Native American Literature

Native American Literature

Chief Seattle distinguished himself as a true leader of the Indians in his oration of 1854 where made his stand on the government 's offer to buy Indian lands and resettle them in reservations . Here was a man of peace and reconciliation , accepting tradition and change in clear and equal terms , and one respectful of authority . He lived through history by that famous oration , as a leader of wise counsel who saw things in their proper perspective and as an excellent communicator whose ideas he so eloquently defended p

Leaders seek peace instead of war , reconciliation instead of animosity . The Indians and the White Men waged savage wars against each other because the White Men drove the Indians away from their lands Land was sacred to the Indians but was nothing but a commodity to the White Men . Ancestors of Red Men lived , fought and shed blood for their land . They considered their lands hollowed because it was their ancestors ' resting place . On the other hand , lands did not hold any traditional significance for the White Men . Their concern then was to use lands to build their industries upon . Land was a commodity that they bought and sold when economically expedient . These were the immediate causes of friction between the Red Men and the White Men One 's culture was alien to the other , such was basically what started the misunderstandings . Reconciling differences and building on commonalities are directions leaders must take to preserve peace and avoid war . On the offer of Washington to buy their lands and the promised reservation that came with it , in Dr . Henry Smith 's Chief Seattle 's 1854 Oration , Chief Seattle was hopeful that this would be a way for both the Red Men and the White Men may dwell apart in peace and that hostilities may never return . He extended his hand in reconciliation when he said that the Good Father in Washington was both the White Men 's and theirs

Chief Seattle was the breed of leader who would not abandon the old in favor of the new because there were valuable lessons from the past that may help the people to adapt to the present and the future . He valued the rich Indian cultural heritage like , love and care for nature respect for their dead ancestors and the grounds they walked on , and the legacy of their birthright - the land which was their home . He spoke of the many happy times their people have gathered from dawn to dusk . The place they had spent many seasons on , would someday be hardly the home they knew . They may be replaced with a teeming metropolis or an industrial city that would be completely strange to them . However , in Dr . Henry Smith 's Chief Seattle 's 1854 Oration the chief noted that change was inevitable and that it followed the of nature . He refused to dwell on the reasons why their tribes have dwindled in size over the years . Wars were...