Editing Chief Seattle (section)

=== A feared Suquamish warrior ===
As Seattle aged, he earned a reputation as a leader and a strong warrior. In his early 20s, Seattle participated in a coalition war against the [[Cowichan peoples]] of [[Vancouver Island]] led by his uncle Kitsap.<ref name=":0" /> Around 1810, Seattle led an ambush against a group of raiders in five canoes coming down the [[Green River (Duwamish River tributary)|Green River]]. Seattle's raiding party killed or enslaved the occupants of three canoes and sent the remaining two canoes back as a warning.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Suquamish" /> Seattle also led a raid against the [[Klallam people|S'Klallam people]] on the [[Olympic Peninsula]] and may have also led further raids against the [[Snoqualmie people]] as well. Coast Salish peoples historically practiced slavery, and, like many of his contemporaries, Seattle enslaved people whom he had captured during his raids, further increasing his prestige.<ref name=":0" /><ref>David M. Buerge (2017) ''Chief Seattle and the Town That Took His Name: The Change of Worlds for the Native People and Settlers on Puget Sound'' page 55, 60-61 {{ISBN|978-1632171351}}</ref>

By 1833, he had become known to the staff of Fort Nisqually as {{Langx|fr|Le Gros|lit=the big guy|label=none}}. He was seen as an intelligent and formidable leader, owing to his strong voice and towering physique, standing nearly {{convert|6|ft|spell=in}} tall. Francis Herron, the Chief Trader at the fort, considered him important and dangerous and requested him to sign a treaty forswearing murder. In 1837, however, Seattle murdered a [[Skykomish people|Skykomish]] shaman. The new Chief Trader, William Kittson, hoped that the Suquamish would kill him; however, they continued to value him as a leader.<ref name=":0" /> 

In 1841, Seattle led a raid on the village of {{Langx|lut|ʔilalqʷuʔ|label=none}}, located near modern-day [[Auburn, Washington|Auburn]] at the former confluence of the Green and White rivers. The raid was in retaliation for a murder committed by someone from the village, and it crippled the village. Later, in 1847, he was part of the leadership of the Suquamish war against the [[Chimakum|Chemakum]], who were decimated and effectively wiped out following the war. However, one of his sons was killed in battle with the Chemakum, leading Seattle to seek baptism into the [[Catholic Church]] around 1848. Seattle was probably baptized by the [[Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate]] in [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]], where he chose the baptismal name of Noah after [[Noah|the prophet of the same name]].<ref name=":0" />