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Chief Sealth’s Grave – Pic of the Week

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On a trip to Washington state earlier this fall, I visited Chief Sealth’s (c.1780-1866) final resting place on the Kitsap Peninsula. Chief Sealth (also referred to as Si’ahl or Seattle) was a Suquamish and Duwamish leader who is the namesake for the city of Seattle. Although he inherited the position of Chief of the Duwamish Tribe, a council of six tribes eventually selected him to be the leader of a tribal confederation in central Puget Sound. In this role, Chief Sealth maintained friendly relations with European-American immigrants that his father began in 1792. His diplomacy and friendship eventually led to the Treaty of Point Elliott, which was signed by the United States and several tribes in 1855; the treaty was ratified in 1859.

A color photograph of Chief Sealth's grave site, including a concrete tombstone with a cross in the center, and black and red totem poles on each side of the grave marker.
Chief Sealth’s grave. Photo by Anna Price.

Under the treaty, the tribes agreed to cede their lands to the United States (art. 1), although they retained specific tracts that would become reservations (arts. 2-4) and maintained the right to fish at “usual and accustomed grounds” (art. 5). The article related to fishing rights was a common provision in treaties between the government and American Indian tribes in the Puget Sound region, and became a focal point in United States v. Washington (the Boldt decision), a seminal court case in the field of American Indian law.

A color photo of Chief Sealth's grave from a lower angle, where an engraving with the words "the soil is rich with the life of our kindred" is in the foreground
Chief Sealth’s grave. Photo by Colin Lavassar.

Words attributed to a speech Chief Sealth gave in 1854 are carved in English and Lushootseed into a concrete ring around the gravesite. “Even the rocks thrill with memories of past events. The very dust beneath your feet responds more lovingly to our footsteps, because it is the ashes of our ancestors. The soil is rich with the life of our kindred.”

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