REF: Chief Seattle's Letter/Speech

[John W Shearin <jshearin@IDEANET.DOE.STATE.IN.US>]

I'm hoping someone out there in the world can help clear up some
confusion I am experiencing.

A piece of legislation passed last spring by our state General Assembly
makes reference to "Chief Seattle's letter to the United States government
in 1852 in response to the United States government's inquiry regarding
the purchase of tribal lands."  In response to requests from school
library/media people trying to locate the text of this "letter", I started
to search.

What I have found thus far leads me to believe that perhaps no such letter
was ever written.

There are many conflicting accounts.  What seems to be the case is that
Seattle (or Seathl) made an oral presentation on this topic, perhaps
through an interpreter, during a treaty negotiation in or around 1854.  A
written account of the speech was made at the time by a Dr. Henry A.
Smith.  An article appeared in a Seattle newspaper in 1887 which included
Smith's account of Seattle's speech.  Fast forward to the 1970s when a
screenwriter named Ted Perry wrote a script, and in it used some of the
words and sentiments from the 1887 account of Seattle's speech to compose
a letter incorporated into his screenplay and attributed to the historical
figure Seattle.  The fictitious letter took on a life of its own and has
been widely circulated and cited in a variety of versions.  Joseph
Campbell closes Chapter One of THE POWER OF MYTH quoting it, or at least
one variation of it.

Can anyone confirm or refute any of this?  Is there indeed an historical
letter actually written by, or even on direct behalf of, Chief Seattle?
Did Seattle even make the speech Smith attributes to him?  Has our General
Assembly written into law a fairy tale from the mind of a screenwriter?

Any and all enlightening comments will be greatly appreciated.

John W. Shearin
Office of Learning Resources
Indiana Department of Education
Indianapolis, IN
jshearin@ideanet.doe.state.in.us