Mi'kmaq Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy dies at 76

Mi'kmaq Grand Chief Ben Sylliboy, of WaycobahFirst Nation in Cape Breton, has died. He was 76.

Waycobah Chief Rod Googoo said Sylliboydied peacefully of natural causes on Thursday afternoon at Cape Breton Regional Hospital surrounded by friends and family, including his wife, Marie, and two daughters.

Sylliboywas a "humble" and "hard-working" man who was beloved in the Mi'kmaq community,Googoosaid.

He'd been in the hospital for less than a weekto be treated for a buildup of fluid in his lung.

'A caring mentor'

Membertou Chief Terry Paul said the death of Sylliboy is being felt by Mi'kmaq people across Atlantic Canada.

"Grand chief was a caring mentor and had immense influence in moving forward the will of our people. Many of the opportunities that we have today are thanks to the passion of our grand chief," Paul said in a statement.

"My sincerest condolences are sent to the Sylliboy family.May they find healing in the impact that he has made."

Born in Waycobahon March 2, 1941, Sylliboywas sent at age six to the Indian Residential School in Shubenacadie, N.S., where he would spend four years. He would later contract tuberculosis and spent four years in and out of hospitals.

Sylliboywas elected as an Indian Act band councillor in Waycobah in 1970, servingin that position for nine terms,according to abiography posted on the websiteofthe Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat.

In 1992, Grand Chief Donald Marshall was ill and askedSylliboyto take on the role of interim grand chief, a position he held until his death.

"Throughout the years, Ben [Sylliboy] hasseen the Mi'kmaq Grand Council continue to promote the culture and spirituality of theMi'kmaq. He also has been a part of the renewal of the Mi'kmaq Grand Council role asgoverning body within the Mi'kmaq that focuses on the recognition and implementation of Aboriginal and Treaty rights," his biography reads.

Even as Sylliboy faced health problems, he still worked tirelessly and continued "to be a respected leader within the Mi'kmaqcommunity," said the biography.

'A community person'

Mi'kmaq elder Daniel Paul is a distant relative of Sylliboy's and knew him for more than 40 years.

"He was a community person, he got along with all the people and inspired a lot of people to be nice to their fellow man," said Paul.

Premier Stephen McNeilalso offered his "heartfelt sympathies" to Sylliboy's family and the Mi'kmaq community.

"Grand Chief Sylliboy was a steadfast leader for his people, a wise mentor, and a highly respected partner in our treaty relationship with the Mi'kmaq," he said in a statement. "His passing is a loss that will be felt across Nova Scotia and the Atlantic region."