GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) – The chief of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana is recovering from illness and likely will be released from a Great Falls hospital before the weekend.

The Great Falls Tribune reports that 85-year-old Chief Earl Old Person was admitted to the hospital Saturday morning. The nature of his illness has not been disclosed.

Old Person is the elder statesman of the Blackfeet Tribe who was first elected to the tribal council in 1954. He also served as the chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council for decades and in 2012 was elected to his 26th term as a council member.

Old Person was given the honorary title of chief in 1978 and is a past president of the National Congress of American Indians.

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Information from: Great Falls Tribune, http://www.greatfallstribune.com