what did chief seattle say

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Did Chief Seattle give his speech?

Chief Seattle's speech is one that Chief Seattle probably gave in 1854 to an audience including the first Governor of Washington Territory, the militaristic Isaac Stevens. Though the speech itself is lost to history, many putative versions exist, none of which are particularly reliable.

When did Chief Seattle say his speech?

"H. A. Smith” first put Chief Seattle's speech into print in the Seattle Sunday Star on October 29, 1887. Dr. Henry Smith, as he was otherwise known, claimed to have heard the speech around 1853 or 1854 (one scholar states that Seattle delivered it in mid-January of 1854 [Buerge 1988: 103]).

What does Chief Seattle say about death?

• According to Chief Seattle “There is no death, only a change of worlds.” He means to say that after the physical death, the spirits still stay alive and wander about the beautiful places of this world that they loved in their life.

How does the chief conclude his speech?

Chief Seattle ends his speech by saying that the “White man will never be alone.” He implies that even when the last Red man has vanished, His memory will forever become a minute and the forest and the trees in bed the fruits of his people.

Why did Chief Seattle give his speech?

The speech was a response to the treaty of the American Government for buying the land of native Americans. The speech throws light on the carelessness of the White people towards the environment. Moreover, it focuses on the degradation of ecological balance and a plea to protect nature.

In which language did Chief Seattle make his speech?

Chief Seattle's Speech Henry Smith. Smith who stated in the October 29, 1887 edition of the Seattle Sunday Star that his documentation of the speech was based on notes he took at the time. The speech was delivered in Seattle's native Lushotseed language, translated into Chinook jargon, and then into English.

When did Chief Seathl send a letter to the President of America?

This letter was sent in 1855 by Native American Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribe to Franklin Pierce, President of the United States in response to an offer to purchase the Dwamish lands in the North East of the US, currently Washington State.

How does the speech of the chief show that his people were oppressed?

Chief Seattle mentions how his people are few in number by saying that "his people resemble the scattering trees of a storm swept plain and the pale faced people were like the grass that covers vast prairies." The Whites had advanced weapons and could easily help them win any battle against the Red Indians.

What was Chief Seattle's speech?

The speech or "letter" attributed to Chief Seattle has been widely cited as a "powerful, bittersweet plea for respect of Native American rights and environmental values". But this document, which has achieved widespread fame thanks to its promotion in the environmental movement, is of doubtful authenticity. Although Chief Seattle evidently gave a speech expressing such feelings in 1854 to Isaac Stevens, the Governor of Washington Territories at the time, it was not documented until nearly a quarter century later by Dr. Henry Smith. Smith who stated in the October 29, 1887 edition of the Seattle Sunday Star that his documentation of the speech was based on notes he took at the time. The speech was delivered in Seattle's native Lushotseed language, translated into Chinook jargon, and then into English.

Why did Seattle keep his people out of the Battle of Seattle?

Afterwards, he was unwilling to lead his tribe to the reservation established, since mixing Duwamish and Snohomish was likely to lead to bloodshed . Maynard persuaded the government of the necessity of allowing Seattle to remove to his father's longhouse on Agate Passage, ' Old Man House ' or Tsu-suc-cub. Seattle frequented the town named after him, and had his photograph taken by E. M. Sammis in 1865. He died June 7, 1866, on the Suquamish reservation at Port Madison, Washington.

What did Seattle do in 1847?

In 1847, he helped lead a Suquamish attack upon the Chimakum people near Port Townsend, which effectively wiped out the Chimakum.

What is the meaning of the name Seattle?

The name Seattle is an Anglicization of the modern Duwamish conventional spelling Si'ahl, equivalent to the modern Lushootseed spelling siʔaɫ IPA: [ˈsiʔaːɬ].

What did Seattle's parents call him?

Nickname (s) his parents were known to call him “Se-Se”. Chief Seattle ( c. 1786 – June 7, 1866) was a Suquamish and Duwamish chief. A leading figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, forming a personal relationship with "Doc" Maynard.

Where was Seattle born?

The Duwamish tradition is that Seattle was born at his mother's village of stukw on the Black River, in what is now the city of Kent, Washington, and that Seattle grew up speaking both the Duwamish and Suquamish dialects of Lushootseed.

Where did Chief Seattle take his wives?

Chief Seattle took wives from the village of Tola'ltu just southeast of Duwamish Head on Elliott Bay (now part of West Seattle ). His first wife La-Dalia died after bearing a daughter. He had three sons and four daughters with his second wife, Olahl.

Who was Chief Seattle?

Stevens was governor and Commissioner of Indian Affairs of Washington Territory.

What language did Chief Seattle speak?

Chief Seattle would have given the speech in the Lushootseed language, which then would have been translated into Chinook Indian trade language , and then into English. Smith's text is a necessarily filtered version of the speech and was certainly embellished by him.

What was Governor Stevens' reply to the Treaty of Seattle?

Governor Stevens’ reply was brief. He merely promised to meet them in general council on some future occasion to discuss the proposed treaty. Chief Seattle’s promise to adhere to the treaty should one be ratified, was observed to the letter, for he was ever the unswerving and faithful friend of the white man.

When was Henry Smith's speech revived?

The speech was revived in the 1960s, notably in articles by William Arrowsmith and Ted Perry (who introduced entirely new material), and these fabricated versions became something of a manifesto for human rights and environmental activists. The evolution of Henry Smith’s text is analyzed in detail by Albert Furtwangler in Answering Chief Seattle, ...

Who was the governor of Seattle in 1854?

