Chief Seattle's 1854 Oration - Was it true?

Chief Seattle, leader of the Duwamish tribe, was author of the famous speech to Washington Governor Stevens upon his arrival to Seattle in 1854. However, many doubt Chief Seattle's speech to have taken place. There is little credible evidence available to back up the existence of the speech with the exception of a newspaper article written by a Doctor Henry A. Smith. The article, titled "Chief Seattle's Speech," was published in the "Seattle Sunday Star" on …

…that this Oration took place, and only one translator was said to have been at Chief Seattle's Oration and that one man was a Doctor Henry A. Smith. The Duwamish tribe had no written language for an official copy of this speech to have taken place, and there is no reason for anyone to believe that Doctor Smith took an exact translation with no liberations added. For these reasons, Chief Seattle's Oration of 1854 never existed.