A leading figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, forming a personal relationship with Doc Maynard.

A widely publicized speech arguing in favor of ecological responsibility and respect for Native Americans' land rights had been attributed to him.

According to some historians, as well as the tradition of the Suquamish Tribe, Seattle was born on Blake Island (Lushootseed: tatču),[8] and his mother was from the village of stəq on the White River.

[5] According to the Duwamish Tribe, Seattle was born at his mother's village on the Black River, near what is now the city of Kent, Washington.

[4][11] Seattle and his family, who were occupying nearby Blake Island gathering food, were visited by a party from the Vancouver expedition.

[11] Over several days, Vancouver and the Suquamish (who were soon joined by their Duwamish neighbors) interacted extensively, trading goods and observing each other.

[4][11] At some time during his youth, Seattle participated in a traditional coming-of-age ceremony called a vision quest (Lushootseed: ʔalacut).

[5][2] In the traditional religion of the peoples of southern Puget Sound, having a strong spirit power is a symbol of strength, purity, and prestige.

In his early 20s, Seattle participated in a coalition war against the Cowichan peoples of Vancouver Island led by his uncle Kitsap.

Francis Herron, the Chief Trader at the fort, considered him important and dangerous and requested him to sign a treaty forswearing murder.

[5] In 1841, Seattle led a raid on the village of ʔilalqʷuʔ, located near modern-day Auburn at the former confluence of the Green and White rivers.

[5] After the death of his son and his conversion to Christianity, Seattle began to seek cooperation with American settlers, retiring from fighting.

Seattle began seeking contacts with businessmen and community leaders and gained a reputation as a "friend of the whites" among settlers.

[4][5][14] It has been argued that Seattle had no authority to sign the treaties for the peoples of the upriver Duwamish River according to traditional governance, and that he and others did not realize governor Stevens' desire to alter the indigenous political systems and control the native population.

[5] Seattle warned the American settlers of the impending attack and brought as many people as he could away from the fighting to the Port Madison reservation.

[4][5] He also tried to stop slave murder and curtail the influence of alcohol on the Port Madison Reservation; he continued to try to resolve disputes elsewhere.

Although he was mourned locally on the reservation and by his friend and sawmill owner George Meigs, no other pioneers of the city of Seattle attended his funeral, and no newspaper covered the event.

However, years after his death, in 1890, some early Seattle historians and pioneers visited his gravesite, adding a stone marker to the grave.

Smith's speech reconstruction has been lauded as "a powerful, bittersweet plea for respect of Native American rights and environmental values.

"[citation needed] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America commemorates the life of Seattle on June 7 in its Calendar of Saints.