For O/L English Literature

Our Sacred Land by Chief Seatle :

A beautiful and strong statement on the environment

by Asha Senevirathne

Chief Seatle was the leader of the Red Indians in North America around 1864. Long before the Europeans went to North America in the 16th century, the Red Indians were living in that country. They had a culture of their own and opposed the Europeans coming and occupying their land.

Chief Seatle was the leader of the Red Indians in North America around 1864. At that time the President of America Abraham Lincoln requested from the Red Indians to buy their land.

As a reply to that letter the Red Indian leader Chief Seatle made this wonderful speech on the environment.

The Red Indians know the power of white man. Yet, the Chief of the Red Indians utters with a great commitment not only to his tribe but to the whole environment too. He really loves it which helps them forever for their survival. It is his duty to protect it from the guns of the whiteman who devastates the nature for their own advantage.

He doesn’t want to be pessimistic, but he knows very well if he refuses to sell this land the white may come with armies and push the Red man out. So Chief Seatle an appeal in a sensible manner, to make the whiteman understand the seriousness of the environment.

‘How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land ... the idea is strange to us’.

He doesn’t blame them. Only he wants to say that they love it wholeheartedly, not because of the material benefits.

‘We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters, the deer, the horse, the great eagle these are our brothers.

The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of pony and man all belongs to the same family ...’

We never harm our sisters and brothers. This closeness is so genuine and clean. He binds so close friendship with this earth.

Then he says ‘so we will consider your offer to buy our land, but it will not be easy, for this land is sacred to us ...’ He indirectly stresses that the human beings are part and parcel of the earth.

‘The whiteman treats the earth not as his brother but as his enemy ...’

Seatle dares to speak the truth. Indirectly he throws a mild attack to them who admire stereo type life style.

‘The Indians prefer the soft sound of the wind darting over the face of a pond’.How much does environment support the man to lead a smooth and healthy life?

Though Seatle is not an environmentalist he has a perfect understanding ... What the environment is ...? It is like a web which is interwoven with all the elements such as soil, water, wind, sunbeams, weather, plants, creepers, insects, clouds and beasts. Whether it is pertaining to the sky or the earth it is a part of our eco-system. This lesson is so interesting to Red man but the white man devastates nature for his own selfish ends.

‘Every part of the earth is sacred to my people ... every shining pine needle, every sandy shore ... every mist in the dark woods ... every hearing and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people ... The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the Red man ...’

In his speech, only he expects to explain them, the attitude towards the surrounding. He doesn’t bow down pleading sympathy. For him nature is the greatest gift that creator has offered to be preserved.

‘The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers, is not just water but the blood of our ancestors ...’

He says that the earth has become fertiled ground because of his primitive people’s dedication and sacrifices.

‘But the ashes of our forefathers are sacred. Their graves are holy grounds ... and so the hills, the trees, every portion of the earth is consecrate to us ...’

He often recollects his men who was dead and gone with a greatfulness. He appreciates their engineering feats.

‘The rivers are our brothers ... they quench our thirst ...’

The relationship they have bound with the natural system is so dear and near.

‘The rivers carry our canoes ... they feed our children ...?

The gratefulness for the resources gifted by nature is a high quality, to be appreciated. We, Sri Lankans, very rarely are grateful to the resources like water, as water is abundant. We just waste water unnecessarily. We fish in the same river and also we enjoy swims and rows. We add chemicals and garbage in the same and pollute the water carelessly.

‘He treats his mother the earth and his brother the sky as things to be bought or plundered’.

He hints the people who pollute natural aspects on the earth by means of artificial ways, people have no gratitude and honour towards nature. ‘Mother the earth’. If we say like that we must treat the earth, as we treat our beloved mother, she is the one who gives us birth and feeds us to keep alive.

‘He kidnaps the earth from his children, he doesn’t care his father’s grave and his children’s birth rights are forgotten. He treats his mother, the earth his brother the sky things to be bought or plundered, sold like sheep or bright beads ...?

Due to industrialisation and commercialisation the tranquil nature of the countryside gradually began to destroy.

‘I do not know our ways are different from your ways’.

He says, because the Red man is so humble and simple to accept the natural laws of nature. But White man is not.

‘Our God is the same God ... he is the God of man and his compassion is equal ... You love it (earth) as the God loves us all’.

Finally, he gently implies the great idea of that the creator is common to all human beings who live on the planet earth and he requests from all the humans to be compassionate to each other and protect this beautiful earth for the next generation.

This unique and treasured idea is definitely enlightening and revels ever so fresh in memory. It has been artistically revealed on Mother Nature which stands out as an untouched ideal that was never released before and this beautiful creation will carve its name in stone.