Chief Seattle's Speech

Beeta Publication

Extract I
1. Who speaks these words? Give the meaning of:
“Yonder sky that has swept tears of compassion upon my people for centuries
untold.”
These are words are spoken by Chief Seattle. He says that nature has
sympathized with his people for many centuries.
2. Why does the speaker say “tomorrow it may be overcast with clouds”?
For the speaker, the days to come would be filled with darkness as the Great
Chief at Washington wishes to buy and control their land. As a result, his
people would no longer have rights on their land.
3. Who is the ‘Great Chief at Washington’? What has the Great Chief done
to Seattle and his people?
George Washington, the first President of the United States of America, is the
Great Chief at Washington. The Great Chief at Washington wishes to buy the
land of the Native Americans with ‘goodwill and friendship.’
4. How much are Seattle’s words reliable as far as the Great Chief is
concerned?
His words are like the stars that never change. The Great Chief at Washington
can rely upon his words with as much certainty as he can upon the return of
the sun or the seasons.
5. Briefly state the reaction of the Chief Seattle to the greetings sent by the Big
Chief at Washington?
The Great Chief sends Chief Seattle and his people words of goodwill and
friendship. Seattle feels that he is in little need of their help and friendship, as
the white people are strong and powerful as compared to the natives.

Extract II
1. Compare the number of Chief Seattle’s people with that of the White Chief.
How does the narrator illustrate this act?
Seattle says that there was a time when his people were large in number now
they are nothing more than a mournful memory.
He compares the Whites to the grass that covers the vast prairies, large in
number. His people are few and they resemble the scattering trees of a storm-
swept plain.
2. What message does the White Chief send to the native people?
The White Chief sends a message that he wishes to buy the native’s land and
would allow them enough to ‘live comfortably’.
3. A little later, how does Seattle describe that his people were numerous once
upon a time?
He says that once the Native Americans covered the land as the waves of a
wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor.
4. State the message sent by the White Chief to the native people. What is the
reaction of Chief Seattle to the message?
The White Chief wishes to buy the land of the Native Americans. Seattle says
that the proposition seems to be just, kind and generous as the red man no
longer has rights over his land. The offer appears to be wise since the Native
Americans are less in number and don’t require a vast territory.
5. What happened when the White man began to push the natives westward?
Should the native people take revenge on the White men? Why?
The young turned violent and indulged in revengeful acts when the white men
pushed them westward. There was no use in taking revenge on the White men
because they are large in number as well as more powerful. In times of war,
they even lose their own lives, but the family that waits for them at home has
to suffer the loss.

Extract III
1. Who is referred to as our father in Washington? Since when he has become
‘our father and your father’?
George Washington is referred to as our father in Washington. Since King
George has moved his boundaries further north, he has become the father of
the Native Americans.
2. A little earlier, Chief Seattle exclaims that ‘youth is impulsive.’ Why does he
say that? What does it reflect about his character?
Youth is impulsive because they grow angry at real or imaginary wrong and
they often become cruel and relentless. They become hostile and lose their
lives in violent acts.
Seattle discourages such kind of behaviour from the youth and it indicates his
love for peace and friendly relationship. He is against war and he does not
glorify war but condemns it.
3. Under what condition is the good father going to protect the native people?
What is meant by ‘bristling wall of strength’?
If the Native Americans surrender or sell their land to the White settlers, he
will protect them from foreign enemies like Haidas and Tsimshians.
Bristling wall refers to the vigorous and energetic white people’s brave men
who will provide them strength and will protect them from their ancient
enemies.
4. Who are Haidas and Tsimshians? How they will cease to frighten the
natives?
They are two tribes who were constantly at war with the Suquamish tribe.
Haidas are indigenous people of North America. Tsimshains are North
American Indians of the North-west Coast.
The White Chief’s brave men will provide the natives strength and his ships
would fill their harbours so that Hidas and Tsimshians cease to frighten the
natives.
5. How does Chief Seattle prove that the White man’s God is not the God of
the natives?
The God of the White man loves his people and hates Seattle’s people. He
protects them lovingly and leads them like a father leads his infant son. But
he has forsaken Seattle and his people.