It is likely that he was present to meet Governor Stevens in January 1854. Stevens' assistant George Gibbs noted his presence during the March 11, 1854 meeting. Also, there are several accounts in pioneer records of Chief Seattle giving speeches to large crowds. Frederick James Grant included Smith's text in his 1891 History of Seattle, ...

Who wrote the speech "Only a change of worlds"?

Only a change of worlds.". Bagley's version was reprinted in Roberta Frye Watt's 1931 memoir, Four Wagons West. That same year, John M. Rich used the Bagley text in a popular pamphlet, Chief Seattle's Unanswered Challenge. The speech was revived in the 1960s, notably in articles by William Arrowsmith and Ted Perry ...

What was the letter from Chief Seattle to President Pierce?

Among other charges, it denounces the White Man's propensity for shooting buffaloes from the windows of the "Iron Horse" —a remarkable observation by Seattle, who never in his lifetime left the land west of the Cascade Mountains and thus never saw a railroad and may never have seen a buffalo, either. A letter from an Indian in 1855 concerning Indian policy and directed to the President would have required the usual nineteenth-century red tape. It would have to pass through the hands of the local Indian agent, Col. M. T. Simmons; to the superintendent of Indian affairs, Gov. Isaac Stevens, to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs; to the Office of the Secretary of the Interior; and eventually to the President.

What does the son of the white chief say?

. . . The son of the White Chief says his father sends us greetings of friendship and good will. This is kind of him, for we know he has little need of our friendship in return because his people are many. They are like the grass that covers the vast prairies, while my people are few: they resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain. . . . There was a time when our people covered the whole land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea covers its shell-paved floor, but that time has long since passed away with the greatness of tribes almost forgotten. . . . When the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the white man, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your childrens' children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. . . . The White Men will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless—Dead—I say? There is no death. Only a change of worlds. 2

Why was Governor Stevens anxious to survey a northern route for the proposed transcontinental railroad?

Stevens was anxious to survey a northern route for the proposed transcontinental railroad through the trackless wilderness of his new domain. He also had instructions to negotiate land cessions from the numerous Indian tribes. Therefore, Governor Stevens spent much of his time in explorations and in attending treaty councils throughout the Pacific northwest area. 7 A knowledge of his travels is required in order to determine the occasion at which Seattle's alleged discourse might have been given.

What are the sentiments expressed in the speech attributed to the old chieftain?

The sentiments expressed in the speech attributed to the old chieftain are consonant with those held by persons disturbed by the destruction of the Indian world by the development of the American frontier. The attitudes reflected in the letter ascribed to Seattle are in harmony with those professed by individuals upset at the damage to the natural environment perpetrated by our industrial society. The words of this Indian spokesman have been frequently quoted to a wide audience via the newspaper and television media. 4 The Smithsonian's "Nation of Nations" exhibit includes a portion of Seattle's supposed speech for the benefit of the thousands of tourists who visit our nation's capital each year. Despite its popularity, this affirmation of Indian eloquence may not be founded in historical reality.

What does the Great Chief say about buying land?

The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. . . . But we will consider your offer, for we know if we do not . . . the white man may come with guns and take our lands. . . . How can you buy or sell the sky— the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. Yet we do not own the freshness of the air or the sparkle of the water. . . . Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. . . . When the buffaloes are all slaughtered, the wild horses all tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men, and the views of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires, where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. 3

Who was the Chief of the Duwamish and Suquamish Indians?

Such an analysis must begin with consideration of the oration allegedly spoken by Chief Seattle , 1 patriarch of the Duwamish and Suquamish Indians of Puget Sound, to Isaac Ingalls Stevens, governor of the Washington Territory, in the year 1854 or 1855, at the site of the present metropolis of Seattle:

Where did the Nisqually and Puyallup Indians meet?

He addressed the legislative assembly and attended a treaty council at Medicine Creek with the Nisqually and Puyallup Indians, December 25–27, 1854. 14. He arrived at Muleteo, or Point Elliott, just south of Seattle, on January 21, 1855, to meet the assembled Duwamish, Snoqualmies, and Skagit tribes.

What was Chief Seattle's speech about?

Claim: In 1854 Chief Seattle gave a stirring speech about the sanctity of the land and the need for careful stewardship of it.

Who wrote the words "chief Seattle"?

The words Chief Seattle has become famous for were written by Ted Perry, the screenwriter for Home, a 1972 film about ecology. They have since been widely quoted in books, on TV, and from the pulpit.

Why does the sight of your cities hurt the eyes of the red man?

The sight of your cities pains the eyes of the red man. But perhaps it is because the red man is a savage and does not understand . There is no quiet place in the white man’s cities. No place to hear the unfurling of leaves in spring, or the rustle of an insect’s wings.

What did Seattle say in 1854?

There is only one record of what Chief Seattle did say in 1854, a translation of the chief’s speech done by Dr. Henry Smith who published his recollection in 1887 — 33 years after it was given. According to Smith, Seattle merely praised the generosity of the President in buying his land.

What is the air precious to the Red Man?

The air is precious to the red man, for all things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man, they all share the same breath. The white man does not seem to notice the air he breathes. Like a man dying for many days, he is numb to the stench.

What is the meaning of the song "Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark wood?

Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clear and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man.

When was Chief Seattle written?

Chief Seattle. 1854. Origins: Though undeniably beautiful, the preceding speech is not even remotely authentic. Rather than issuing from the very real Chief Seattle in 1854 , those moving words were written by a screenwriter in 1971.

Overview

Biography

The speech or "letter"

Legacy

See also

Additional references

External links