'Heart of a soldier, soul of an angel'

Mourners are remembering slain native rights activist Nora Bernard as a tireless fighter for justice.

A procession of several hundred people led Bernard's coffin from her home on the Millbrook First Nation to a small church Wednesday morning.

Inside, Bernard was remembered as a family matriarch who fought tirelessly for people who suffered abuse at residential schools.

"She had the heart of a soldier and the soul of an angel," Gail Richardson said of her mother.

Bernard, 72, was found dead in her home in the Truro-area community early Thursday.

Truro police said she had been beaten and stabbed in her upper body and neck with a knife, though no weapon has been found.

Bernard's grandson, James Douglas Gloade, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Bernard brought a lawsuit against the federal government that eventually led to compensation for aboriginal people who suffered abuse at residential schools across Canada.

Though she had recently received a cheque for $14,000, police said it did not appear that robbery was a motive and no money had been taken from the house.

Isabelle Knockwood, a friend of Bernard, said the entire Mi'kmaq nation is mourning.

"Nora was a warrior woman," Knockwood told CBC News earlier this week. "As the story of her murder unfolds, one shock follows another in waves of sadness, anger and disbelief."

Since the small Catholic church holds only 100 people, real-time video of the funeral was available in the adjacent community hall.