The eldest Lheidli T'enneh Elder has passed way at age 97.
Mary Gouchie died on Thursday, Jan. 24, three weeks shy of her 98th birthday, and was one of two people who could fluently speak the Dakelh language.
The City of Prince George has lowered its flags in front of City Hall as a way to honour Gouchie.
Her photo is up on display in the Lheidli T'enneh Memorial Park pavilion, as well as the Prince George Airport.
She was also one of the torch bearers for the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, and welcomed athletes as the first official host nation of a national winter games.
The College of New Caledonia (CNC) took her knowledge of Dakelh and digitized is all word for word so that students may learn the language in hopes of keeping it alive for future generations.
She was born on Feb. 15, 1921.
