Prominent people: Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), or George McLean (1871-1967)

This is an excerpt from Sport and Recreation in Canadian History by Carly Adams.

By Craig Greenham

Nakoda Chief Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), or George McLean (see figure 5.3), was elected Chief of Nakoda First Nations in 1920 and was actively involved in local leadership until his death in 1967. As well as a strong and committed leader, Tatanga Mani was well known for his great sense of humour and his insistence on the acceptance of Indigenous peoples as an important part of Canadian society. He regularly played with aspects of his own identity and those of tourists or Banff residents. Often to the delight of large crowds, he was known to refer to Euro-Canadians as “White savages” when speaking in public.