Thomas Clair

Thomas Clair is a Mi'kmaq artist from the Elsipogtog band in New Brunswick, Canada. Thomas was removed from his band and sent to a Residential school at age seven. Four years later, he was returned to his community. Thomas left the Reserve to hitchhike throughout New Brunswick at age thirteen. Three years later, he found work as a dishwasher in Ottawa, Ontario. Thomas held a succession of manual jobs beginning with dishwashing, commercial cleaning, and construction work where he earned his way to Foreman of the construction site. While searching for that unknown missing piece to his life, he picked up acrylic paints and canvas -- and his artistic talents began to flourish. During his artistic exploration, Thomas rediscovered his Mi'kmaq culture and heritage. From that point on, all that he did and does is true to his roots. His paintings evolved into Mi'kmaq art, he attended spiritual ceremonies (such as, Sweats), cultural gatherings and PowWows. Thomas became a traditional dancer to further expand his creative talents and energy. Traditional dancing opened the doors to acting in films -- Hollywood came calling! He started his acting with roles as an Algonquian warrior in The Scarlet Letter (1995), and a Patawomeck chief in The New World (2005).