There were lots of tributes, some tears and even some laughs at the funeral service for aboriginal leader Jim Sinclair today.
Sinclair died on Friday at the age of 79.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Brandt Centre in Regina to pay their final respects.
Among them was the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Shawn Atleo:
“Jim was steadfast in our efforts to protect, enforce and implement our treaty rights. He also once instructed me ‘we keep asking the crown but we don’t have to ask anybody. We need to make our own treaty laws and come up with our own plan.’ In his memory we will never rest until a better day is achieved for all indigenous peoples. That was his vision.”
The president of the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, Robert Doucette, says Sinclair’s life touched many.
“Jim Sinclair had an inner strength which gave him the ability to connect with Metis, First Nations people on an emotional level and inspired us to change and emerge stronger. As a leader he conveyed our message and had a vision of the future based on knowledge and an acute understanding of our past.”
Sinclair met with the Pope, the Queen, and several prime ministers, but his lasting legacy will be what he contributed to Canada’s aboriginal community.
The chief of the federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, Perry Bellegarde, described Sinclair as a hero.
“He will be remembered, along with all those leaders – our heroes, like Big Bear, like Poundmaker, like Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont, John Tootoosis, Jim Sinclair, we lift up high.”
In addition to helping establish Metis recognition in the Constitution, Sinclair was also a founding member of the Native Council of Canada and was instrumental in the establishment of the Gabriel Dumont Institute.