Chief Seattle (1786-1866) pg. 173

Chief Seattle's speech was so saddening to me. The way he speaks to Governor Stevens is very friendly but yet he let's him know that he knows what's going. He knows the days of his people are coming to a quick end and he knows how powerful the white men are.

To me he sounds like an old man whose just had enough. He doesn't want to resist the white men and start another war and he knows his people are very few compared to the white men. AND what's really sad is that he acknowledges that he knows the white men don't respect him or his people.
It's sad to see this small glimpse of what the Indians had to go through. Chief Seattle almost sounds like he wants to live in peace but at the same time he sounds resentful towards the white men (not that I blame him). He even thinks the white men's god is prejudice and doesn't like the Indians and their ways. I personally don't believe that God is prejudice and it's sad that the white men's behavior and actions caused the Indians to believe this.

It's funny in a way that we left England to have our own freedom and religious beliefs only to take over a new country and try and force it's inhabitants to believe our ways.

Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha (1752-1830) pg. 158

Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha's speech to the Christitan minister was amazing. I just loved the way he puts everything. It seems so obvious and true and yet the minister still treated the Seneca's like they were heathens. It's funny to me how someone so "Godly" can still treat people so inconsiderately. It's people like that Christian minister that turn people away.

"You say there is only one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is only one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why don't you all agree, since you can all read the book?" To me this is such a kick ass line! I love it! It's something I want scream at people sometimes. I went o a religious meeting years ago and all everyone there did was argue with each other. They argued so much that people were yelling each other. It was horrible and if I wasn't already a Christian and just someone who was maybe interested in joining the church...that would have been a total turn off for me. Why would anyone want to convert to a religion that no one can agree on?

It's much too long to quote but I also really liked the part when Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha is describing the Seneca's lifestyle and how peaceful they were before the white man came and invaded their lands. He then goes on to say "...and that if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach we will be unhappy hereafter." It seems amazing to me that the minister would even dare tell them that if the Seneca didn't accept the white mans religion they would be unhappy...when the white people were the ones that made them unhappy in the first place. If I were the Seneca I wouldn't want to be converted either!

As I said before I love this speech. I thought it was very eye opening, moving, and powerful.