HALIFAX – Noel Knockwood, a respected Mi’kmaq elder and spiritual leader, has died at age 81.
Shubenacadie Band Chief Rufus Copage posted the news on social media overnight Thursday.
Knockwood’s family said he suffered a stroke on Monday night.
Between 2000 and 2005, Knockwood served as the first aboriginal Sergeant-at-Arms at the Nova Scotia Legislature.
He also served in the Canadian military and was a Korean War veteran.
Knockwood had been recognized with various awards and honours throughout his life, including a 2002 National Aboriginal Achievement Award for culture, heritage and spirituality.
He battled alcoholism, crediting his aboriginal culture with helping him to beat it.
He was also a survivor of the residential school system, and in 2009, said his greatest victory was recognition and compensation for its victims. Knockwood said at the time he hoped to capture the stories of other survivors before it they were lost forever.
As the news of Knockwood’s death spread, online tributes began to pour in.
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