Ray Dean Thrasher, otherwise known as Eric Shweig is a Canadian Inuvialuk actor, who, for Disney, appeared as Epenow in Squanto: A Warrior's Tale and as Injun Joe in Tom and Huck. He also appeared as Metacomet in the Hollywood Pictures film The Scarlet Letter.
Born to an family in the Northwest Territories, Schweig was taken from his mother at six months old as part of Canada's failed attempt at forcing Inuit and First Nations children to assimilate into white society. He was adopted by an English speaking German-French family and spent his childhood in Inuvik until he was six, when his family moved to Bermuda. They later moved back to Canada. Eventually, he ran away at 16 to Toronto working in house construction until he took part in a production of The Cradle Will Fall. A producer soon encouraged him to audition for a film role in The Shaman's Source which began his professional acting career.
Taking on the role of Uncas in 1992's The Last of the Mohicans gained him acclaim and recognition. This led to roles in films and miniseries, such as The Broken Chain, By Way of the Stars, Dead Man's Walk, 500 Nations, Big Eden, Skins, Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story, One Dead Indian, Into the West, Shania: A Life in Eight Albums, and Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. His television credits include Due South, Cashing In, Blackstone, Elementary, Supernatural, Barkskins, and Little Bird.
Outside of acting, Schweig has been outspoken about the consequences of his upbringing and shares his life's experience in numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the U.S. He is able to make large audiences aware of aboriginal issues, including adoption, the foster care system, addictions, and suicide. He also works with Vancouver Native Health's "Positive Outlook" program, where residents of the city's downtown Eastside who are HIV positive can gain access to health care, hot meals, and social programming to maintain community connections.
