Chief Seattle's 1854 Oration Tone

Chief Seattle's 1854 Oration Tone and Enduring Strength within Chief's Seattle's 1854 Oration Among the most vivid, stark, and poignant recorded works are Native American narratives and speeches of the 19th century. Often, they depict in detail the lives, customs, and involuntary changes that took place, as a result of white American encroachment, within various Native American tribes, including the Suquamish of the Pacific Northwest, of which Chief Seattle was head at the time of his speech.

Chief Seattle's 1854 Oration therefore reflects many poignant realities and unwanted changes within Suquamish tribal life, and by association, many other Native Americans' tribal lives, after invasions, by white Anglo explorers and settlers, of territories that the Suquamish and others had inhabited for centuries.

The enduring power of Chief Seattle's 1854 oration is that its poignant tone expresses, and its descriptive content and specific examples illustrate, just how completely the coming of white American settlers to Native American territories, like those of Seattle's the Suquamish tribe, destroyed, then and forever afterward, the sacred traditions, practices, and freedoms of his own people. This 1854 speech by Seattle (1786-1866) is perhaps the best-known of all recorded Native American works.

Today, Seattle is remembered for (and his 1854 Oration reflects the factuality of) his keen intelligence; clear-mindedness; diplomacy; oratorical brilliance, and efforts to compromise with whites in order to preserve (as well as possible, at least) the lives of, and peace for, his own people. Today, Chief Seattle's 1854 oration offers us a view of both the heavy heart and the pragmatic mind of Seattle, and the Suquamish tribe of the time, for whom he spoke on that day.

Seattle first states: "Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold, and which to us appears changeless and eternal, may change. Today is fair.

Tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds." And, as he then wistfully admits: "[Whites] are like the grass that covers vast prairies." By comparison, though, "My people are few." As he then adds: The great, and I presume -- good, White Chief sends us word that he wishes to buy our land but is willing to allow us enough to live comfortably.

This indeed appears just, even generous, for the Red Man no longer has rights that he need respect, and the offer may be wise, also, as we are no longer in need of an extensive country. Clearly, Chief Seattle's tone, within his 1854 Oration, had become by necessity conciliatory about white encroachment upon his people and their lands. Yet his words remain wistful and poignant, reflecting, as they do on just how much current Anglo presence and domination have permanently interfered with his peoples' long-cherished customs, beliefs, traditions, and practices.

None of these possess either the least value or importance to whites themselves, who have without hesitation or remorse, imposed themselves and their own beliefs and practice upon Seattle's people and numerous other Native American tribes.

In view of all that, Chief Seattle also notes, sadly but matter-of-factly: "the Red Man no longer has rights that he need respect." Seattle also accepts some of the blame, on his peoples' behalf, for past conflicts between them and whites, regretfully admitting how the young men of his tribe have been "impetuous" and often rash in their reactions against white presence, demonstrating neither the patience nor diplomacy recommended by their tribal elders. Seattle makes several key distinctions between white and Native American.