Session 3

Session 3: Understanding Aboriginal Children and Their Families

Getting Focused Activity: My Poem

Focus

© 2008 Neil Crawford Howell
(http://www.billhowell.ca/Neil%20Howell/_Neil%20Howell.html)

Chief Dan George, or Geswanouth Slahoot as he was called at birth, was born July 24, 1899, on the Burrard First Nation reserve in North Vancouver, British Columbia. At the age of five, he went to the St. Paul residential school. Because students weren’t allowed to speak First Nation languages in school, school administrators changed his name to Dan George, taking his new surname from his father’s English name, George.

In 1951, he took over as chief of the Burrard First Nation from his father and became Chief Dan George. He continued in that role until 1963, when his acting career began. Chief Dan George received an Academy Award nomination for his role in Little Big Man (1970). He acted in Centennial (1978) and in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), and he starred as a guest on television shows such as The Incredible Hulk, Bonanza, and The Beachcombers.

Chief Dan George wrote several books including My Heart Soars, My Spirit Soars, You Call Me Chief: Impressions of the Life of Chief Dan George, and Hilda Mortimer with Chief Dan George.

In 1971, Chief Dan George was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He died on September 23, 1981, at the age of 82 years.

Directions

Step 1: Use the Internet to find a copy of Chief Dan George’s poem “And My Heart Soars.”

Step 2: Discuss with another participant in this course the ideas and structure of Chief Dan George’s poem. For example, note how the ideas flow from stanza to stanza, how the ideas connect to a holistic idea, how Chief Dan George calls forward images through his choice of language, and so on.

Step 3: Complete Getting Focused Activity: My Poem.

Checking In

Save your completed learning activity in your course folder.