Hereditary Mi'kmaw chief's missing coat recovered in Montreal
CBC
A Mi’kmaw Grand Council hereditary chief is relieved after a week-long search for a very special coat came to an end, thanks to community support from across the country.
“I broke down. I mean, I cried,” said Stephen Augustine.
“I walked around outside, putting my tobacco down, saying my prayers and thanking everybody and all the spirits that helped to bring the coat back to me.”
Augustine is the chief of Sikniktewaq, a Mi’kmaw district spanning eastern New Brunswick and parts of northern Nova Scotia.
He was returning home from Spain Nov. 10 when he realized his coat was missing. He believed he left it at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport during a layover.
The coat was crafted specifically for Augustine in the early 2000s, reflects his family's lineage and features three of his medals: the Order of Canada, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
When Jody Woods, who works with Augustine through her role with the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs heard the story of the missing coat, she quickly decided to help with the search.
She posted updates and calls for help on social media and watched the growing response, as people assisted in the search.
“I'm not the kind of person that posts something and gets 1,500 shares,” said Woods.
“But you can tell in the responses just how beloved Stephen is and how beloved what everything the coat represents is.”
Woods said she believes the widespread attention may have encouraged the airport to review CCTV footage on Monday, which ultimately helped narrow down where the coat might be.
"I sent him the security video image, and he said 'It's like CSI,'" said Woods.
Aéroports de Montréal confirmed to CBC Indigenous that its team found the coat Monday afternoon, after an extensive search.
The garment bag containing the coat was found shoved into a corner in between two gates at the airport.
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