Sequoyah also known as George Gist or George Guess was born somtime between 1760 and 1765 in Tasgigi, on the Tennessee River near the Cherokee capital of Echota. He was born of a Cherokee mother and a mixed blood Cherokee father. Sequoyah was afflicted with a condition (probably an arthritis called white swelling) that caused him to walk with a limp. He became a blacksmith and silversmith, building tools and jewelry. Giving up the hard physical labor of smithing he later became a trader.
About 1809 he started work on a way of communicating with other Cherokees through writing. This work was interrupted by the War of 1812. He joined the fighting in 1813. He was discharged in 1814 and continued to work on his project until 1821. He first tried to use an alphabet with a symbol for each word, this soon became unmanageable. He eventually realized there were 86 distinct sounds in the Cherokee language. He developed a symbol for each of these sounds. Using these symbols or syllabary he could make any word in the Cherokee language. He quickly organized this list of symbols and the Cherokee Syllabary was born. Sequoyah perfected the syllabary in Polk County, AR in 1821. He then returned East to teach it to the others. He first taught his daughter, Ayoka to use the syllabary. It has been said that within 10 years 90% of the Cherokees were literate because of Sequoyah’s Syllabary. The original syllabary was changed slightly in order to be printed. After presenting the syllabary to the nation he returned to Arkansas and was removed to Indian Territory (Oklahoma) in 1829 where he constructed the cabin in Akins.
Sequoyah was reported to have died at an unknown location while traveling in Mexico in 1843.
In the 12 years between 1809 and 1821, he accomplished a feat, which no other single person in history has done. Through the development of the Cherokee Syllabary, he brought his people literacy and the gift of communicating through long distances and through the ages.
Additional Links:
Sequoyah's Original Syllabary
Current Cherokee Syllabary
Cherokee Nation Web Site
The museum and cabin is open 10am-4pm Tuesday-Saturday. However the park is open everyday. Please post a pic of the area as proof of your visit.
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