Chief Seattle: Duwamish Leader Teaching That We Belong to the Earth, Not the Other Way Around

By: Mahmoud Mohamud

A indigenous leader I had tremendous respect for is Chief Seattle. He was a well-respected Duwamish and Squamish leader in Washington during the 1800s. As humans we believe that we own the land and we are entitled to it. Reading his story he strongly believed that we didn't own the land and things it offers, but he believed that we belonged to the land. I really felt like that was interesting way to look at the world. He once said, “The Earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the Earth.” He also believed the people and nature are one. 

When researching  and watching videos about Chief Seattle, I found a speech that he wrote in 1854 where he stood up for climate change. The speech was delivered when the Americans wanted to negotiate the sale of their land. He knew that humans hurting the earth would eventually catch up to them. Even though there are no written words of what he spoke that day, the legacy of the speech will always be talked about when it comes to Washington State.

One thing I really admired about Chief Seattle was his leadership skills. He never tried to start a war or start a fight against the settlers at that time. Instead, he used words to help his people to overcome those challenges. He knew true strength came from unity and community.  In order for things to work everybody had to be on the same page. 
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I vividly remember learning about Chief Seattle in my 4th grade social studies class. Back then I really didn't care about historical figures that were important to the world. For some odd reason his name and his story and his views on the world always stood out to me. Doing my research on him for this assignment made me realize how important he was to all the indigenous people that were living during that time and today. As long as Seattle is a city in America, no one will forget about him.

References 

• A quote by Extract from Chief Seattle. (n.d.). https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/845732-the-earth-does-not-belong-to-man-man-belongs-to

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