Such softness and understanding, chief Sa-Go-Ye-Wat- Ha has. He is truly a diplomat. This profound speech moved me more than I had expected it would. Four pages of complete serenity.
This speech is a true representation of the many differences between religious beliefs.
The Great Spirit, for the Native Americans, is a loving, peaceful, and giving god. They never want for anything, because all they need, the earth already has. Their god is full of love, and as a result, the Natives are as well. In sharp contrast, the white settler's speech is about a god that isn't full of love, rather he is full of rules, and regulations. He tries to fill their minds with this “new god” by way of fear. He tells them that their lives are in error and darkness. The settler is unsuccessful. I believe he fails because the Native Americans were not run by fear. It seems as though fear was something that they didn't know. How incredible would it be if the ways of the Great Spirit had lived on to today in a more prominent way?
What amazes me still further, is that this speech is somehow filled with hope. The chief speaks about the wrongs that the settlers did to his people, with complete forgiveness. His only hope is that his people and the Europeans find a common ground, so that they can live peacefully together. He believes, with such determination, that the settlers will change, that they will honor their agreements, that they will stop taking their lands, and that they will treat the Natives as equals. No matter how many wrongs the settlers commit, the Native Americans still believe them to be good people. The steadfast beliefs that the Native Americans had, and the unconditional love they possessed, can only be an attributed to the pure and loving Great Spirit they worshiped.
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