Chief Seattle Letter + Commentary

Man Did Not Weave the Web of Life, He Is Merely a Strand in It

The Letter of Chief Seattle

On the world environment day, 5th of June, I thought to share the letter written by Chief Seattle, a Red Indian Chief who lived in North America from 1786 to 1866. Though many of us have heard and read this letter, the importance of the content is worth recalling. Chief Seattle was a representative of his native tribe and convey his concerns to the people who were proposed to buy the lands from the indigenous people.

This letter evident the relationship between the ancient tribes and nature, where Chief Seattle considered nature as a part of their lives. He was referring to the flowers as his sisters and rivers as his brothers. His people considered the land as their mother and therefore they lived with nature as if living with a beloved family.

In this 21st century, where environmental pollution is at its highest, we need to be cautious to conserve it for the future. Hence, the letter of Chief Seattle is more relevant to modern society than in the ancient years. From this historic letter, I have highlighted a few interesting statements which exhibit their amazing relationship with nature.

The Rivers are Our Brothers

Chief Seattle mentioned the rivers as their brothers. This is because the rivers quench the thirst, feed the children, and carry their canoes. A member of the family is dear to us and help us at hard times. To Seattle, there’s no difference between a brother and river as both help for survival. Hence, they insisted on the need to protect the rivers as they protect their brother.

He also mentioned that the water that flows in the streams is not just water, but the blood of their ancestors. He has understood the connection between the people and the environment. He believed that water carries the memories of their ancestors and the murmur of the water he believed to be the sounds of the people who lived many centuries ago. They considered water as sacred as it is the memory of their ancestors. Due to this belief, they never polluted the water as it was a holly memory of their family members.

When thinking about the rivers and waters in the world, after many centuries of Seattle’s death, we can understand the difference precisely. Chief Seattle considered the water as their brothers and believed that the water carries the memory of their ancestors. However, if he sees the world’s streams today, the chemically polluted rivers and stinking spoiled waters will evident the death of their loving brothers and memories of their ancestors. Though we consider the native Americans are uncivilized their perception of nature is much advanced than the modern civilized humans.

The Air is Precious to us

Chief Settles mentioned that all the living beings share the same air. We know that humans, animals, and even trees are breathing. It’s the same air that rotates from the start of human civilizations. As Chief Seattle mentioned that the air carries the first breath of their ancestors as well as their last breath. At the same time, the same air provides life to a newborn child or a newborn animal. Isn’t it amazing, that all of us are connected from the first man who born on the world to the children yet to be born?

Chief Seattle wanted to preserve the freshness of the air which contains the fragrances of trees and flowers as they consider air as a gift from their ancestors. When we think about the quality of the air, there are no explanations needed. There are cities in the world, which has come to the hazardous air quality levels and intoxicated air causes breathing difficulties. The sacred air, mentioned by Seattle is gone from this world and it’s contaminated with toxics. The first breath of our ancestors has gone forever and we give birth to a generation of unhealthy children. Haven’t we missed something while we are accelerating the financial wealth?

Man did not weave the Web of Life, he is Merely a Strand in it

Chief Seattle said that man is not the sole owner of the earth and he is merely a strand of this huge web of life. Every tree and animal have the same right to live in the world, though the humans have exploited their right to live. He mentioned that the indigenous people love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. The earth is their mother and they do everything to protect it and never let anyone harm her.

They knew their animals and trees and once he mentioned that sap of the tree is no difference to the blood of their bodies as they knew both of them very well. The connection between nature and their lives is amazing and we even cannot imagine the relationship they had. Due to this pure connectivity, they became the part of nature and lived in harmony for many centuries until the modern man discovers their inhabitant.

Everything changed once the greedy humans invade their indigenous lands and the current global environmental crisis evident the repercussions of everything that happened thereafter. Can we still think that the rivers as our brothers and flowers as our sisters? Can we consider the water and air are scared? And can we believe that the earth as our mother?

Humans have strangled by their devastation. Whatever we do to nature is returning to us as humans are part of a common web of life. Life is a cycle. When we break a part of the cycle everything will fall apart. Therefore, this is the time we need to consider our environment and safeguard it as Chief Seattle did. If we can consider our environment as our mother and everything in it as family, the world will be a better place to live with a healthy and sustainable relationship with the environment.

The Letter of Chief Seattle

“The President in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.

The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

If we sell you our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

When the last red man has vanished with this wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we have loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.

As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

One thing we know — there is only one God. No man, be he Red man or White man, can be apart. We ARE all brothers after all.”