2 Dec 2003 @ 12:02, by Raymond Powers
Englishman Discovers He's A Canadian Native Chief 11-30-3
LONDON (Reuters) -- A 59-year-old retired builder from Yorkshire, northern England, was shocked to discover he is in fact a tribal chief with a claim to thousands of acres of land in Canada, British newspapers reported on Friday.
Mick Henry, the son of an English mother and a Canadian soldier over in Britain during World War II, was recently tracked down via the Internet by his long-lost Native Canadian relatives from the Ojibway tribe in the province of Manitoba.
"I never thought something like this could happen to anyone, certainly not someone like me," Henry told the Daily Mail newspaper.
"They are still looking for a proper ceremonial name for me. I thought they still lived in tents and went hunting for their food. In fact they all have lovely houses and enjoy a wonderful lifestyle," he said.
Henry's father was an Ojibway who returned to Canada soon after his son was born. He never maintained contact and died in 1998.
The Daily Mail published recent pictures of Henry reunited in Canada with some of the 70 members of his tribe, all dressed in ceremonial clothing and headdresses.
Henry is also apparently hoping to cash-in on his new-found heritage and sudden celebrity status.
When contacted by telephone by Reuters, a Henry family spokeswoman said: "He is not speaking to the media about his story any more without a fee."
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