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Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary
In this article, you will be reading Chief Seattle’s speech Summary. The speech was delivered by Chief Seattle, a public leader. Also, he was the chief of the native American (Red Indian) Suquamish and Duwamish tribes.
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 White people towards the environment.
Moreover, it focuses on the degradation of ecological balance and a plea to protect nature. The speech is thus, acclaimed with high esteem. Let us study Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary in detail.
Chief Seattle Speech Summary Treasure Trove
Chief Seattle began his speech by expressing his concern towards nature. He was worried about environmental degradation and its probable effects on mankind on failing to undertake effective measures. According to him, nature has assisted him and his races for a long time. Nature has provided them will all the essentials. However, the lack of proper measures will put the future in great trouble.
Then, he ascertains his reliability by correlating his words to stars that never change. Similarly, he won’t change his standpoint in response to the land treaty. Moreover, Seattle calls the President kind as he offers friendship and goodwill.
Furthermore, he talks about the terrible condition of his people. Their population has declined over time and they have remained few. He holds the white people responsible for the unpleasant condition of the Red Indians. He criticizes them for forcing their way into the native lands, regarding themselves as superior to them. Moreover, he criticizes white people for their disrespect towards the land rights and cultural values of the tribals. Also, he criticizes the youth of his own race for their irresponsible and insensible behavior.
Also, he mentions the help offered by the President if they agreed to the land treaty. The President has proposed to safeguard the women, children, and the old man of the natives from the attacks of their enemies, namely, Haidas and Tsimshians. In such a case, the President would be their guardian and their father. However, he doubts that this will ever happen.
According to him, the cultural differences between the two races are the reason for the lack of mutual understanding between them. After all, they have different origins and destinies. White people have attained all the love and care of God. However, the tribal have been deprived of the same and thus come to a point of extinction.
He added that the tribals have respect for their ancestors and they visit their graves. However, White people have no emotions of love and respect and also they don’t care about this world after their death. Therefore, they never visit their people and places again. He also adds that the religion of White People is somewhat mechanical and artificial in nature. It is not felt by the heart. However, the religion of natives is the tradition of their ancestors and their dreams.
Moreover, he prepares his people for the impending doom as no one will be spared from time, and decay. It is a common fate that White men cannot defy. He still agrees to the proposal of the government. However, he says that they shall be allowed to visit the graves of their ancestors. Moreover, he warns the President to be just and must deal kindly with the people. He warned that the spirits of tribals would seek revenge if mistreated.
Chief Seattle Speech Line by Line Explanation
Environmental degradation and its effects on climate change were matters of deep concern to the Native American Chief, and he begins his speech with a direct remark on it. He discusses the various negative impacts it can have on human civilization and how a man can suffer if proper precautions are not taken. The speech also includes a few endearing tribal legends and tales based on Mother Nature and how she has been a constant source of guidance and wisdom to all from the very beginning. The wise Chief points out all the aspects through which Nature has sheltered humans and provided sustenance to all living beings.
Then the text takes a dire turn, and the speaker admonishes modern civilization for not showing due respect to Nature and ruthlessly exploiting unrenewable resources. This is where he puts forward his opinions regarding the ecological responsibilities we all have towards Nature. Here, he mentions the Native American land rights he was fighting with the Imperial authorities. The Chief pleaded with dignity that the hostilities shown by the White Americans should end so that they can all live in peace and harmony together. With sad regret, he accepts that due to plague and famine, the tribal people have suffered a lot and are now much less in population. Keeping this fact in mind, he even proposes that the White Chief should look after the Native Americans and protect them like their own. The indigenous people should also abide by the rules of the Whites and live within the territory marked for them.
The Chief recognizes the Governor’s offer of friendship as an act of kindness because, in fact, the imperialist Government is far too powerful, and the smaller indigenous tribes are not matched in front of them. If they want their land, they can very quickly take it from them through force. Nevertheless, with great determination and courage, the speaker decides not to accept the White Chief’s offer and come to terms with the land treaty because, as inevitable as it may seem, it was an act of treason against Mother Nature for him to do so. This is why Chief Seattle refuses to comply with Issac Steven’s proposal despite understanding that he was fighting for a lost cause. Chief Seattle, with absolute courtesy, thanks the White Chief, which is the Governor, for extending a hand of friendship towards his tribe and warns him about the future consequences of the land treaty proposal. The author then symbolizes the truth of his words by comparing them to the eternal stars. Hence, he says that just like the unchanging stars in the sky, his terms, too, shall remain faithful till the end of time.
In the next half of the speech, Seattle makes a positive statement for the Whites by saying that their proposition regarding the land treaty was not unjust. They were within their boundaries because they were respectable enough to ask when they could have invaded their lands. Nevertheless, the Chief was still apprehensive about the tribal lands being misused and exploited, which would be detrimental to the delicate ecological balance preserved by the Native Americans for thousands of years. The tribal leader also requests the Governor to allow his people to visit the graves of their ancestors as and when they wished. With this recourse, Chief Seattle ends his speech with a final entreaty that his people be treated with justice and kindness under the White man’s reign.
