IndigenousStephen Augustine, a Mi’kmaw hereditary chief, has been reunited with his chief’s coat after a week-long national search was helped along by community support. Community advocacy across Canada helped locate culturally significant coatSis’moqon · CBC News · Posted: Nov 18, 2025 4:56 PM EST | Last Updated: 31 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Stephen Augustine is a hereditary chief of Sikniktewaq district, one of the seven Mi’kmaw districts. (Submitted by Stephen Augustine)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. Hereditary Chief Stephen Augustine wears his coat as Gov. Gen. Mary Simon invests him into the Order of Canada at Rideau Hall, in Ottawa, June 21, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)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.CCTV footage shows Augustine carrying a garment bag containing the coat at the Montreal airport. Jody Woods credits community outreach to both the Sydney, N.S., and Montreal airports for access to CCTV footage that ultimately helped narrow down where the coat could be. (Submitted by Jody Woods)”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.“I feel so relieved and happy to be part of this world,” said Woods.“It’s just nice to have your faith in humanity restored.”A coat of lineageAugustine’s hereditary chief line can be traced back seven generations back to one of the Mi’kmaw signatories of the 1760 Peace and Friendship Treaty, Chief Michael Augustine.Michael Augustine’s title, Algwimu, derived from the Mi’kmaw word for loon, was passed down through the generations. Stephen Augustine’s coat, made by Teresa Marshall of Millbrook First Nation, includes traditional loon designs, shown as white dots on the coat, representing the family’s clan and Algwimu name. It was also inspired by a coat given to a British army captain in 1841— another moment where Augustine’s family lineage is interwoven with Mi’kmaw history.During his service in British North America, Capt. Henry Dunn O’Halloran of the British Army’s 69th Regiment of Foot, was officially stationed in Halifax, but spent most of his time in New Brunswick. O’Halloran was made an honorary Mi’kmaw chief by the ‘Miramichi Indians’ in a public ceremony on the banks of the Miramichi River in 1841. At that time, he was presented with a complete outfit, which included this coat. (Canadian Museum of History)“The original coat itself is made with glass beads and silk ribbons and duffel and very colourful red and yellow and was given to Captain O’Halloran,” said Augustine.It was created by three uncredited Mi’kmaw women as a ceremonial gift to O’Halloran recognizing his work with both the Wolastoqiyik and the Mi’kmaq in gathering census information.Oral history suggests one of these women was Annie Ginnish, whose husband was the son of Michael Augustine, and Stephen Augustine’s great-great-great-grandfather. Stephen Augustine said he feels settled now he knows he will soon be reunited with this special piece of family history.”I had a good night’s sleep last night for once,” he said.ABOUT THE AUTHORSis’moqon is a Mi’kmaw woman from Ugpi’ganjig First Nation. She is a reporter with CBC Indigenous. She currently resides in Kjipuktuk, also known as Halifax. You can email her at sis.moqon@cbc.ca with story ideas.
Hereditary Mi’kmaw chief’s missing coat recovered in Montreal
