Chief Seattle’s 1854 Oration – Was it true? Essay
Primary Seattle, innovator of the Duwamish tribe, was author from the famous speech to Candidate for washington governor Stevens upon his arrival to Seattle in 1854. However , various doubt Chief Seattle’s presentation to have occurred.
There is tiny credible evidence available to back up the existence of the speech with the exception of a newspaper article authored by a Doctor Henry A. Smith. The article, entitled “Chief Seattle’s Speech, ” was posted in the “Seattle Sunday Star” on October 27th, 1887. If Doctor Smith was witness to Chief Seattle’s epic presentation, he was the only translator. How are we to find out that translation faults and liberations weren’t made by Doctor Smith?
The Duwamish terminology was not a written language, having zero alphabet, therefore no established record or writing could have been made. Thereby, it is extremely probable Key Seattle’s Oration of 1854 never existed. The first and later published accounts of Chief Seattle’s Oration was written in the “Seattle Sunday Star” on March 27th, 1887.
The author from the article, Doctor Henry Smith, was believed to have been a witness on the speech and served like a translator for Chief Detroit; however , not any official file of this consideration exists in different historical archive. Chief Seattle’s speech have been widely reported in numerous catalogs and documents, but just about every citation leads back to Doctor Smith’s document. Therefore , the sole proof offered that this conversation ever occurred is the paper article internet dating back to 1887 from this 1 source.
If we are to give the benefit of the doubt to Doctor Henry Smith as having been observe a to this speech, who may be to say the translation was correct? For all we all know “Doctor” Henry A. Johnson made up every single word in the speech, nobody would know. Primary Seattle was known to have been illiterate, neither knowing how to study, write or perhaps speak The english language (McCarthy similar. 12). His speech was presented in nice section form, nearly as if Main Seattle was reading the address away a piece of paper, even though Chief Detroit could not examine.
The Duwamish language had no abece, it could certainly not be crafted, it was only spoken. There is no possible method Chief Detroit could have had anything to read from or look at while giving his presentation to Governor Stevens. Because of these information, no recognized record with the speech may exist. Certainly, Doctor Johnson could have written a almost perfect translation, although there is no evidence to suggest this. A merchant account of the talk by the Duwamish tribe, or possibly a copy with the speech in Duwamish, would not exist for anybody to refer to.
The man known as Chief Detroit existed, the Duwamish group existed, Doctor Smith persisted, these are well-known FACTS. Nevertheless , there is simply but one particular written consideration by a Doctor Henry Smith that this Oration took place, in support of one translator was said to have been for Chief Seattle’s Oration and that one person was a Doctor Henry A. Smith. The Duwamish group had zero written vocabulary for an official copy on this speech to acquire taken place, and no basis for anyone to assume that Doctor Johnson took a precise translation without liberations added.
For these reasons, Main Seattle’s Oration of 1854 never existed.