This piece of literature has been given a great deal of value, considering its role in the environmental movement. It was a heroic stance in the history of Native Americans, and most historians would agree that the city of Seattle in America was named in honor and memory of Chief Seattle. The charm of the Chief’s speech lies in its simplicity and humility, even while addressing important topics which are of indefinable value to us today. However, despite the immense popularity of the text, the authenticity of this speech has not been fully approved yet. The original text was written in the native dialect of Lushootseed, and it has been written and re-written by many different translators, which has resulted in the distortion of the text.
Chief Seattle Speech Questions and Answers
Now you learn the summary and explanation so let’s prepare for questions & answers for Chief Seattle’s speech questions and answers
Question:-
Who speaks these words? Give the meaning of
Answer:-
“Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries untold”?
These words have been spoken by Chief Seattle. He begins his speech by saying that nature has sympathized with his people for many centuries.
Question:-
Why does the speaker say “tomorrow it may be Overcast with clouds”?
Answer:-
Today it is fair, but tomorrow may not be the same, as the Great Chief in Washington wishes to buy their land.
Question:-
Who is the ‘Great Chief at Washington’? What has the Great Chief done
to Seattle and his people?
Answer:-
The ‘Great Chief at Washington’ is George Washington. The Great Chief wants Seattle and his people to sell their lands to the Whites to remain protected from their ancient enemies.
Question:-
How much are Seattle’s words reliable as far as the Great Chief is concerned?
Answer:-
Seattle’s words are reliable like the stars that never change. Whatever he says, the Great Chief at Washington can rely upon with as much certainty as he can upon the occurrences of day and night and the change of seasons.
Question:-
Briefly state the reaction of Chief Seattle to the greetings sent by the Big Chief at Washington.
Answer:-
The Great Chief sends Seattle words of goodwill and friendship, but he is in little need of their friendship, as his people are strong and powerful compared to the natives.
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Question:-
Compare the number of Chief Seattle’s people with that of the White Chief. How does the narrator illustrate this fact?
Answer:-
The people of White Chief are countless as compared to Chief Seattle’s people. He compares the Whites with the grass that covers large open areas of grassland, which of course cannot be counted, and his people with the scattered or few trees that remain after a storm has swept the plain.
Question:-
What message does the White Chief send to the native people?
Answer:-
The White Chief has sent a message to the native people that he wishes to buy their land but he is also willing to allow them enough so that they can live comfortably.
Question:-
A little later, how does Seattle describe that his people were numerous once upon a time?
Answer:-
Seattle says that ‘There was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor. But that time has long passed and now the greatness of the tribes just remains as a mournful memory.
Question:-
State the message sent by the MAIite Chief to the native people. What is the reaction of Chief Seattle to the message?
Answer:-
The White Chief wishes to buy the land of the natives. He also sends them words of goodwill and friendship, but Seattle is in little need of their friendship, as his people are strong and powerful compared to the natives.
Question:-
What happened when the White man began to push the natives westward? Should the native people take revenge on the White men? Why?
Answer:-
When the White man began to push the native people westward, the youth became impulsive and often became cruel and relentless. Under such circumstances, the old men and women also could not restrain them.
The natives are not interested in taking their revenge because in times of war the youth lose their lives because they consider it to be gainful, but the family that waits for them at home bears the loss. So the natives and the Whites should never turn hostile to each other.
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Question:-
Who is referred to as ‘our father in Washington’? Since when he has become ‘our father and your father’?
Answer:-
Chief Seattle refers to George Washington as their ‘good father’. He has become so since King George moved his boundaries further north.
Question:-
A little earlier, Chief Seattle exclaims that ‘youth is impulsive’. Why does he say that? What does it reflect about his character?
Answer:-
Chief Seattle says that ‘youth is impulsive’ because he knows that on his side there are young men who are capable to fight but will not. This tells us that the Chief is not a war-oriented man, He loves and cares for the lives of his people. He would not like them to become victims and lose their lives unnecessarily.
Question:-
Under what condition is the ‘good father’ going to protect the native people? What is meant by a ‘bristling wall of strength’?
Answer:-
The good father is going to protect the native people if they do as he desires. ‘bristling wall of strength’ means to stand like a vigorous and energetic wall to protect the latter.
Question:-
Who are Haidas and Tsimshians? How they will cease to frighten the natives?
Answer:-
The Haidasand Tsimshians are the native’s ancient enemies far northward. Since the people’s brave men will provide them strength, they will cease to frighten them.
Question:-
How does Chief Seattle prove that the White man’s God is not the God of the natives?
Answer:-
Chief Seattle proves that the White man’s God is not the God of the natives because their God protects only their paleface children and forsakes the Red Indian children. If they had a common God then he wouldn’t have been partial to their European children.
