Mike Smith, a former lawyer, Council for Yukon Indians chair, and Kwanlin Dün First Nation chief, died Wednesday in Whitehorse.

Both Smith’s condition and his last days remain confidential at his own request, according to a statement from his family.

“Mike was a great leader who shared the vision of the many leaders he worked with in trying to build a better future for his people,” the statement reads.

At the time of his passing, Smith was the Yukon’s regional chief at the Assembly of First Nations.

He was a residential school survivor who went on to earn his law degree in 1984, and become one of the first two Indigenous lawyers in the Yukon.

The in-firm lawyers he worked with during that time included Ron Veale, now a Yukon Supreme Court justice, and Jack Cable, a former Yukon commissioner.

A “great legal mind,” his family writes, Smith was at the forefront of the Yukon First Nations land claims movement which gathered momentum in the early 1970s.

Smith become the chief of his Kwanlin Dun First Nation in 2003.

During his three terms as chief, he signed the First Nation’s land claim and self-government agreement.

He was also instrumental in the vision that brought about the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on the riverfront.

He was an eldest brother, and a “devoted family man.”

He is survived by his three children and four grandchildren, as well as his many nieces and nephews.

“We’re still very devastated by the loss of not only a brother, but the head of our family,” his brother, Steve Smith, told the Star this morning.

“Mike was our traditional leader.”

“He had a special relationship with every individual family member.

“He was always very kind, but also supportive. Wanting to not only provide encouragement but to provide discipline as well.”

Smith’s family has requested privacy during this time.

Nils Clarke, the Speaker of the legislature, said a few words in tribute to Smith early this afternoon, and MLAs held a moment of silence.

Flags outside several city and territorial buildings flew at half-mast today.