The Nipissing First Nation Chief's headdress that was stolen in Mississauga on Saturday, March 11, 2023.Supplied
Peel Regional police are investigating after a First Nation chief’s car was stolen in Mississauga with a sacred headdress inside.
Police say Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod’s vehicle, a 2022 green Jeep Wrangler, was stolen early Saturday morning from the parking lot of the Sandman Signature Mississauga hotel. Mr. McLeod was in Mississauga over the weekend hosting the Little Native Hockey League tournament, when his vehicle was stolen at 3 a.m.
Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod wearing the scared headdress that was stolen in Mississauga on Saturday, March 11, 2023.Alice McLeod/Supplied
He is asking for whoever stole his car to “kindly return” the headdress, which he said holds deep significance to the Indigenous community.
“This can be done anonymously, to the Sandman Signature Mississauga hotel or to one of the arenas where the event is taking place,” Mr. McLeod said in a statement.
The LNHL tournament is set to begin on Sunday, kicking off with opening ceremonies at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre at 4 p.m.
Aylan Couchie, a member of Nippissing First Nation, said she was “gutted” to hear the news that the headdress had been stolen.
“Cars can be replaced,” she said. “But this other item is much more important.”
The headdress, she added, was an important part of the work being done in the community to help preserve its cultural identity, along with language classes and ceremonial teachings. “In terms of the Indian Act policies and residential schools, there’s been a lot of erasure of culture,” she said, adding that the headdress plays a large role in “our cultural preservation and revitalization.”
“It’s important not only for our community, because it instills a sense of pride in our community, but it’s also preserving really important teachings and artworks for our youth and for future generations.”
Mr. McLeod said the Nipissing First Nation Chief headdress is a reconstruction that took more than two years of research by elders, academics, historians and geographers to complete.
“The beadwork style represents the women’s roles in supporting the leader wearing the ceremonial headdress,” Mr. McLeod said. “The seven white eagle feathers signify the commitment that a leader makes to lead with responsibility following the seven grandfather/grandmother teachings.”