Person

Chief Seattle

c. 1780–1866 · 19th century · Also known as Seattle, Si'ahl, Sealth, Noah Seattle

Seattle, usually styled Chief Seattle, was a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish peoples. Born around 1780 to a Suquamish father and a Duwamish mother, he became a leading figure among his people and pursued a path of accommodation with the white settlers, forming a personal relationship with Doc Maynard. He was baptised in 1852 as Noah Seattle. The city of Seattle, in the state of Washington, was named after him, and a widely publicised speech arguing for ecological responsibility and for respect for Native Americans' land rights has been attributed to him.

Chief Seattle
Image: E.M. Sammis · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Great speeches

Chief Seattle's Speech1854 or 1855
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chief Seattle. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chief-seattle
MLA
“Chief Seattle.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chief-seattle. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chief Seattle.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chief-seattle.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chief Seattle’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chief-seattle (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