RESPECTED ELDER DIES
Linklater’s life of helping
A well-known and widely respected elder who spent decades teaching in Saskatchewan about First Nations history and culture, as well as advising governments and police, has died.
Walter Emery Linklater died Sunday at the age of 79 in his home, “surrounded by many family members in song and prayer as he left,” his son Mike Linklater wrote in a post on social media on Monday.
“This is not just a family loss. This is not just a community loss. This is a nation’s loss,” said family spokeswoman Charlotte Ross, who became Linklater’s traditional adopted daughter in 1994.
Mike Linklater, well-known in local basketball circles and as a young leader in the Indigenous community, said it was “a very beautiful and tough day for our family. My dad was a legendary man who dedicated his life to his family and helping others.”
Walter and his wife Maria have given “so much of their lives to guide our community, and call on us to be our best selves,” Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark said in a post on social media.
“So many of us turned to Walter for help when we needed advice to deal with challenging situations or tensions, and he and Maria always took the time to be there. We are a better community as a result,” Clark said.
“He will be missed dearly but the traditional knowledge and teachings he shared with everyone will be remembered for generations,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in a statement.
Linklater was born on Waanawiikwedaang (Couchiching First Nation) in Ontario in 1939. He attended residential school before completing his high school education in Lebret, Sask., in the Qu’appelle Valley east of Regina.
Ross said his experiences at residential school left him with post- traumatic stress disorder and an alcohol addiction, both of which he worked to overcome while reconnecting with his own language and culture.
“Even through all those dark times, he was able to see the light,” she said.
Linklater went on to earn his teaching certificate from Moose Jaw Teachers’ College, and met Maria while teaching at Thunderchild First Nation where, Ross said, he subsequently became a band member.
They were married in 1959, forming what Thunderchild First Nation Chief Delbert Wapass described as an “awesome team” that “everybody aspired to be like.”
In addition to their children and grandchildren, the Linklaters cared for at least 300 foster children over the years.
Wapass said he met Linklater while still a young man, and will remember the elder as a confident figure who taught not just students, but governments, corporations and police forces.
“He treated everybody like they were his kids. His door was always open,” Wapass said.
Clark noted Linklater’s role working closely with the Saskatoon Police Service in the “challenging years” after the public inquiry into the death of Neil Stonechild, widely regarded as a pivotal moment in the city’s history.
More recently, Linklater helped inaugurate city councils and swear in police chiefs, and participated in countless community events “to bring blessings and advice.”
He also served on the advisory committee for the naming of the new north bridge, now called the Chief Mistawasis Bridge.
A wake for Linklater was scheduled to take place Tuesday at Whitecap Dakota First Nation school, followed by a funeral Wednesday at the school.