Chief Sealth was born in 1780, on the banks of Lake Washington in what is now Seattle. He was the last chief of the Sky-People, whose name means "those who come together."
Sealth was a member of the Duwamish Tribe, part of the Coast Salish confederation of tribes which included tribes from both sides of the Cascade Mountains. The Coast Salish were the first known inhabitants of Seattle, which they called “Sqaláx” or “Sako.” The name Seattle was given by Captain George Vancouver in 1792.
Sealth was named "To-whit-lah" meaning "the Great White Chief" by his grandfather who served as chief before him.
The Great White Chief was an influential leader whose wisdom and guidance were sought by his people. He gave his time to educate his people about their traditions and history and to encourage them to work together for a better future
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Through these teachings, he helped more than 150 of his people survive the U.S. Army invasion and occupation of their lands after 1854.
He went on to become a spokesman for not only his own tribe but all of the Native Americans who came under white domination and maintained their ancestral traditions and culture despite generational changes and hardships suffered by many Native Americans since that time.
Chief Sealth's wisdom and guidance were recorded by American Indian historians such as: George Hunt, Dr. Robert Sandage and others.
His words were recorded and published in more than 25 different languages during his lifetime; most notably English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Norwegian and Russian.
His works are still read today by Native Americans as well as non-Indians seeking spiritual guidance from America’s first great philosopher-chief who established a model for all future leaders to emulate: Chief Sealth taught that we must learn from our mistakes; we must never give up; we must never forget; we must always strive for success; we must never deny ourselves what we truly want; we must always share our gifts with others; we must always help those in need; and we must fulfill our responsibilities with honor so that our people may live with dignity and respect among their own kind as well as among those who have no choice but to live among us because they have been wronged by us!
