- Chief Dan George
-
Chief Dan George 
Born July 24, 1899
Tsleil-Waututh, North Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaDied September 23, 1981 (aged 82)
Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaYears active 1960–1981 Chief Dan George, OC (July 24, 1899 – September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band located on Burrard Inlet in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was also an author, poet, and an Academy Award-nominated actor.
Contents
Early years
Born as Geswanouth Slahoot in North Vancouver,[1] his English name was originally Dan Slaholt. The surname was changed to George when he entered a residential school at age 5.[1] He worked at a number of different jobs, including as a longshoreman, construction worker, and school bus driver,[2] and was band chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation from 1951 to 1963 (then called the Burrard Indian Band).[3]
Acting career
In 1960, when he was already 60 years old, he landed his first acting job in a CBC Television series, Cariboo Country, as the character, Ol' Antoine (pron. "Antwine"). He performed the same role in a Walt Disney Studios movie, Smith!, adapted from an episode in this series (based on Breaking Smith's Quarter Horse, a novella by Paul St. Pierre). At age 71, he won several awards for his role in the film Little Big Man. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[2][4] He continued to act in other films, such as The Outlaw Josey Wales, Harry and Tonto, and Americathon, and on television, including a role in the miniseries Centennial, based on the book by James A. Michener, as well as appearing in a 1973 episode of the original Kung Fu series.[5]
He played the role of Rita Joe's father in George Ryga's stage play, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, in performances at Vancouver, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and Washington, D.C..
During his acting career, he worked to promote better understanding by non-aboriginals of the First Nations people. His soliloquy, Lament for Confederation,[6] an indictment of the appropriation of native territory by white colonialism, was performed at the City of Vancouver's celebration of the Canadian centennial in 1967.[7] This speech is credited with escalating native political activism in Canada, as well as touching off widespread pro-native sentiment among non-natives.[7]
In 1971, Chief Dan George was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[8] In 2008 Canada Post issued a postage stamp in its "Canadians in Hollywood" series featuring Chief Dan George.[9]
He died in Vancouver in 1981 at the age of 82. He was interred at Burrard Cemetery.[10]
Cultural references
Dan George's B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame star on Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
He was included on the famous Golden Rule Poster under "Native Spirituality" with the quote: "We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive".[11]
Canadian actor Donald Sutherland narrated the following quote from his poem "My Heart Soars" in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.[12]
- The beauty of the trees,
- the softness of the air,
- the fragrance of the grass,
- speaks to me.
- And my heart soars.
Legacy
- Chief Dan George Middle School in Abbotsford, British Columbia
- Chief Dan George Public School in Toronto, Ontario[13]
- Chief Dan George Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, University of Victoria, British Columbia
Written works
- George, Dan, and Helmut Hirnschall. My Heart Soars. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1974. ISBN 0919654150
- George, Dan, and Helmut Hirnschall. My Spirit Soars. Surrey, B.C., Canada: Hancock House, 1982. ISBN 0888391544
- Mortimer, Hilda, and Dan George. You Call Me Chief: Impressions of the Life of Chief Dan George. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1981. ISBN 0385048068
- George, Dan, and Helmut Hirnschall. The Best of Chief Dan George. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, 2003. ISBN 0888395442
Personal life
Dan George's granddaughter Lee Maracle is a poet, author, activist, and professor. His granddaughter Charlene Aleck is an actress who performed for 18 years on The Beachcombers on CBC. His great-granddaughter Columpa Bobb is an actor and poet.
See also
- Notable Aboriginal people of Canada
- Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast
References
- ^ a b Hidden in plain sight: contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canadian. University of Toronto Press. 2005. p. 14. ISBN 0802088007. http://books.google.ca/books?id=u_KHdgEr61UC&pg=PA14&dq=Chief+Dan+George+was+born+as+Geswanouth+Slahoot+in+North+Vancouver#v=onepage&q&f=true. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ a b Yoggy, Gary A (1998). Back in the saddle: essays on Western film and television actors. Jefferson, NC [u.a.] McFarland. p. 138. ISBN 078640566X. http://books.google.ca/books?id=pLbMzGDhTOIC&lpg=PA138&dq=Chief%20Dan%20George&pg=PA138#v=onepage&q&f=true. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ^ "First Nations - Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia". Institute for the History of Science - University of Goettingen. 2005. http://www.firstnations.de/development/eagleridge_bluffs.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "CBC News Indepth: Oscars". Cbc.ca. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/oscars/. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Chief Dan George (1899–1981)". The Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0313381/. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Chief Dan George: Acclaimed actor, gentle soul". The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. 2008. http://www.ammsa.com/node/29977. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ^ a b "Chief Dan George - CBC Archives". Archives.cbc.ca. http://archives.cbc.ca/society/native_issues/clips/14948/. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "The Governor General of Canada". Gg.ca. http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=1991&t=12. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Stamp Quest | Stamps : Canadians in Hollywood: The Sequel". Canadapost.ca. 2008-06-30. http://www.canadapost.ca/personal/collecting/stampquest/eng/cnd_hollywood-e.asp. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Chief Dan George (1899 - 1981) - Find A Grave Memorial". Findagrave.com. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10211109. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ Teasdale, Wayne (2004). Awakening the Spirit, Inspiring the Soul: 30 Stories of Interspiritual .... Woodstock, Vermont : SkyLight Paths Pub. p. xviii. ISBN 1594730393. http://books.google.ca/books?id=Tg51TNxGaokC&lpg=PR18&dq=poster%20Dan%20George%20We%20are%20as%20much%20alive%20as%20we%20keep%20the%20earth%20alive&pg=PR18#v=onepage&q&f=true. Retrieved 2010-10-25.
- ^ Fralic, Shelley (2010-02-12). "Opening ceremony: Canadians strut their stuff". Vancouversun.com. http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Opening+ceremony+Canada+Olympians+strut+their+stuff/2558141/story.html. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
- ^ "Chief Dan George Public School". Toronto District School Board. http://www.tdsb.on.ca/SchoolWeb/_site/viewitem.asp?siteid=10378&pageid=18880&menuid=21673. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
External links
- Chief Dan George on CBC TV's Telescope, 1971
Categories:- 1899 births
- 1981 deaths
- People from North Vancouver
- Canadian film actors
- Canadian television actors
- First Nations actors
- Aboriginal leaders in British Columbia
- Officers of the Order of Canada
- People from Vancouver
- Actors from British Columbia
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
