Chief Dan George

Chief Dan George OC (born Geswanouth Slahoot; July 24, 1899 – September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, a Coast Salish band whose Indian reserve is located on Burrard Inlet in the southeast area of the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He also was an actor, musician, poet and author. The Chief's best-known written work is "My Heart Soars".[1] As an actor, he is best remembered for portraying Old Lodge Skins opposite Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and for his role in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), as Lone Watie, opposite Clint Eastwood.

For the Welsh rugby player, see Dan George (rugby union).

Chief

Dan George

OC
Born
Geswanouth Slahoot

(1899-07-24)July 24, 1899
Tsleil-Waututh, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
DiedSeptember 23, 1981(1981-09-23) (aged 82)
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupations
  • Author
  • poet
  • actor
Years active1951–1981
Relatives

Early years

Born as Geswanouth Slahoot in North Vancouver,[2] his English name was originally Dan Slaholt. The surname was changed to George when he entered a residential school at age 5.[2] He worked at a number of different jobs, including as a longshoreman, construction worker, and school bus driver,[3] and was band chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation from 1951 to 1963 (then called the Burrard Indian Band).[4]

Acting career

1960–1970: Early roles and breakthrough

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 film Smith! (1969),[5] adapted from an episode in the series The High Chaparral (the episode in turn being based on Breaking Smith's Quarter Horse, a novella by Paul St. Pierre).

In 1970, at age 71, he received several honors for his role in Arthur Penn's film Little Big Man, including a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[3][6][7]

1971–1981: Subsequent success

In 1971 He played Chief Red Cloud in Season 13 Episode 14 (Warbonnet) on the Western series Bonanza. 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.

In 1972, he was among the guests in David Winters's television special The Special London Bridge Special.[8] That same year he acted in the film Paul Bogart's Cancel My Reservation,[9] and got the recurring role of Chief Moses Charlie in the comedy-drama television series The Beachcombers, a role he would revisit until his death in 1981.

In 1973, he played the role of "Ancient Warrior" in an episode of the TV show Kung Fu. That same year George recorded "My Blue Heaven" with the band Fireweed,[10] with "Indian Prayer" on the reverse. His album, Chief Dan George & Fireweed – In Circle, was released in 1974 comprising these songs and seven others.[11]

The following year he had roles in Alien Thunder (1974),[12] The Bears and I (1974),[13] and Harry and Tonto (1974).[14]

In 1975, he portrayed the character Chief Stillwater in the "Showdown at Times Square" episode in Season 6 of McCloud.

Dan George with Sondra Locke and Clint Eastwood at a barbecue in Santa Fe, New Mexico, promoting The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976).

In 1976 he acted in Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales,[15] and George McCowan's Shadow of the Hawk.[16]

On television the following year he had a role in the 1978 miniseries Centennial, based on the book by James A. Michener.

In 1979, he acted in Americathon,[17] and Spirit of the Wind.[18]

In 1980 he had his final film role in Nothing Personal.[19]

1984: Posthumous written work

George was well known for his poetic writing style and in 1974, George wrote My Heart Soars followed by My Spirit Soars in 1983, both published by Hancock House Publishers. The two books were later combined to form The Best of Chief Dan George which went on to become a best seller and continues to sell well today. One of his better known pieces of poetry A Lament for Confederation has become one of his most widely known works.

Death

The Chief died at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver in 1981 at the age of 82.[20] He was interred at Burrard Cemetery.

Personal life

Dan George's granddaughter Lee Maracle was a poet, author, activist, and professor.[21] His granddaughter Charlene Aleck is an actress who performed for 18 years on The Beachcombers on CBC. His granddaughter Joan Phillip is the BC NDP MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. His great-granddaughter Columpa Bobb is an actress and poet.

Chief Dan George's grand-nephew, Chief Jesse "Nighthawk" George, currently resides in Chesapeake, Virginia, and is the Inter-Tribal Peace Chief for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Activism

During his acting career, he worked to promote better understanding by non-aboriginals of the First Nations people. His soliloquy, Lament for Confederation,[22] an indictment of the appropriation of native territory by European colonialism, was performed at the City of Vancouver's celebration of the Canadian centennial in 1967.[23] This speech is credited with escalating native political activism in Canada and touching off widespread pro-native sentiment among non-natives.[23]

Accolades

Chief Dan George received the following accolades for Little Big Man (film).

