Rae-Edzo (Jun 26/06) - An influential leader in the years leading to the Tlicho agreement died earlier this month.

Joe Migwi was 78 when he died at home in Behchoko on June 1.

Joe Migwi, a former grand chief of the Dogrib Nation, died earlier this month. - Photo courtesy of Tessa Macintosh

Migwi was grand chief of the Dogrib Nation from 1979 to 1983 and served as a councillor with the Rae-Edzo Band almost continuously since the early 1960s.

In his later years, Migwi was one of the elder advisers for the negotiations leading to the Tlicho Agreement of 2003. The pact set aside 39,000 square kilometres of traditional Tlicho land. Migwi was elected to the local Behchoko community government in 2005 under the new Tlicho structure.

Eddie Erasmus, a former grand chief of the Dogrib Nation, remembers Migwi fondly. "He always worked to keep culture alive, the language and living on the land," Erasmus says.

Migwi was always looking to the future and especially stressed the importance of education, Erasmus recalls. "He never spoke about himself. He always spoke about other people."

Erasmus, who was grand chief in the early 1990s and a member of the Tlicho negotiating team, notes Migwi was an important person in the talks.

"One of the things he always said was to get as much land as possible, even if it meant less money," Erasmus says. "The land was very important to him."

Erasmus says Migwi was happy to see the passing of the Tlicho Agreement.

"It was really something for him to see that. He said it was a dream come true."

John B. Zoe, the executive officer of the Tlicho Government, says Migwi influenced a generation of leaders and will be remembered for his long service to his people.

Zoe says that, at the same time, Migwi lived a traditional lifestyle.

"I don't think he ever missed a winter fishing."