Extract IV
1. Who is referred to as the God of the natives? Why does he seem to have
forgotten them?
The Great Spirit is referred to as the God of the natives. The Great Spirit has
forgotten his people because Suquamish tribe has almost become extinct and
their number is declining rapidly. The Great Spirit is no longer a father figure
to them; “they seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help.”
2. Why the natives are compared to the receding tide and are called orphans?
Their population is rapidly reducing and they have almost become extinct.
They are called orphans because their God, the Great Spirit has forgotten
them.
3. Why does the Chief say ‘that if there was a common father for both races,
he must be partial?
He says this because their God came to the help of His paleface children and
never came to the help of Red Man. He gave them laws to be followed but none
to his Red children. They have separate origin and separate destinies. He
makes the White people stronger every day but does nothing for the wellbeing
of the natives.
4. Finally, the Chief says ‘We are two distinct races with separate origins and
separate destinies.’ Give examples to prove this statement.
They are two distinct races-the native Americans and the White colonists.
The natives’ origin is the American land that is being contested; the Whites
here originally belonged to Europe who came and colonized these native
Americans.
Their destinies are different-the natives are receding every day while the
Whites are like the grass that covers vast prairies.
5. How does the speech of the Chief show that his people were oppressed?
The Whites were unjustly exercising authority over the Native Americans. It is
the natives’ land that the Big Chief in Washington ‘wishes’ to buy but ‘wish’ is
a word sarcastically used by Chief Seattle. The Whites were so powerful in
terms of their army and navy that the Red Indians needed to bow down. Chief
Seattle says that Whites are willing to allow them enough land to live
comfortably which is symbolic of their master-slave relationship.

Extract V
1. Give the meaning of:
a) Tablet of stone
Refers to the words written on to stone tablets that later were brought down
from Mount Sinai by Moses. The tablets were also known as the Ten
Commandments.
b) Iron finger
Biblical phrase which means Finger of God.
2. What was the Red Man’s religion?
The religion of the Red Man is the traditions of their ancestors-the dreams of
their old men, given them in solemn hours of the night by the Great Spirit;
and the visions of their sachems, and is written in the hearts of their people.
3. Compare the religion of the White man with that of the Red man.
The religion of the Red Man is the traditions of their ancestors-the dreams of
their old men, given them in solemn hours of the night by the Great Spirit;
and the visions of their sachems, and is written in the hearts of their people.
The White men followed Christianity and it 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. Seattle says that this
God loves only his paleface children and not the natives.

4. How can you conclude that the natives are more dependent on their
ancestors than the White men?
Seattle says that the ashes of his ancestors are sacred and their resting place
is hallowed ground. They love to stay in the land where their ancestors’
memories are alive. Whereas the Whites wander far from their ancestors’
graves. The Whites once they are dead, forget their native land and never
return. The dead of the Red men will never forget their native land and year to
visit this beautiful land.
5. What does Seattle say about Christianity?
The White men followed Christianity and it was written by the iron finger of
their God, symbolising strict adherence to rules and principles. The God of
this religion is partial and has forsaken his Red children. Seattle says that this
God loves only his paleface children and not the natives.

Extract VI
1. Why do the dead of the White men cease to love their land and their people?
This is because they never connect with their land their people spiritually.
Their relationship with their land and their people is not sacred or holy; it is
materialistic. As soon as they die, the link to their earthly life breaks and
devoid of spiritualism they are incapable of an afterlife.
2. On the other hand, what do the dead of the Red man do to their living?
The dead of the Red man never forget their native land where they lived. They
still love its verdant valleys, its murmuring rivers, its magnificent mountains,
sequestered valleys and verdant lined lakes and bays, and ever yearn to visit
this place again. Moreover the spirits of the dead keep visiting to guide,
console and comfort the living.
3. What propel was put forward to the Red man by the Great Chief?
The Red men should surrender their native land to the Whites. In return of
this, the Whites will protect them foreign attack from the Haidas and
Tsimshians. The Whites are willing to allow them to enough land to live
comfortably.

