George Clutesi

George Clutesi, C.M. (1905 - 27 February 1988), was a Tseshaht artist, actor and writer, as well as an expert on and spokesman for Native Canadian culture

Clutesi was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia in 1905. He was raised in his mother's home village after her death when he was four. His father and aunts recognized his ability at an early age and encouraged him to develop his talent. He sought refuge in his art from the pressures brought to bear on him at the Alberni Residential School. At the school, the children were driven to forget their heritage and culture in an effort to force them to assimilate into Euro-Canadian culture. [ [http://www.tseshaht.com/tradition_history/figures/george_clutesi.php Tseshaht First Nation: . Online. October 9, 2007.] ]

As an adult, he worked as a fisherman and as a pile driver in order to support his wife and five children. With the encouragement of friends, he began to paint in oils and to exhibit his work during the 1940s and 1950s. Emily Carr was so impressed with his work that in her will she left him her brushes, oils and unused canvases.In 1947, he began to contribute essays to the Native Canadian newspaper, "The Native Voice". While recovering from an on the job injury, he met the chief of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the Vancouver area, Ira Dilworth. With Dilworth's encouragement, he told stories from his heritage on CBC radio. He then wrote a play about the culture of the First Nation's peoples, "They were a Happy Singing People". [ [http://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/galler03/frames/clutesi.htm - First Nation's Art IN B.C.- BC Archives Time Machine. Online. October 10, 2007] ] In 1961, he addressed the British Columbia Historical Association on Northwest Coast Native American art urging the preservation of Native American culture. [ [http://www.maltwood.uvic.ca/rollin/artists/clutesi.html Rollin Art Center: Robert Aller Exhibit, George Clutesi. Online. October 13, 2007.] ]

In 1959, he received the British Columbia Centennial Award and the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967. [ [http://www.ipl.org/div/natam/bin/browse.pl/A397 Native American Authors: . Online October 9, 2007] ] Clutesi was commissioned to paint a mural for Expo 67. The University of Victoria granted him an Honorary Doctorate in Law in 1971. [ [http://www.tseshaht.com/tradition_history/figures/george_clutesi.php Tseshaht First Nation: . Online. October 13, 2007] ] He was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1973. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167370/bio IMDB. Biography for George Clutesi. Online. October 13, 2007.] ]

Clutesi became one of British Columbia's first Native writers to gain recognition. His "Son of Raven, Son of Deer" (1967) was one of the first books written about First Nation culture by a Native American.Fact|date=July 2008 It was followed by "Potlatch" (1969), which portrayed the Native American ritual. In the late 1970s, Clutesi appeared in four movies: "Prophecy", "Dreamspeaker", "Nightwing" and "Spirit of the Wind" (1979). [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0167370/ George Clutesi's entry at IMDB. Online. October 9, 2007.] ] He won a Canadian Film Award for his portrayal of a Native shaman in " Dreamspeaker." [ [http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=44&csid1=164&navid=46 The Film Reference Library. Dreamspeaker. Online. October 13, 2007.] ] Clutesi also appeared in a number television programs. [ [http://www.tseshaht.com/tradition_history/figures/george_clutesi.php Tseshaht First Nation: . Online. October 13, 2007.] ]

He died in Victoria in 1988, not long after his final television appearance on the Native show Spirit Bay, in which he played an elder who had to deal with university students upsetting an ancient native burial site. [ [http://www.abcbookworld.com/?state=view_author&author_id=4292 ABCBookWorld, Clutesi, George. Online. October 10, 2007] ]

Filmography

* "Prophecy" (1979)
* "Dreamspeaker" (1979)
* "Nightwing" (1979)
* "Spirit of the Wind" (1979)
* "Kelly" (1981)
* "Gentle Sinners" (1983)
* "Running Brave" (1983)
* "Isaac Littlefeathers" 1984
* "Toby McTeague" 1986

TV series

* "Spirit Bay"

References