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
The Broken Group is a group of small islands and islets in the middle of Barkley Sound on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The group is protected as the Broken Islands Group Unit of the Pacific Rim National Park Rese ...
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.
As an adult, Clutesi worked as a fisherman and as a pile driver 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
Emily Carr (or M. Emily Carr as she sometimes signed her work) (December 13, 1871 – March 2, 1945) was a Canadian artist and writer who was inspired by the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. One of the painters in Canada to ado ...
was so impressed with his work that in her will she left him her brushes, oils and unused canvases.
In 1947, Clutesi began to contribute essays to the first Aboriginal newspaper in Canada, ''The Native Voice''. While recovering from an on-the-job injury, he met the chief of the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
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 First Nations' peoples, ''They were a Happy Singing People''. 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
The Canadian Centennial Medal (french: Médaille du centenaire du Canada) is a commemorative medal struck by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1967 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation and was awarded to Canadians who were ...
in 1967. Clutesi was commissioned to paint a mural for
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...
. The
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary insti ...
granted him an Honorary Doctorate in Law in 1971.
He was made a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
in 1973.
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
Tseshaht First Nation is an amalgamation of many tribes up and down Alberni Inlet and in the Alberni Valley of central Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia. They are a member of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council which i ...
culture, by a
Nuu-chah-nulth
The Nuu-chah-nulth (; Nuučaan̓uł: ), also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, Nuuchahnulth or Tahkaht, are one of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in Canada. The term Nuu-chah-nulth is used to describe fifte ...
author. It was followed by ''Potlatch'' (1969), which portrayed elements of the
Potlatch. In the late 1970s, Clutesi appeared in four movies: ''
Prophecy
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...
'', ''
Dreamspeaker'', ''
Nightwing'', and ''Spirit of the Wind''. He won a
Canadian Film Award
The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually, except in 1974 when a number of Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation. In the 1970s ...
for his portrayal of a Native shaman in '' Dreamspeaker.'' Clutesi also appeared in a number television programs.
He died in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
in 1988, not long after his final television appearance on the CBC's First Nations TV series ''
Spirit Bay
''Spirit Bay'' was an aboriginal family television show of 13 half-hour episodes that aired on CBC Television and TVOntario from 1982 to 1987. The show focuses on the lives of townsfolk on an Ojibwe reservation town near MacDiarmid, Ontario. Here, ...
'', in which he played an elder who helps the local children deal with questions about their Indigenous culture.
ABCBookWorld, Clutesi, George. Online. 10 October 2007
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Filmography
* "I Heard the Owl Call my Name" (1973) – George P. Hudson
* '' Dreamspeaker'' (1976) – Old Man
* ''Prophecy
In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a '' prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pr ...
'' (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
''Running Brave'' is a Canadian biographical sports drama film released in 1983 based on the story of Billy Mills, a member or the Oglala Sioux tribe located in South Dakota. Mills was born on the reservation, and later attended the University of ...
'' (1983) – Ben
* ''Gentle Sinners'' (1983) – Sam
* ''Isaac Littlefeathers'' (1984) – Moses Anekwat
* '' Toby McTeague'' (1986) – Chief
TV series
* ''Spirit Bay
''Spirit Bay'' was an aboriginal family television show of 13 half-hour episodes that aired on CBC Television and TVOntario from 1982 to 1987. The show focuses on the lives of townsfolk on an Ojibwe reservation town near MacDiarmid, Ontario. Here, ...
''
*Episode of The Beachcombers "The Gift"
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clutesi, George
1905 births
1988 deaths
Canadian non-fiction writers
First Nations dramatists and playwrights
First Nations painters
First Nations male actors
Canadian male film actors
Canadian male television actors
Members of the Order of Canada
Male actors from British Columbia
People from Port Alberni
Artists from British Columbia
20th-century Canadian male actors
Canadian male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Canadian male writers
20th-century First Nations writers
Canadian male non-fiction writers
20th-century non-fiction writers