Commemoration
June 7
Seattle, Chief of the Duwamish Confederacy, 1866
Reflection
Noah Seattle was a leader among Native Americans during a
time of open hostility between Native peoples and white settlers, who were
encroaching on Native lands in steadily increasing numbers. He was chief of the
Suquamish tribe and later of a tribal alliance known as the Duwamish
Confederacy.
Chief Seattle became a Roman Catholic in the 1830s,
rejecting war and choosing the path of peace. He observed Morning and Evening Prayer
daily with his tribe, a custom that survived his death. On January 22, 1855, Seattle signed a treaty with the white people, ceding his
ancestral lands, accepting a small reservation north of Seattle in their place. Noted for his moving
oratory, he spoke the following words at the signing of the treaty: “It matters little where we pass the remnant
of our days. . . . Tribe follows tribe, and nation follows nation, like the
waves of the sea. It is the order of nature, and regret is useless. Your time
of decay may be distant, but it will surely come, for even the White Man whose
God walked and talked with him as friend with friend, cannot be exempt from the
common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We will see.”
Prayer
Lord God, Thank you for the life and witness of your
servant, Chief Seattle. Inspire us by his faithful witness and commitment to
peace over violence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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