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Question:-
Who is referred to as the God of the natives? Why does he seem to have forgotten them?
Answer:-
The Great Spirit has been referred to here as the God of the natives. It seems that their God has forgotten them because it has led to their forsaken condition. Had he been their God then their condition wouldn’t be such. It seems that he folds his strong protecting arms lovingly only around the Whites.
Question:-
Why the natives are compared to the receding tide and called orphans?
Answer:-
The natives have been compared to the receding tide because they are reducing in number day by day which will never return or be the same. Because the White man’s God cannot love their people or protect them, they seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help.
Question:-
Why does the Chief say that if there was a common father for both races, he must be partial?
Answer:-
Their sufferings and difference in prosperity make the Chief say that if there was a common father for both races, he must be partial because he came to his paleface children but they never saw him.
Question:-
Finally, the Chief says, ”We are two distinct races with separate origins and separate destinies.” Give examples to prove this statement.
Answer:-
The two are distinct races with separate origins and separate destinies because here one is trying to conquer the other and trying to eliminate its identity. Had they ‘been one such a thing would never happen. They have been asked to give away their lands and do as they desire to remain safe, which clearly states that both are distinct.
Question:-
How does the speech of the Chief show that his people were oppressed?
Answer:-
The entire speech of the Chief shows that his people were oppressed. They have been asked to surrender their land which is very sacred to them. They would not like to part ways from their ancestor’s land. They are reducing in number like a receding tide and their god also seems to have abandoned them without any guidance.
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Question:-
Give the meaning of
Answer:-
Tablets of stone
Tablets of stone pieces of stones on which religious messages were inscribed.
Iron finger of your God
Iron finger of your god — Biblical Phrase which means Finger of God. It refers to the words written onto stone tablets that later were brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses. The tablets were also known as the Ten Commandments. Literally, the expression means immortal fingers.
Question:-
What was the Red Man’s religion?
Answer:-
The Red Man considers the tradition of their ancestors as their religion.
Question:-
Compare the religion of the White man with that of the Red Man.
Answer:-
The religion of the White Man is opposite from the religion of the Red Man. Seattle says that the White man’s religion was written on stone tablets by iron fingers so that its people could not forget it and on the contrary, the visions, beliefs, and religious values are well imbibed in the hearts of the Red men. They need not memorize it through written means as they know it by their heart.
Question:-
How can you conclude that the natives are more dependent on their ancestors than the White men?
Answer:-
“Our religion is the traditions of our ancestors-the dreams of our old men, given them in solemn hours and the vision of our schemes, is written in the hearts of our people”; clearly helps us to conclude that the natives were more dependent on their ancestors than the White men.
Question:-
What does Seattle say about Christianity?
Answer:-
According to Seattle, the religion of Whites was written by the iron finger of their God, symbolizing strict adherence to rules and principles. The God of this religion is partial and has ‘forsaken his Red Children. He says that this God loves only his paleface children and not the natives. What is upheld by Chief Seattle is his religion, which is the ‘traditions’ of their ancestors. For them what is supreme is the idea of the Great Spirit that teaches them to love this ‘beautiful world its verdant valleys, its murmuring rivers, and its magnificent mountains.
Question:-
Why do the dead White men cease to love their land and their people?
Answer:-
The ancestors of the Whites cease to love them because the Whites wander far away from their ancestor’s graves. They soon get lost beyond the stars because they are forgotten by their living men and hence they never return.
Question:-
On the other hand, what do the dead of the Red man do to their living?
Answer:-
On the other hand, the dead of the Red man never forgets the beautiful world that gave them its being. They still love its valleys, rivers, mountains, and other things and often return to visit, guide, console and comfort their living men.
Question:-
How has the Chief shown earlier that he is not ha about the fate of his people?
Answer:-
Seattle is not happy about the fate of his people. He says Indian night promises to be dark. Not a single star of hope hovers above his horizon. Sad-voiced winds moan in the distance. Grim fate seems to be on the Red Man’s trail…..” According to him, their situation is similar to a wounded doe that is being hunted down.
Question:-
What is the order of nature referred to by the chief? How does he hint that justice will be done at the end?
Answer:-
Order of nature means ‘as you do so you will reap’. The Redman is being tormented by Whites or is being hunted down. In a few more years, their race will disappear, Similarly, the White settlers too will have their decay, which though distant but awaits them, and in this way, justice will be done at the end.
Question:-
Give the meaning and significance of: ‘We may be brothers after all.
Answer:-
Chief Seattle says that there is no death but only change in the world. This is the change of human life from one form to another form. The human being dies but their spirit still remains there.
Conclusion of Chief Seattle’s Speech
Chief Seattle’s speech consists of arguments in support of native land rights and respect for nature. However, he hopes that their good father in Washington would safeguard them. Also, his brave warriors would prove to be a great strength.