Sequoyah&

Cherokee Indians

Table of Contents• Standard

• Sequoyah-Creator of the Cherokee Alphabet

• Cherokee Indians

• Food

• Clothing

• Homes

• Transportation

• Communication

• Recreation

Georgia Performance Standard

SS2H1.

a. Identify the contributions made by these historic figures: James Oglethorpe, Tomochichi, and Mary Musgrove (founding of Georgia); Sequoyah (development of a Cherokee alphabet); Jackie Robinson (sports); Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights); Jimmy Carter (leadership and human rights).

b. Describe how everyday life of these historical figures is similar to and different from everyday life in the present (food, clothing, homes, transportation, communication, recreation, rights, and freedoms).

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Sequoyah – Creator of the Cherokee Alphabet

*Born in Tuskogee, Tennesee

*He moved to GA and became a silversmith. A white man told him to sign his work, but Sequoyah didn’t know how. A wealthy white man taught him how to write his name.Because of this, Sequoyah got the idea to figure out a writing system for the Cherokee Indians.

*He moved to Alabama and fought in the War of 1812, but he couldn’t write letters to his family because he still didn’t know how to write.

Check out this video on Sequoyah:

*After the war, he began creating a writing system for the Cherokee that used symbols to represent sounds.

*He created 85 letters that were called “Talking leaves.”

*The Cherokee Indians accepted his alphabet in 1821, and because of Sequoyah, thousands of Cherokee Indians learned how to read and write.

*In 1824, he was given a Medal of Honor for his work.

The Cherokee Alphabet

Sequoyah was born. The exact

date is unknown.

He learned how to make things out of

silver.

He fought in the War of

1812.

The Cherokee

nation accepted his

alphabet.

He was given a Medal of

Honor

Sequoyah died, but no on knows for sure where he is buried.

1770 1791 182418211812 1843

What was it like for the Cherokee Indians before Sequoyah created an alphabet for them to use?

Why was it important for Sequoyah to create an alphabet for his people?

if you need to look back at the page on Sequoyah

Click HERE

Cherokee Indians• Where do Cherokee Indians live?

• The Cherokee Indians were one of the largest of five Native American tribes who settled in the American Southeast portion of the country.

• Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee

• Now, most Cherokee live in Oklahoma and North Carolina.

Trail of TearsIn the 1800’s, the U.S. government created an “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma and sent Native Americans to live there. If they didn’t want to go, the Army forced them to leave anyway. Many Cherokee Indians died on the journey.

What did Cherokee Indians eat? What kinds of foods do you eat?

- They farmed vegetables like corn, squash, beans.

- They hunted animals like deer, rabbits, turkey, and fish.

What types of clothes did Cherokee Indians wear?

- Cherokee men wore a breechcloth and leggings with moccasins on their feet.

- Cherokee women wore wrap-around skirts and shirts made out of deer skin or ones that they made themselves.

Think about your clothes. Are they the same as the Cherokee’s clothes? How are they different?

What were Cherokee houses like?

- The Cherokee homes are called wattle and daub houses. They were made by weaving river cane, wood, and vines into a frame, then coating the frame with plaster. The roof was either thatched with grass or shingled with bark.

How about your house? Does it look the same as the Cherokee house or different???

How did the Cherokee Indians travel?

When Cherokee Indians needed to go somewhere, they either walked, or rode in a canoe.

What if you need to go somewhere? How do you travel?

How did the Cherokee communicate with each other?

How do we keep in touch with friends and family?

Before Sequoyah: The Indians only spoke the Cherokee Indian language to each other and only talked in person.

After Sequoyah invented a writing system, they learned to read and write, and could write letters to each other.

What did the Cherokee kids do for fun? What kind of things do you do for fun?

-Cherokee children enjoyed hunting and fishing with their father.

-Girls had dolls and toys to play with.

-They played a game called Anejodi, which is also called stickball.

The First Strawberries

The Cherokee Indians also like to tell stories. It was tradition. The following story is a Cherokee story about the first strawberries ever. Listen closely!

Using the Venn Diagram, compare the lives of the Cherokee to your life. Think of some things that you have in common as well as some differences.

Cherokee You