Noah Seattle was born about 1790 near Puget Sound, in the northwest corner of the contiguous United States. He was chief of his tribe and of the alliance of tribes in his area. Faced with the incursion of white settlers, he chose peace rather than war, and offered the settlers friendship and assistance. He became a Christian, and instituted in his tribe a practice of communal prayers morning and evening, a practice continued after his death. In 1855 (being then about 65 years old), he signed a treaty ceding most of his tribe's ancestral lands to the settlers and moving his people north. On that occasion, he gave an eloquent and poignant speech in his native tongue on justice, and on love of and respect for the land. Portions of the speech are often quoted by environmentalists, though the translations vary and some of them may have been embroidered.

A listmember writes:

The oft quoted 'green' version (written by Ted Perry) is at http://magna.com.au/%7Eprfbrown/thechief.html.

A more likely 'correct' version is at http://magna.com.au/%7Eprfbrown/thechief2.html.

I append a book review by a listmember, dealing with another well-known and much-quoted American Indian leader who was a Christian.

Black Elk: Holy Man of The Oglala, by Michael F. Steltenkamp University of Oklahoma Press

Most people have heard of Black Elk, a man of great historical, spiritual, literary, and cultural significance in North America. The Lakota (a.k.a. Sioux) medicine man told the story of his early life in the well-known books Black Elk Speaks and The Sacred Pipe --works that have been so popularized, paraphrased, and (yes, even) misused that "Black Elk" has become a sort of stereotype. Yet only half the story has been told.

Steltenkamp's revolutionary biography is based on accounts from Lucy Looks Twice, daughter of Black Elk, and from other personal acquaintances of Black Elk. Disappointed that her father was being represented in a way he never would have chosen, Lucy wanted the full record of her father's life set straight. Black Elk converted to Christianity in 1904 and led a very active life as a Catholic catechist and Christian missionary to his fellow Native Americans until his death almost fifty years later.

Christians who have heard neo-pantheist reverence for Black Elk will be excited by this book:

"'He never talked about the old ways. All he talked about was the Bible and Christ. I was with him most of the time, and I remember what he taught. He taught the name of Christ to Indians who didn't know it...everybody who comes to him, he teaches--from the Bible, from the catechist book, from his heart. He turned Christian and took up catechist work. And he was still on it until he died'" (p. 54, from John Lone Goose).

"'He related Scripture passages to things around him, and he used examples from nature--making comparison of things in the Bible with flowers, animals, and even trees. And when he talked to us about things in creation, he brought up stories from the Bible. That's why he was a pretty strong Catholic--by reading the Bible'" (p. 47, from Lucy Looks Twice).

Now old Black Elk stereotypes can be refined and replaced with the full story of this fascinating man's life, as told by those who knew him best. This book is excellent reading for anyone who has read the previous books of Black Elk, for anyone who has heard of Black Elk and wanted to know more, for people interested in anthropology and American history, for people interested in Native American studies, or for people who simply like biographies.

(Note: M.F. Steltenkamp indicates that he was raised in a Christian background, but apparently gives no indication as to whether or not he is still a practicing Christian. He is a professor of anthropology and author of other works on Native American religion.)

[written by] Cat Clark

Prayer (traditional language)

Almighty God, who in giving us dominion over things on earth hast made us fellow workers in thy creation: Grant unto us such wisdom and reverence toward thee that, following the counsel and example of thy servants Noah Seattle and Black Elk, we may so use the resources of nature that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise thee for thy bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever.

Almighty God, who in giving us dominion over things on earth have made us fellow workers in your creation: Grant us such wisdom and reverence toward you that, following the counsel and example of your servants Noah Seattle and Black Elk, we may so use the resources of nature that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.