Fort Simpson (Feb 13/04) - Dozens of people from across the Deh Cho gathered in Fort Simpson Tuesday to pay their final respects to elder Albert Tonka who died Friday.

Albert Tonka, seen here in 2001, died Friday after a long battle with a heart condition. The Fort Simpson elder and avid fisherman was 75.

"He was a great man. I admired him a lot," said Deh Cho First Nations Grand Chief Herb Norwegian, Tonka's son-in-law.

Tonka, 75, died after a long battle with a heart condition. He leaves behind a wife and 10 children.

Tonka grew up in the Willow River area, between Fort Simpson and Wrigley. His father was a headman during the treaty negotiations of 1921 and passed that sense of duty on to his son, said Norwegian.

During a gathering of chiefs in August 1993 at Kakisa, it was Tonka's strong will that proved to be a driving force behind the Deh Cho Declaration, said Norwegian.

"I remember, there was some consideration being given to (ceding land to the government)," said Norwegian, then head of the Liidlii Kue First Nation.

"When I was sitting alone outside, Albert came up to me and said 'You are the chief. Come up with a solution to this problem.'"

Norwegian said the frank discussion spurred him to introduce parts of the Deh Cho Declaration, which asserts the traditional rights of aboriginals in the region.

Norwegian also remembers Tonka as a prolific fisherman, who had a special knack for catching grayling.

"We went on a fishing trip once and I remember Albert just kept plucking the fish right out of the water, one after another. There was no way we could keep up with him. He just knew how to jig a rod."

Following a memorial service, friends and family gathered for a feast and drum dance at the Fort Simpson recreation centre in honour of Tonka.