By this time he was becoming more respected for his diplomacy than for his war skills. Stevens appointed Chief Seattle as the representative for both tribes. Unfortunately, the Duwamish didn't recognize this. So Seattle got the reservation for the Suquamish and the Duwamish got nothing.
From then on, Chief Seattle tried to get white men to uphold their agreement. But it was an economically hard time. The Fraser River gold rush of 1858-59 was the only high spot until after the Civil War. He was always sensitive to the wishes of American and British authorities. He freed his own slaves after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Chief Seattle acted as judge at tribal councils. He eventually found this to be futile since his people kept declining due to disease, alcohol, and poverty. He petitioned the Indian agents for the needs of the tribe.
At his last potlatch in 1862 he gave away what few things he had: old clothes, a horseshoe, a muleshoe, fishhook, gunny sacks, tin cans, boxes, food, and knickknacks. He spent his time leading prayers or petitioning the reservation agent for the people's needs. He also acted as a judge in tribal councils. He generally wore old pants, a shirt, and a Hudson's Bay blanket. On special occasions he wore a frock coat and a stovepipe hat.
He died on June 7, 1866. His funeral was attended by a large number of Indians and sympathetic white men. The letters I.H.S. were later inscribed on his tombstone. They stand for the Latin "in hoc spiritus," which means "I have suffered."
