The Best of Chief Dan George

The Best of Chief Dan George by Chief Dan George and Helmut Hirnschall  127 pp.

The title of this book makes it sound like it should be a collection of movie clips featuring that wonderful First Nations character actor, Chief Dan George, the son of a chief and former Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in British Columbia. Instead this is a compilation of his two books of poetry and essays, the speech he made at the Canadian Centennial in 1967, and a biographical sketch. Most of his writings are concerned with the damage that has been done to the environment and the creatures that inhabit the earth. Others lament the loss of native culture and his concern for children. The book is illustrated with pencil sketches and pen & ink drawings by Chief Dan George's friend Helmut Hirnschall who also wrote the epilogue. My favorites:

Look at the faces of my people:

You will find expressions of love and despair,

hope and joy, sadness and desire, and all the

human feelings that live in the hearts of people

of all colors. Yet, the heart never knows the

colour of the skin.

and

The only thing the

world really needs is for

every child to grow up is happiness.