Siksika Elder gone

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On February 15, Siksika First Nation lost one of it's most cherished members when Rev. Arthur Ayoungman Sr. (Ots kaa pi ni, Mais toi tsi kin) passed away at age 80. Funeral services were conducted Feb. 19 at the Deerfoot Sportsplex with tributes given by Mark Wolfleg Sr. and Strater Crowfoot.

Known widely for his kind and gentle manner, the spiritual leader was a devout family man who farmed, ranched, trucked, operated school buses and devoted 24 years to band council and community committees.

He was always a staunch supporter of cultural events and was a leader of the Prairie Chicken Society and member of the Buffalo Nations Society. An avid sports person, he was a Calgary Stampede participant, chuck wagon outrider and member of the Indian Sports Olympics, as well as a longtime tipi holder at the Stampede Indian Village. He often represented the Stampede, Calgary and Western Canada on national and international levels.

Ayoungman touched many lives. Spiritually, he was people's warden, rector's warden, Sunday school teacher, lay reader, and ordained as a deacon and priest, serving his people at St. John the Divine Anglican Church at Siksika.