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Sequoyah

by Brianna from San Diego

The man who gave his people the Cherokee alphabet
This is my drawing of Sequoyah for the project (I drew it in art class)
This is my drawing of Sequoyah for the project (I drew it in art class)

Sequoyah is considered a hero to the Cherokee tribe because he did what no one said he should. Make an alphabet for the Cherokee. He was told he shouldn't make it because it would disrupt the status quo of the Cherokee. His friends said that it was only natural for their people to speak the language of Cherokee, not write it. But he didn't listen.

For making the Cherokee alphabet, it took Sequoyah multiple tries. On many sheets of paper he would draw characters to go with letters. By getting that, he listened to his friends talk and thought of designs that would work for the letters. From the help of his daughter, Ahyoka, he had narrowed it down to 86 letters.

Because of General Andrew Jackson, the Cherokee tribes in Tuskegee had to move to the Oklahoma territory. Sequoyah's tribe moved without a fight, but the other was stubborn, like wild bulls. Soon enough, after Sequoyah led his tribe, the other was forced into the Oklahoma territory. Sequoyah stood, waiting for the other Cherokee tribe's chief. After Sequoyah had talked with their chief, both tribes had made peace and worked together.

Sequoyah's mother was a Cherokee native, while his father was a White man. he was born in 1776, Tuskegee, Tennessee. He was crippled at a young age and loved to challenge his mind and himself with tough tasks. In 1815, he married a Cherokee native women named Sally and had children. After he made the alphabet, he taught it to his daughter, Ahyoka.

Sequoyah was important because he was one person who taught others that if you go through with something that your heart is set on, it might work after multiple tries. Also, if you let your mind wander, ideas that could challenge your brain, and possibly others, will be useful in the future.

Page created on 7/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 7/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.