> Received: from MAILQUEUE by OOI (Mercury 1.21); 18 May 97 20:24:35 +800 > Return-path: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 18 May 97 20:24:26 +800 > Received: from anthrax (localhost [127.0.0.1]) > Sun, 18 May 1997 20:22:50 -0700 (PDT) > Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 20:22:50 -0700 (PDT) > Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Originator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Precedence: bulk > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [PEN-L:10203] Re: Letter from Chief Sealth 1855 > X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas > X-Comment: Progressive Economics > X-PMFLAGS: 33554560 > > The Chief Seattle speech is a hoax. Chief Seattle never wrote a letter to > Pierce at all. He did make a speech on the Port Elliot Treaty of 1855, entitled > "The Indian's Night Promises to be Dark". It was tranlated by Dr. Henry Smith > and is to be found in " INDIAN ORATORY: FAMOUS SPEECHES BY NOTED INDIAN > CHIEFTAINS( Norman: U. of Oklahoma Press, 1971 Ppp. 118-122). The famous > environmental speech was written by Ted Perry, a screen writer, for a film > called HOME. The words were written in 1971-72. Perry used the name of > CHief Seattle in the body of the text, and he did use the original speech as a > model. Perry expected to be given credit for the text but he wasn't as the > producers thought it would sound more authentic if credit were not given. > The film was shown on national tv in the seventies and the speech became > a favorite for quotation among environmentalists. > A short discussion of the matter can be found in an article by the well-known > environmentalist J. Baird Callicot "American Indian Land Wisdom? Sorting Out > the Issues, JOURNAL OF FOREST HISTORY 33 no 1 (January 1989: pp. 35-42) > Some examples of differences between Perry and Chief Seattle: > Perry inserts into the speech mid twentieth century pop > ecology statements entirely lacking in Seattle's speech.Also, > Seattle said: "Your God loves your people and hates mine... The white > man's God cannot love his red children.." > Perry said: "Our God is the same God... He is the God of man, and His > compassion is equal for the red man and the white. " > Perry by the way was not aboriginal. > Cheers, Ken Hanly > Response: Actually there are several versions of the above. The usual assertion is that the speech by Chief Sealth was a hoax and/or embellished translation by Henry Smith. The "evidence" for the speech being a hoax or embellished translation mostly comes down to something like "how could any savage be so articulate?"; accounts by various settlers who dealt with Chief Sealth--and who spoke fluent Dwamish, one of the languages spoken by Chief Sealth--said that he often expressed such sentiments in language quite similar to the above. I posted it for various reasons: 1) the sentiments--embellished or otherwise; 2) as an illustration of quotations that have filtered into popular sub-cultures often without verification of the pedigree of the quote (a common problem on the internet). Jim Craven *------------------------------------------------------------------* * James Craven * " For those who have fought for it, * * Dept of Economics * freedom has a taste the protected * * Clark College * will never know." * * 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd. * Otto von Bismark * * Vancouver, Wa. 98663 * * * (360) 992-2283 * * * [EMAIL PROTECTED] * * * MY EMPLOYER HAS NO ASSOCIATION WITH MY PRIVATE/PROTECTED OPINION *