Award Category Result
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actor Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actor
Laurel Awards Best Supporting Performance, Male

Honors and legacy
Dan George's B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame star on Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

In 1971, George was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[24]

He was included on the Golden Rule Poster under "Native Spirituality" with the quote: "We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive".[25]

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.[26]

The beauty of the trees,
the softness of the air,
the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
And my heart soars.

Legacy

In 2008 Canada Post issued a postage stamp in its "Canadians in Hollywood" series featuring Chief Dan George.[28]

Filmography
YearTitleRoleNotes
1969Smith!Ol' Antoine
1970Little Big ManOld Lodge Skins
1972Cancel My ReservationOld Bear
1972À bon pied, bon oeil
1974Alien ThunderSounding Sky
1974The Bears and IChief Peter A-Tas-Ka-Nay
1974Harry and TontoSam Two Feathers
1974Man Belongs to the EarthHimself
1974Chief Dan George SpeaksHimself
1975Cold Journey
1976The Outlaw Josey WalesLone Watie
1976Shadow of the HawkOld Man Hawk
1978Pump It Up
1979AmericathonSam Birdwater
1979Spirit of the WindMoses
1979The Incredible Hulk – Season 2, Episode 19, “Kindred Spirits”Lone Wolf
1980Nothing PersonalOscar

Written works
  • George, Dan, and Helmut Hirnschall. My Heart Soars. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1974. ISBN 0-919654-15-0
  • George, Dan, and Helmut Hirnschall. My Spirit Soars. Surrey, B.C., Canada: Hancock House, 1982. ISBN 0-88839-154-4
  • Mortimer, Hilda, and Dan George. You Call Me Chief: Impressions of the Life of Chief Dan George. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1981. ISBN 0-385-04806-8
  • George, Dan, and Helmut Hirnschall. The Best of Chief Dan George. Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House, 2003. ISBN 0-88839-544-2

See also

References
  1. "OOI Regional Cabled Array". Archived from the original on November 6, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  2. Christine Armstrong, Hidden in plain sight: contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canadian Identity and Culture, 2005: Univ. of Toronto Press, p. 14. ISBN 0-8020-8800-7. Accessed October 13, 2015.
  3. Yoggy, Gary A (1998). Back in the saddle: essays on Western film and television actors. Jefferson, NC [u.a.] McFarland. p. 138. ISBN 0-7864-0566-X. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  4. "First Nations - Land Rights and Environmentalism in British Columbia". Institute for the History of Science – University of Goettingen. 2005. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  5. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  6. "CBC News Indepth: Oscars". Cbc.ca. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  7. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  8. "Lake Havasu city plays a starring role in special". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. May 6, 1972. p. 12-D.
  9. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  10. Michael Bennett (September 30, 1972). "Western Canada:Activity abounds on all fronts". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 48–. ISSN 0006-2510.
  11. "The 50 albums that shaped Vancouver". Georgia Straight, May 3, 2017. by John Lucas, Adrian Mack, Steve Newton, Mike Usinger, Alexander Varty.
  12. "Blood on the Poplars: ALIEN THUNDER (1974) and the Story of Almighty Voice". Luma Quarterly. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  13. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  14. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  15. "The Outlaw Josey Wales". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  16. "Shadow of the Hawk". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  17. "Americathon". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  18. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  19. "Nothing Personal". TVGuide.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  20. "Chief Dan George, 82, Dies; Appeared In 'Little Big Man'". The New York Times. September 24, 1981. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  21. Lee Maracle, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Retrieved April 14, 2016
  22. "Chief Dan George: Acclaimed actor, gentle soul". The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. 2008. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  23. "Chief Dan George – CBC Archives". Archives.cbc.ca. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  24. "The Governor General of Canada". Gg.ca. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  25. Teasdale, Wayne (2004). Awakening the Spirit, Inspiring the Soul. SkyLight Paths Pub. p. xviii. ISBN 1-59473-039-3. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  26. Fralic, Shelley (February 12, 2010). "Opening ceremony: Canadians strut their stuff". Vancouversun.com. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  27. "Chief Dan George Public School". Toronto District School Board. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  28. "Stamp Quest | Stamps : Canadians in Hollywood: The Sequel". Canadapost.ca. June 30, 2008. Archived from the original on November 18, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
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