|
Near
the town of Tanasee, and not far from the almost mythical town
of Chote lies Taskigi (Tuskeegee), home of Sequoyah. In this
peaceful valley setting Wut-teh, the daughter of a Cherokee
Chief married Nathaniel Gist, a Virginia fur trader. The warrior
Sequoyah was born of this union in 1776.
Probably
born handicapped, and thus the name Sequoyah (Sikwo-yi is Cherokee
for "pig's foot"), Sequoyah fled Tennessee as a youth
because of the encroachment of whites. He initially moved to
Georgia, where he acquired skills working with silver. While
in the state, a man who purchased one of his works suggested
that he sign his work, like the white silversmiths had begun
to do. Sequoyah considered the idea and since he did not know
how to write he visited Charles Hicks, a wealthy farmer in the
area who wrote English. Hicks showed Sequoyah how to spell his
name, writing the letters on a piece of paper. Sequoyah began
to toy with the idea of a Cherokee writing system that year(1809).
View
Complete History Resource Here:
Sequoyah
Other
Web Links Referencing Sequoyah
Sequoyah
Sequoyah Birthplace
Museum
Sequoyah
Sequoyah's
Talking Leaves
|
