Chief Seattle Speech Analysis

While analyzing historical texts, one should always proceed with caution, and read tentatively; specifically, due to misinterpretations, false translations, and basic human error, verbal speeches delivered in previous centuries tend to succumb to inaccuracies, which leads to false transcripts of the actual work. Despite this, one can still appreciate the words of Chief Seattle, the Native American chieftain of the Suquamish tribe, in his speech Address, which was presented to the European settlers in America circa 1854. In his speech, Chief Seattle presents his beliefs concerning the white settlers wishing to purchase his tribe’s land in order to create modern cities and European infrastructure. In return for access to their land, the settlers …show more content…
Seattle points out the flaws in the massive religious movement the Europeans led while attempting to spread Catholicism: their God does not care for the Native Americans. They are two entirely different races, and a majority of the white settlers looked down upon the Natives, viewing them as inferior and inadequate savages. “The white man’s God cannot love our people or He would protect them. They seem to be orphans who can look nowhere for help… How can your God become our God and renew our prosperity and awaken in us dreams of returning greatness?” (Seattle 147). While explaining the major differences between the Natives and the settlers, Seattle discusses how his people --how all Native Americans-- believed the Earth to be beautiful, forgiving, and sacred; meanwhile, the settlers abused the land in order to feed their ceaseless appetite for materialistic lifestyles. Overall, Chief Seattle illustrated the vast differences between the two races of people, and clarified that their God would never truly love or take care of his people, due to their contrasting …show more content…
It is evident that America’s consumer based culture expands exponentially, due to our ceaseless appetite for materialistic lifestyles. We are a greedy and selfish population, with absolutely no regard for our environment, or our Earth as a whole. We consume nonrenewable resources millions of times faster than they can replenish, and refuse to transition to renewable energy sources due to monetary expenses. Although it is understandable that Global South (developing) countries exploit nonrenewable energy sources in order to advance their infrastructure, Global North (developed) nations should be able to provide monetary aid to these countries in order to avoid the furthering crisis of global warming and climate change. These issues are so horrifically controversial due to the fact that their effects occur gradually over time, and do not affect us as of right now; therefore, no one wants to reverse this issue due to it not harming their personal life on a daily basis (basically, ignorance is bliss). In addition to this, in order to protect our Earth, all of us, the human race as a whole, must work together-- but that is absolutely impossible due to differentiating and contrasting religions, cultures, and lifestyles. Basically, due to human’s inability to set aside differences, global warming will