Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary in English by Chief Seattle

Chief Seattle’s Speech Story Summary in English and Hindi Pdf. Chief Seattle’s Speech is written by Chief Seattle. Students can also check the English Summary to revise with them during exam preparation.

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Chief Seattle’s Speech Story Summary in English by Chief Seattle

Chief Seattle’s Speech About the Author

Seattle, who earned his reputation at a young age as a leader and a warrior, was born around 1780 near Blake Island, Washington. He was known widely for ambushing and defeating groups of tribal enemy raiders coming up the Green River from the Cascade foothills, and attaching the Chimakum and the S’Klallam tribes living on the Olympic Peninsula. Like many of his contemporaries, he owned slaves captured during his raids. He was tall and broad for a Puget Sound native, standing nearly six feet tall. Hudson’s Bay Company traders gave him the nickname Le Gros (The Big Guy). He was also known as an orator, and when he addressed an audience, his voice was loud and bold.

But gradually, he lost some ground to the more powerful Patkanim of the Snohomish when white settlers started showing up in force around 1850. When his people were driven from their traditional clamming grounds, Seattle happened to meet Doc Maynard in Olympia. Both developed friendly relationship with each other. Persuading the settlers at .the white Settlement of Duwamps to rename their town Seattle, Dr Maynard lent their support to Chief Seattle and his people.

Chief Seattle’s Speech About the Author

Chief Seattle’s Speech About the Story

All about the Story:
It is a speech delivered by Chief Seattle in 1854 at Washington. It contains arguments in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of native American’s land rights. He hopes that their good father in Washington would protect them and his brave warriors would prove to be a great wall of strength.

Chief Seattle who belonged to Suquamish tribe delivered this speech at Washington in 1854. In this speech, he pursued the path of accommodation to white settlers in the U.S. state of Washington. His speech contained arguments in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native American’s land rights. He recollects the hostilities that existed between the white and his tribal people (the Red Children). He thinks that his old tribal people will never like to resume the old hostilities. He hopes that their good father in Washington would protect them.

He realizes that they (the White Man and Red Children) are two distinct races. There is little common in them. In his speech, he makes a reference to the proposition which he had received from the White Man. He hopes that his people will react favourably to the proposition and accept it. But he puts a condition before they take a decision. He wants his people to have freedom to visit the tombs of their ancestors, friends and children at any time. He opines that the deserted streets at night will be thronged with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land.

Chief Seattle’s Speech About the Story

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary in English

Chief Seattle—a well known figure
Chief Seattle, who belonged to Suquamish tribe, delivered this speech at Washington in 1854. He was a reputed and a prominent figure among his tribal people. In his impressive speech, he pursued the path of accommodation to white settlers in the U.S. state of Washington. In his speech, he gave powerful arguments in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native American’s land rights.

He thanks the White Chief for acknowledging his greetings of friendship and goodwill. He praises the kindness and greatness of the White Chief. He says that though he wishes to buy their land, he is willing to allow them liberty to live comfortably. He calls it a gesture of generosity.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary
Chief Seattle’s Speech Summary

Hostilities
He recollects the time when the white man began to push their forefathers westward. There were hostilities between them. He wishes that those hostilities may never return. The young men would like to take revenge but the old tribal people are wise and would never like to resume the hostilities towards the whites. He hopes that their good father in Washington would protect them and his brave warriors would prove to be a great wall of strength against their ancient enemies who frightened their women, children and the old men. Then in reality he would be their father and they would be his children.

The White Man and the Tribal People
But he feels sceptical about one thing. He feels that the God of the white people loves his own people and hates the tribal people (the Red Children) and therefore cannot be their God. He has abandoned his Red Children. He, then, refers to his own God, the great spirit, who also seems to have abandoned them. He complains that the God of the white people does not love his people and therefore does not protect them. They feel like orphans who can look nowhere for help. It is in this context that he remarks that they are two distinct races with separate origins and separate destinies. There is little in common between them.

The religion of the White Man
He, then, says that the white man’s religion was written upon tablets of stone by the iron fingers of their God so that they could not forget. The Red Man could never comprehend or remember it. But their religion is the traditions of their ancestors. It constitutes the dreams of their old men and is written in the hearts of their people. He further remarks that their dead cease to love them and the land of their nativity. But, on the other hand, the dead of his race never forget their beautiful world that gave them their being.

He says that the Red Man has always fled the approach of the White Man. But the White Man’s proposition seems fair and he thinks that his people will accept it. He hopes that then they will dwell apart in peace. For a while he mourns over the graves of his powerful people. But then he philosophises that tribe follows tribe and nation follows nation, like the waves of the sea.

It is the order of nature and the regret is useless.

Chief Seattle’s decision
He, then, remarks that they will ponder over their proposition and convey to them their decision. But before the decision he puts a condition. The condition is that they will be free to visit the ‘tombs of their ancestors, friends and children at any time. Every part of this soil is sacred to them. The dead people of his race will love these sombre solitudes. He thinks that when the last Red Man shall have perished, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of his tribe. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude. At night the deserted streets will be thronged with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Word Notes and Explanations

compassion – sympathy
eternal – permanent
prairies – wide areas of grassland
reproach – criticise
disfigure – spoil
restrain – check
hostilities – strong and angry opposition
forsaken – abandoned
prosperity – progress/ affluence
teeming – present in large numbers
firmament – the sky
sacred – holy
comprehend – understand
solemn – serious
verdant – fresh and green
sequestered – quiet and far away
dense – thick
grim – serious
mourn over – grieve over
swelter – feel uncomfortable
maidens – unmarried girls
sombre – serious
perished – destroyed
deserted – lonely
throng – go somewhere in large numbers

Chief Seattle’s Speech Theme

Chief Seattle, a tribal from Suquamish community, strikes a note of reconciliation between his tribal people and the white people in his speech that he delivered at Washington in 1854. In his speech, he pursues the path of accommodation of white settlers in the U.S. state of Washington. In his oratorical address, he gives arguments in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native American’s land rights. He recollects the time when the hostilities existed between the White Man and his tribal people (the Red Children) but he no longer wants the hostilities to return.

