The Best of Chief Dan George: Poems

Chief Dan George (1899–1981) was a revered performer, poet, philosopher, and champion of First Nations peoples. Born on a Salish Band reserve on Burrard Inlet, North Vancouver, he was sent to a residential school at five, an experience that distanced him from his family, language, and culture. After working in forestry and as a longshoreman to support his wife, Amy, and their children, he found joy performing country and western music with his family as Dan George and His Indian Entertainers. In his sixties, he launched an acting career, earning an Academy Award nomination for Little Big Man (1970) and starring in films like The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). Beyond acting, he was a gifted writer and advocate, known for My Heart Soars, My Spirit Soars, and his powerful 1967 speech, Lament for Confederation, which critiqued colonialism and called for Indigenous rights. Until his passing in 1981, he remained a respected elder, storyteller, and advocate, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire the preservation of Indigenous culture, wisdom, and resilience.