Chief Dan George

Chief Dan (Teswahno) George was an actor born on Burrard Indian Reserve No. 3, British Columbia, in 1899. To most Canadians he is the first well-known Indigenous artist.

Until he was 60 he had done a series of jobs and was the chief of the Squamish Band of Burrard Inlet, BC. In 1959 he began to act, usually as the “wise old Indian” on stage and television. His career is particularly marked by three performances: as David Joe in the premiere of George Ryga’s The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (1967), for his recitation of his own Lament for Confederation at the centennial celebrations in Vancouver in 1967, and as the deadpan-humourous elder in the movie Little Big Man (1970, opposite Dustin Hoffman).

Chief George’s performances were marked by an almost ethereal wisdom and a timeworn strength of character.

During his acting career, Chief Dan George always worked to promote better understanding by non-Indigenous of the First Nations people. His soliloquy, Lament for Confederation, a riveting 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. This speech is credited with escalating native political activism in Canada, as well as touching off widespread pro-Native sentiment among non-Natives.

In 1971, George was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He died in Vancouver in 1981.