4. What is the impact of the proposal on the Red man and the White man?
The Native Americans will have to leave their native land where their ancestors
are resting in eternal peace. They lose their land which is full of memories. The
land that they have been asked to sell is sacred for them.
The Whites unjustly exercising authority over them. The Whites are powerful
in terms of their army and navy that the Red Indians need to bow down. The
Whites are willing to allow them enough land to live comfortably which is
symbolic of their master-slave relationship.
5. What role do the dead Red men play for the living? How do the dead Red
men show that they are an intimate part of nature?
The Native Americans would be transported to a reality beyond what is felt
by the senses. The ‘shores’, ‘the pathless woods’, ‘the field’ would never be
empty of their spirits. This land will make them eternal. “In all the earth there
is no place dedicated to solitude,’ and hence they will be a part of land forever.
Their spirits would still love ‘this beautiful land’ and its ‘magnificent
mountains’ and ‘sequestered vales.’ Their death here would not be death but
only a gateway to the eternal world.

Extract VII
1. How has the Chief shown earlier that he is not happy about the fate of his
people?
He feels as if not a single star of hope hovers above the natives’ horizon. The
winds moan and grim fate follows them. Their situation is similar to a
wounded doe that is being hunted down. Moreover he feels that in a few more
years, their race will disappear. This is how he reflects his unhappiness about
the fate of his people.
2. How is the order of nature referred to by the Chief? How does he hint that
justice will be done at the end?
Every person, tribe, or culture that is risen to great glory would definitely meet
its fall one day and that would be surely be the day of justice. Seattle believes
that time will come when the Whites would also be moving towards their
inevitable doom.

3. What is referred to: ‘White man’s God who walked and talked with him?’
This is a reference to the Biblical God and his ten commandments that always
supported and guided the White men.
4. Give the meaning and significance of:
‘We may be brothers after all.’
Seattle believes that White settlers too will have their decay one day. It would
be then that the White men and Red men would share a common
destiny. They would be brothers only when the Whites would be able to
empathize the Red men.
5. What could be the common destiny of man? Give the hints given in the
extract to show that the Chief foresees the unity of all human beings?
The common destiny of man is that his decay is inevitable. It is through the
White man’s decay the Seattle foresees the unity of all beings. He says: ‘we
may be brothers after all. We will see.’

Extract VIII
1. Explain why there is no place dedicated to solitude.
This is because even after the last native has perished ‘shores will swarm with
the invisible dead’ of Seattle’s tribe. The natives’ love for their land makes
them immortal. Thus, the Whites will never be alone.
2. When do the shadowy spirits visit the places?
The shadowy spirits visit the places at nights when the streets of the Whites’
cities are silent and it is falsely believed that they are deserted.
3. When would the memory of the tribe be a myth among the White men?
The memory of the tribe would become a myth among the White men when the
last Red man shall have perished from the natives’ land, but this would be
momentary as it would the ‘swarm with the invisible dead of the tribe.’
4. What is the attitude of the dead towards the objects of nature?
Native Americans even after death don’t forget the world that gave them their
being and identity. They keep on loving its valleys, its rivers, its magnificent
mountains, and its lakes. The dead feel one with the nature and its
surroundings.
5. Explain how does the speech of the Chief reflect upon the theme of changing
human life to another form.
The Native Americans would be transported to a reality beyond what is felt
by the senses. The ‘shores’, ‘the pathless woods’, ‘the field’ would never be
empty of their spirits. This land will make them eternal. “In all the earth there
is no place dedicated to solitude,’ and hence they will be a part of land forever.
Their spirits would still love ‘this beautiful land’ and its ‘magnificent
mountains’ and ‘sequestered vales.’ Their death here would not be death but
only a gateway to the eternal world. They will only change their world and
hence will become immortal. He ends his speech with the assertion that ‘there
is no death, only a change of worlds.’

*******************