The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-25

history would have been written diff
terertly. Likewise, every tribeN OF
s,4i,ns boasts OF its hero or chief. /
tomp leaders have been known upon /.
N. battlefield, others in statesman
shin. while others have led In the |
cducational or literary field. The |
Ctorokecs as tribe OF Indians have |
reyer been without its heroes, both /
tr war and IN peace. in the affairs
% q,atc and in the realm OF cdu- |.
cation
Tho Cherokees, ae a race, have al |
v,vs been considered among the
,,oat progressive OF Indian tribes,
,rd are today I'm the front rank OF
0tisboma's citizenship. They have
o,wavs favored education and, long
before the Civil war, established
s,honIs In what Is now Oklahoma,
wbIch schools ceased only during
Inc war and were later revived and
were maintained until statehood, in
1907. ~
II he doubtful II any other cause
contributed 10 their progress In their
carly history more than the inven-
lion Of the Cherokee alphabet by
Suuoyah. The alphabet was invent
"a while the Cherokes lived in their
Old southern homes In Georgia and
moved in 1896, the alphabet came
with them and became "A fixed part
of their language.
Sequoyah was born in 1770, in the
old Cherokee nation In Georgia. Born
In a thiCkct, reared in a wigwam,
This untutored child OF the forest
lived to tread the paths of glory and
10 stand in the presence of tribes
and councils and presidents. His
,.rhN 10.
mother was fullblood Cherokee In
dian.
II is said that he was deserted by
his father when he was quite young
vet a baby in swaddling clothes lie
was an ambitious halfbreed Indian
and developed spirit OF self-re-
lance. What education he had, he
received by observation and was his
own teacher.
Living in the ut-of-doors most OF
the time he soon noticed the songs
Of the birds---or rather the language
~ the girds. He conceived the idea,
Tradition has It, that inasmuch as the
birds OF the air had a language by
which they could talk to each other,
Il certainly was not impossible for
him TO create an alphabet by which
his own tribesmen could communi-
cate with each other. 1t was this i'm
preston tnAt led MIN 10 set ABOUT 10
invent an alphabet.
Was Deeply Religions.
Sequoyah was deeply religious and
believed in the Great Spirit. He be-
heved that should one become
manned here he would be mainrs5
In the happy hunting ground beyond
the milky way, which has been de-
scrbed as. "a mighty forest, decked
with foliage of softest shade and car
peted with velvet leaves and sllken
needles from majestic pines; a shady
wood where warbling birds in golden
plumage caroled wondrous melody,
where for his silvered arrow herds
Of stately deer and buffalo waited
on thousand ambushed plains"
II is said that he relied on the
Great Spirit In his effort to invent
the alphabet-which young braves,
who had not yet awakened to the
need Of an alphabet. called the
talking leaf Sequoyah called at
tention to the fact that the Cherokee
had no way of preserving his
thoughts. Up to this time nothing
could be written In Cherokee, but
their literature was just what could
be remembered and passed from one
generation TO the next from mouth
TO ear" Sequoyah said that the
white man put what he said on pa
per and for that reason ,eXcelled the
u Cherokees in civilization and pro-
" gress.
It is believed that the alphabet
was invented about the year of 1921.
The first official recognition that we
have any record OF was in 1923,
when the secretary of war was ap-
praised OF the invention. Sequoyah
made many attempts to complete
ms invention before he realized his
Inbition, Undaunted by many fail
uiea and discouragements, he pur-
sued his work diligently, and mas
tered his achievement with the APP
proval OF his cpuntrymen, who had
grown weary OF such a plan, but
now were willing TO place any honor
on their leader and inventor. A
great feast was held in memory Of
this achievement, and all Cherokees
were invited TO attend. The exer-
cses held In honor OF the Cherokee
Sdumus' were very elaborate, and
SeQuoyah was heralded throughout
tne cherokee country, as chief and
leader OF the nation.
Had SO Characters.
The alphabet consisted Of So
characters representing all the sylla-
ulys IN the Cherokee language. 1t is
slIu mat its simplicity was amazing,
Lor It required Cherokee only a few
GAYS to complete it, 80 they could
n5lte letters 10 each other. II Is
u that young braves would travel
. png dlstacoa in order to write letters
4 tgScK TO their friends, using the new
II invented alphabet as their guide.
no other inventor experienced so
many handicaps as Sequoyah. There
49, 49, no written language OF his race.
SSnu no precedent by which he could
e GUIDED. An eminent missionary
w lhe Western Cherokees, with
"noom Sequoyah became associated
,ew years after completing the
o,ppmaoei, writing OF incidents which
n,,l vu,red In 1898. says. concerning a
iIuisnoer CT prominent Cherokee
yaueis v,aes whom he, had met while he
ipa Ss on his way to the city of Wash
a. among these singular men was
a." nose name will descend 10 the
n,tss. ,es. ,prostsrity as having accom-
msea 5nea greater literary achieve
M than any other individual
,nAoWn 10 history. Cadmus Is said