Rhetorical Analysis Of The Dead Still Roam The Land

The Dead Still Roam the Land
The various tribal populations that inhabit the United States of America lived on ancient tribal land for thousands of years, that is until the government of the country, motivated by manifest destiny, forced many tribes off the land their ancestors lived on for generations. The tribes of the Pacific Northwest were no different, in 1884 the Squamish people of present day Seattle were offered a monetary incentive to leave the land on which they currently reside, in response to this the Chief of the tribe gave an oration to outline the feelings of him and his people. Chief Seattle choose to fiercely defend their land from the imperialistic American government in doing so he uses a variety of rhetorical strategies

to show his peoples utmost respect for the land that the government would inevitably take and to demand access to the land after their removal.
In his oration Chief Seattle chooses to defend the land for personal reasons, citing that the tribe believes that the ancestors of the tribe still roam the land. The reverence he holds for the land is amplified through his use of personification, he states “Yonder sky that has wept tears of compassion for centuries untold, and which to us appears changeless and eternal” establishes his people’s connection the land by showing that not only have they resided there for centuries but that he believes their presence will not change. As his assertions are so profound and proud they hold weight over the reader since it establishes the length of the connection the tribe has with the land.
Seattle attempts to appeal to his readers through the presumed emotional connection they have to god.

His appeals to ethos start when he expresses this sentiment “Your God is not our God! Your God loves your people and hates mine! He folds his protecting arms lovingly around the paleface and leads them by the hand as a father leads an infant son. But he has forsaken His Red children, if they really are his” here Seattle begs the Americans to reconsider their stance as his people are rapidly “ebbing away.” By contrasting the stance of God between the two sides it shows the subjugation the people have been brought under as they have no rights, not even under a perceived omniscient and loving

being.
In order to prove to the Americans about the love they hold for the land he uses comparison to show the stark difference between the two groups of people. Seattle states
Your dead cease to love you and the homes of their nativity as soon as they pass the portals of the tomb. They wander far off beyond the stars, are soon forgotten, and never return. Our dead never forget the beautiful world that gave them being. They still love its winding rivers, its great mountains and its sequestered vales, and they ever yearn in tenderest affection over the lonely hearted living and often return to visit and comfort them.
Once again Seattle shows the love and reverence his people, both dead and alive, hold for this land and strengthens the bond he has previously made towards it. His use of contrast only exemplifies the fact that those people who are attempting to take the land have no sense of the significance the land holds as their dead have no connection to any of their current land holdings. The palpable sense of loss the tribe must feel when they lose this connection will be profound on all counts since generations of people still roam the land.
Towards the end of the oration Seattle abruptly changes the tone, choosing to acknowledge a select few people. Here Seattle is speaking to the “Great Father in Washington” telling him “We will ponder your proposition, and when we have decided we will tell you. But should we accept it, I here and now make this the first condition: That we will not be denied the privilege, without molestation, of visiting at will the graves of our ancestors and friends.” the sudden shift in tone allows Seattle to be extremely serious in his demand that the tribes right to access the land on which their dead are buried will not be hindered. By doing so Seattle shows that his demands are pertinent to the treaty being accepted the by tribal leaders and to the well being of his people.
In the fight to save his people and the land on which they reside Seattle make the Americans question the ethics behind their methods and motives.

One way he does this is through the use of hypophora, he asks “Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead did I say” to which he answers “There is no death, only a change of worlds.” here he connects back to his earlier statements on the tribes belief that their dead still roam the land after their death, which brings up two more questions; why take land that the tribe believes the be haunted and why take an entire group of people away from the land that they hold sacred due to the spirits of their ancestors? His method encourages readers to question their current beliefs and further makes them question their ethics by encouraging readers to think about their actions it could further encourage protests of the government's actions against the tribal people or a possible repeal of the treaty itself. His use of rhetorical devices here makes people think, which is the first step for real change in the

world.
The rhetorical strategies used in Seattle’s oration tie together to form a beautifly coherent argument that not only shows the tribes connection to the land but puts forth a demand that to this day allows the tribe access to that land. Although the tribe is largely lost to time and the development of the city of Seattle many descendants of the tribe still reside in the Seattle metropolitan area, where their ancestors resided thousands of years ago.