HAY RIVER
A well-respected elder on the Hay River Reserve received a special honour this month for his decades of leadership, service and inspiration.
Daniel Sonfrere was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to K'atlodeeche First Nation and beyond.
Deh Cho MLA Michael Nadli, who was on hand to help present the award, described Sonfrere as an "iconic elder" for Dene leaders that followed him.
"He's just been a very strong figure for a long time, and he still continues in his own way," Nadli said.
The medal and an accompanying certificate were presented to the 94-year-old Sonfrere at Chief Sunrise Education Centre on Feb. 8 before a group of young people gathered for a conference.
Speaking in his Slavey language, Sonfrere expressed appreciation for the medal and offered some words of wisdom to the youth.
"For me to get here, I went through a lot of things," he said. "I've had some good things happen to me and I've had bad things, but you can't give up."
Sonfrere advised the young people to prepare for their future.
"You work hard together," he said. "You help one another, you be kind to one another, love one another and you will have a good life."
His comments were translated by Chief Roy Fabian.
The medal was created by the federal government to mark Queen Elizabeth's 60 years as monarch. It recognizes the outstanding contributions of 60,000 Canadians.
Sonfrere was selected to receive the honour for a number of accomplishments.
In the early 1970s when he was chief of K'atlodeeche First Nation, he helped create the Hay River Reserve, which was the first reserve in the NWT.
Sonfrere also encourages the preservation and promotion of Dene language and culture. For instance, he was part of a committee of six elders who helped record and preserve the K'atlodeeche dialect of the South Slavey language in a topical dictionary.
In addition, he was honoured for his passion for learning and his efforts to get the reserve's grade school to teach the Slavey language and Dene ways.
The Chief Daniel Sonfrere Community Learning Centre of Aurora College for adult learners was named in his honour.
Nadli praised Sonfrere's leadership skills.
"He served his community and his people for a long time," the MLA said. "He's a role model that you follow, a person that stands so strong, and a very eloquent and strong speaker."
Fabian noted Sonfrere was a hunter and trapper.
"He excelled out there on the land," the chief said. "He was totally, totally empowered when he was out on the land."
Fabian believes one of the elder's greatest accomplishments is helping to establish the reserve in 1974.
The chief noted Sonfrere's vision was that, while young people could travel the world, they would always have the reserve to call their home and could return.
