Crowell 1 Shane Crowell Lemeire English 101 11/18/2013 A Name That Everyone Knows But Doesnt Know Why

Seattle, a name that we all know. Most of us hear the name Seattle and instantly think of the city, but there are some who dont think of the city they think of a man. Memorials are capable of a lot of things, even though this memorial doesnt come right out and say how important si?al was, the fact that he helped change history and culture speaks for itself. Seattle is named after a man by the name of Noah si?al. The memorial built for a Chief. The tragedy of a great place. A new beginning. A man of his status brings up lots of memories and thoughts. Seattles name comes from the name si?al which is from the Lushootseed language. It is pronounced close to See-ahlsh. In Lushootseed there are some different letters than the English language, there is a letter L with a ~ through the L (as seen below in a picture) which makes the last part of his name sound like ahlsh or when Vi Hilbert who is a Skagit elder says his name it sounds like ahlch. When white settlers came to the Puget Sound they had such a hard time trying pronouncing his name that when they would say si?al it would come out wrong and would sound similar to Seattle. Because of the type of man si?al was and how he interacted with the white settlers, in honor of him, the people that were living in the village of Duwumps renamed the village Seattle because of the great relationship si?al had with the white people. si?al was not opposed to white people like a lot of the native people that lived around the Puget sound, he embraced them (Watson). In Suquamish WA, is where Noah si?al is buried. There is no record of what was at his burial site when he was first buried there in 1866. Baptized Noah by Catholic missionaries, si?al

Crowell 2 was recognized as a Catholic so when a group of Seattle settlers put up a headstone at si?als grave site they put a cross on top of it to represent his religion as a Catholic. The headstone reads Seattle, Chief of the Suquamps and Allied Tribes, Died June 7, 1866. Firm Friend of the Whites, and For Him the City of Seattle was named by Its Founders." The reverse reads, "Baptismal Name: Noah Sealth, Age probably 80 years (Find A Grave). At some point four wooden pillars with two wooden pieces going across them were put up and in 1962 during the Seattle Worlds fair two canoes were put on top of the structure (Crowell). Canoes were extremely vital to the native culture. They were a way of transportation and essential for fishing which was one of the main sources of food for the Native Americans. So using canoes as a form of artwork also gives a little look at one of the main recourses that was used in si?als life. The artwork on the canoes tell a story by using pictures and symbols. The artist who made the canoes is the story teller, they are the only ones who know the absolute true meaning behind the story they are telling. The scenery that si?al is buried in is a nice quiet peaceful area but the structure surrounding his headstone is more bold and also tells a story. si?al was what is to be believed a calm person but has a steady head on his shoulders. He accepted the white people when others were skeptical about them. His gravesite reflects him as a person and leader very well (Watson). In the mid to early 2000s his gravesite was vandalized by who is believed to be a few teenagers that were up to no good. No one is fully sure who did it but there is no evidence that shows this was an act of racism or directed at si?al personally (Crowell). Almost everything was destroyed except his headstone which is still intact. In 2009 the renovation of the Chief Seattle grave site monument and path was funded by a grant from the city of Seattle and by the Suquamish Tribe. When the renovation took place the reason for everything you see is to try and represent the native culture (Crowell). The cement surrounding part of the grave has standard

Crowell 3 weaved baskets around it which is something used on a daily basis to carry anything and everything symbolizing a part of daily life. There are two totem poles, one on each side of his headstone. These are similar like the canoes that were on his old structure in that they tell a story. While looking at them you would probably think they just have silly pictures on them but for someone who knows more about the culture you can make an attempt to try and read the story even though only one person for sure knows what the design means. On the left pillar there is a sun, some trees and lightening which most likely represents the weather and scenery in the area he grew up in, there is a person in a canoe likely representing the importance of canoes for him, then there is a canoe paddle with artwork on it, art is a pretty big part of the native culture and there are lots of works of art that are done on canoe paddles (even today lots of Native Americans have native artwork in their homes). The last piece of work on the left pillar is a man with one hand up looking like he might be picking berries, something that was a very popular food source back then. The pillar on the right is pretty similar with the exception that at the bottom there is what looks to be a structure made out of wood, there are a few things that the art might express, like the use of wood, which was one of their main resources to build things such as houses. The other thing it could possibly be is a longhouse which had multiple uses for sleeping, dining, and other festivities that are held indoors. One does not have to know Noah si?al that does not mean his memorial does not bring up good and bad memories. When I see his memorial I think of family, culture, the historic land I grew up on, racism, and a man similar to Martin Luther King Jr. Being that Noah si?al is my 7th great grandfather there are quite a few memories and thoughts that come up when I see his memorial, like my family. Where would I be right now if si?al was not the man he was? Would I never have been born? si?al was a man that was open to lots of things like making alliances with

Crowell 4 new people, he could have easily led his tribe into war with the whites along with other tribes instead of electing to stay back and not fight, the entire tribe could have been wiped out which would mean I would have never been born. Being at his memorial kind of gives you the chills if you know his history. You are standing next to a man that changed history and that fought a very similar battle that MLK Jr. fought a 100 years before, racism. Which leads to bad thoughts, even though the majority of white people liked si?al they still made the Indians move onto a reservation and eventually after si?al passed were to go to boarding school to try and get rid of the native culture. Even though the messages in the art on not perfectly clear because only the artist knows the full story, the entirety of the site speaks loud and clear with actions, words and scenery from the old structure and the new one. Years after his death white people had a fantastic headstone created for him (Find A Grave). Almost 100 years after he had passed people made magnificent canoes to add to his grave site. In 2009 after some heartless teenagers vandalized his grave, not only his tribe, but the city of Seattle funded the renovation of his new grave site (Crowell). The actions of other people towards this man tell you all you need to know. Even though I am only 1/8 native, growing up around this dying culture, seeing this site in person, it makes me look deeper into things and gives me a different perspective on who we are as people. If he can befriend people who bombard on him and his tribe while threatening to kill them on their own land to be civil and work together then we as a country need to take a page out of his book.

Crowell 5

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

A. Old memorial before it was vandalizd B. New memorial C. Chief Seattle, 1864. The original photograph for this often reprinted image has been altered by painting Chief Seattle's closed eyes to make them appear open and by blacking out the studio backdrop. Original Photo by E. M. Sammis

Crowell 6 D. Close up of si?als headstone E. Chief Seattle's name spelled in Lushootseed.

Crowell 7 Work Cited Find A Grave Photos." - Find A Grave Photos. Find A Grave, 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. The Suquamish Tribe: People of Chief Seattle - History & Culture." The Suquamish Tribe: People of Chief Seattle - History & Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Watson, Kenneth Greg. "Chief Seattle (Seattle, Chief Noah [born Si?al, 178?-1866])." HistoryLink.org. N.p., 18 Jan. 2003. Web. 19 Nov. 2013. Crowell, Scott. Personal interview. 16 Nov. 2013.