Chief Seattle
Native American, known for encouraging ecological responsibility
(1786-1866)
"What is there to life if a man cannot hear the lonely cry of a whipporwill or the arguments of the frogs around a pond at night?"
"If all the beasts were gone, men would die from a great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to the man. All things are connected."
"...the deer, the horse, the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the meadows, the body heat of the pony and man--all belong to the same family... The White Man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers." [ed. note: Many people believe that this quotation is a modern day writing attributed to Chief Seattle. However, Ina Lempereur wrote to us saying that this quote was included as part of the series "Mythos: The Shaping of Our Mythic Tradition" by Joseph Campbell, in which he reads the entire letter of Chief Seattle to the President of the United States, which includes this quote.]