Chief Seattle, text of Chief Sea Quotes

A collection of quotes by Chief Seattle, text of Chief Sea.

Chief Seattle, also known as Sealth, was a prominent leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish Native American tribes during the 19th century. Born around 1780, he grew up in the Puget Sound region of present-day Washington state, which was then inhabited by his indigenous community. Chief Seattle played a crucial role in maintaining peaceful relations between his tribe and the European settlers who began to occupy the area.

During his leadership, Chief Seattle witnessed significant changes in his homeland, including the arrival of American and British explorers and settlers. He was known for his diplomacy and efforts to maintain harmony between the Native American people and the newcomers. Chief Seattle was adept at negotiating treaties and agreements, seeking to protect his people's rights and lands.

One of Chief Seattle's most famous speeches, often referred to as the "Chief Seattle's Letter," addresses his concerns about the growing presence of settlers and the environmental impact of their actions. This speech eloquently emphasizes the interconnectedness between humans and nature, and it has come to symbolize environmental stewardship and the Native American perspective on the environment.

Chief Seattle spent his life advocating for the rights of his people and the preservation of their way of life. His legacy continues to inspire people to recognize the importance of respecting indigenous cultures, protecting the environment, and promoting peaceful coexistence between different communities.

Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as the swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch. Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy hearted maidens, and even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits. And when the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land.This text appeared in the Seattle Sunday Star on Oct. 29, 1887, in a column by Dr. Henry A. Smith. Smith took notes as Seattle spoke and created this text in English from those notes.

Chief Seattle, text of Chief Sea

Legacy