, a Central Algonquian languages and Ojibway language

The modern day residents of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation are primarily ancestral descendants of indigenous Cree peoples who have populated the Canadian Shield region of northern and central Canada since the retreat of the glaciers about 10,000 years ago. The indigenous people in the area have been known as Rocky Cree or Missinippi Cree (Asiniskaw Īthiniwak or Missinippi Īthiniwak) named after the traditional name for the Churchill River. (Missinippi - meaning large body of water).

The Mathias Colomb Cree Nation was originally part of the Pelican Narrows band, Saskatchewan. Pelican Narrows join Mirond and Pelican Lakes which lie between the Sturgeon-Weir and Churchill River systems. The Mathias Colomb band first settled along the Churchill River or Missinippi (meaning 'big water' in Woodland Cree) at Highrock Lake in the Prayer River area after their separation in 1910 from the Peter Ballantyne band. The Mathias Colomb Indian band, now Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, was formed as a separate reserve in 1910 and officially recognized by the Canadian federal government in 2011. In 1910, the inspector of Indian Affairs recognized Pukatawagan as a separate reserve with Mathias Colomb as the first chief of the reserve. He remained as chief until his death in 1932.

On 29 August 1926, Ayamihi Sippi (Prayer River) was surveyed as a reserve under the jurisdiction of the "Mathias Colomb Indian Band, over 18,000 acres of the 19,000 acre reserves is rock... Pakitawagan, the original fishing place of the people was also selected as one of the reserves." A fire destroyed the Prayer River community in the late 1960s and the band was forced to relocate to the Pukatawagan reserve."

As of 2019 the chief is Lorna Bighetty and the councillors are Gordie Bear, Lorna Bighetty, Shirley Bighetty, Wanda Bighetty, Ralph Caribou, Flora Jean Castel, Shirley Castel, Steven Castel, Darrell Linklater and Valerie Whyte.

The Swampy Cree Tribal Council is the tribal council affiliated with this First Nation. The Swampy Cree Tribal Council lists the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation and the Marcel Colomb First Nation with its head office in Lynn Lake, as Missinippi Cree.