He strikes a hope in his speech that their good father in Washington would protect them and his brave warriors would prove to be a great wall of strength against their ancient enemies. He regrets that the God of the white people has forsaken them. He feels sad that their own God, the great spirit, has also forsaken them. He is conscious of the fact that they (the white people and the tribal people) are two distinct races with separate origins and separate destinies. But he strikes a note of optimism when he says that his people are likely to accept the proposition sent by the White Man because it seems to be reasonable and fair. But he is a little apprehensive to the proposition and so puts a condition before they take a decision.

He wants his people to have full freedom to visit the tombs of their ancestors, friends and children at any time. The deceased people of his tribal community will love these sombre solitudes and at night these deserted streets will be thronged with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Title

The title ‘Chief Seattle’s Speech’ is very appropriate because the speech delivered by Seattle at Washington in 1854, deals with the speaker’s views about the white people. He thanks the White Chief for acknowledging the greetings of friendship and goodwill. He speaks in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native American’s land rights. He wants the white people to be just and kind to his tribal people. He appeals to the good father in Washington to protect his tribal people from their ancient enemies.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Message

Through his speech, Chief Seattle, who belonged to Suquamish tribe, wants to convey that hostilities between white people and his tribal people should end because they lead to revenge and deaths. Thus in his speech, he strikes a note of reconciliation between his tribal people and the white people. He wants to pursue the path of accommodation of white settlers in the U.S. state of Washington. He also puts forward his arguments in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native American’s land rights.

He strikes a hope in his speech that their good father in Washington would protect them and his brave warriors would prove to be a great wall of strength against their ancient enemies. Although he is conscious of the fact that they (the white people and the tribal people) are two distinct races with separate origins and separate destinies, yet he strikes a note of optimism when he says that his people will accept the new proposition sent by the White Man because it seems to be fair. He concludes on a hopeful note that his people will be free to visit the tombs of their ancestors, friends and children at any time.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Characters

Chief Seattle

  • belongs to the Suquamish tribe
  • powerful orator
  • brilliant, argumentative and logical
  • advocates peace and against hostilities
  • wise, profound and philosophical
  • calls death only a change of worlds

Chief Seattle who belongs to the Suquamish tribe, is a well known figure among his tribal community. He is a powerful orator and when he addresses an audience, his voice is loud and bold.

He delivers a speech in which he strikes a note of reconciliation between his tribal people and the white people. He is brilliant, argumentative and logical in his speech in which he pursues the path of accommodation to the white settlers in the U.S. state of Washington. He argues in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of Native American’s land rights. He advocates peace and does not want the hostilities that existed between the white people and the tribal people to return. He is wise, profound and philosophical. He philosophises that tribe follows tribe and nation follows nation like the waves of the sea. He calls death only a change of worlds.

Chief Seattle’s Speech Critical Appreciation

Brilliant Oratory
Seattle’s speech that he delivered at Washington in 1854, is marked by brilliant oratory. In his speech, he is logical and argumentative. He is bold, loud and impressive in his oration. He gives forceful arguments in favour of ecological responsibility and respect of the Native American’s land rights. In his speech, he pursues the path of accommodation to the white settlers in the U.S. state of Washington in a rational and logical manner.

Brilliant and Straightforward
His oration is brilliant and straightforward. He strikes a note of reconciliation between his tribal people and the white people in a direct and straightforward manner. He advocates peace between the two races in a candid manner. He does not mince words when he says that he does not want the hostilities that existed between his tribal people and the white people to return. He stands for peaceful living.

Philosophical Notes
Seattle’s speech is marked by philosophical notes. He remarks “Day and night cannot dwell together. The Red Man has ever fled the approach of the White Man, as the morning mist flees before the morning sun.”

He, then, philosophises that tribe follows tribe and nation follows nation like the waves of the sea. It is the order of nature and regret is useless. He, then, calls death only a change of worlds. How profound his view on death is!

What is the summary of Chief Seattle 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.

What is the theme of the lesson Chief Seattle speech?

In Chief Seattle’s Speech we have the theme of friendship, control, religion, trust and acceptance. Taken from the original Seattle Sunday Star article the reader realises from the beginning of the speech that Chief Seattle comes in peace or friendship towards the white man

What does the opening paragraph of Chief Seattle speech imply?

The opening paragraph is the letter written by Chief Seattle as a reply to the President of Washington. Here he is referring to the offer made by Big Chief at Washington for buying their land. … The great Chief at Washington could rely upon him as he could upon the return of the sun or the seasons.

How does the Chief conclude his speech?

He concludes his speech by saying that when the last Red man has vanished from the earth, his memory will become myth and the shores and forests will hold the fruits of his tribe. The White Men will never be alone.

Why Chief Seattle’s speech is important?

This speech was a response to the American Government’s land treaty to buy the native lands proposed by Issac Stevens, the Governor of Washington Territory. Seattle’s speech is regarded as a powerful plea for respect of native American rights and environmental values.