George Clutesi

George Clutesi (1905 – 27 February 1988), was a Tseshaht artist, actor and writer, as well as an expert on and ambassador for all Canadian First Nations culture.

Biography Clutesi was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia in 1905. He was raised in his mother's home village in the Broken Group after her death when he was four. His father and aunts recognized his abilities at an early age and encouraged him to develop his talents. He sought refuge in his art from the pressures brought to bear on him at the Alberni Residential School. At the school, Indigenous children were driven to forget their heritage and culture in an effort to force them to assimilate into white settler culture. In 1961, he addressed the British Columbia Historical Association on Northwest Coast art urging the preservation of Indigenous cultures.

In 1959, he received the British Columbia Centennial Award and the Canadian Centennial Medal in 1967. Clutesi was commissioned to paint a mural for Expo 67. The University of Victoria granted him an Honorary Doctorate in Law in 1971.

Clutesi became one of the first Indigenous writers in British Columbia to gain recognition. His Son of Raven, Son of Deer (1967) was one of the first books written about the Tseshaht First Nation culture, by a Nuu-chah-nulth author. It was followed by Potlatch (1969), which portrayed elements of the Potlatch. In the late 1970s, Clutesi appeared in four movies: Prophecy, Dreamspeaker, Nightwing, and Spirit of the Wind. He won a Canadian Film Award for his portrayal of a Native shaman in Dreamspeaker. Clutesi also appeared in a number of television programs.

Filmography I Heard the Owl Call My Name (1973) – George P. Hudson Dreamspeaker (1976) – Old Man Prophecy (1979) – M'Rai Nightwing (1979) – Abner Tasupi Spirit of the Wind (1979) – George's Father Kelly (1981) – Clut The Legend of Walks Far Woman (1982) – Chief John Running Brave (1983) – Ben Gentle Sinners (1983) – Sam Isaac Littlefeathers (1984) – Moses Anekwat Toby McTeague (1986) – Chief

TV series Spirit Bay Episode of The Beachcombers "The Gift"