Susan Jeffers’s Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle is wrought with ethical issues concerning the source and representation of its environmental message, as well as disrespect of the historical person Chief Sealth. A comparison of three versions of a speech attributed to Chief Seattle reveals a contemporized version of the “ecological Indian” trope, and a paratextual analysis of two editions of the children’s book exposes the effects of imperial nostalgia. The article problematizes the uncritical usage of the book and emphasizes how its contents intersect with historical discourses of recognition as misrecognition.
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