THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
PAGE 4
SEQUOYAH
(Continued from page 1)
of his “talking leaf” by having his little seven- or
eight-year-old daughter, Little Bird, and his wife read
and write his language. He sent Little Bird twenty
miles away to another tribal town. He had the young
men send her messages. He wrote as they directed.
Little Bird read and returned the desired answers.
The young men no longer doubted, but feared that
Sequoyah was a conjurer. The news of his feat
spread from camp to camp, village to village, and clan
to clan. His home now became the center of learning
for his people and within a period of less than two
years this tribe of Indians called savages rose from a
condition of “illiteracy to one of culture, unaided save
by one man.” There was not a boy or girl above
twelve years of age, a man or woman of the tribe who
was unable to write accurately the Cherokee language.
The abuse of the Cherokee turned to praise and the
“Crazy Sequoyah” became the first man of his race.
His fame spread over the United States and to far
away Paris and Vienna.
On February 28, 1828, occurred the strangest fact
in the history of American journalism: The Cherokee
started the publication of a weekly paper in the heart
of the forest, and named it “The Phoenix,” which
means “risen from the ashes.” It was certainly a
rebirth for the Cherokees. They did not stop with
the printing of the paper, but later printed hymns,
prayers, stories, gospels, and before they were driven
from Georgia ten years later they had turned out five-
hundred thousand articles from their press in the
Cherokee language.
When they left Georgia they took their type with
them and a few years later began the publication of
‘ ‘The Cherokee Advocate. ’ ’ Although four thousand
of their number had been killed or had died on the
way from Georgia, they went to work with bulldog
tenacity to build homes and establish a government.
Schools were built in every community and seventy
cents of every dollar belonging to the tribe were spent
on education. Two schools for higher training were
built. These schools were modern in every respect
in their days. The products of these schools are: A
United States Senator, members of congress and leg
islature, judges, doctors, lawyers, and a controlling fac
tor in the public life of the Central West. This was
the fruit of the labor of Sequoyah. Only the strategy
of national politics in Washington prevented the name
of Sequoyah from being applied to the State of Okla
homa.
Sequoyah taught the Cherokees west of the Missis
sippi to read and write and returned from that mission
in 1822. He was the first American to receive a lit
erary pension. This was provided for in the treaty
with the Cherokees made in 1828. During this year
he sat for the only portrait of him in existence. In
1843 he started to the far west to carry the alphabet
of a written language. He was tall, with classic Greek
features, and some seventy-five years of age, when he
started on his last journey. With him was a seven
teen-year-old boy. They were traveling in a two
wheeled single drawn ox cart. He had set out for the
tribes of Arizona and New Mexico. Some of these
tribes heard that the “wise man of the Cherokees”
was coming and sent delegations many miles east to
meet him. After months in Arizona and New Mexi
co he started farther west. This was the last that was
ever heard of him. A reward was offered for trace of
him but none was ever found.
It seems just and appropriate that the giant trees of
California should bear the name of Sequoyah, general
ly conceded to be the greatest of American Indians on
the continent and so long as the trees stand and writing
is preserved the name of Sequoyah shall not go un
sung.
HONOR BOLL
Following is a list of honor students for the month
of January:
Seniors
William Markishtum, Raymond Jones, George
Johnson, Cecil Stagner, Rose Smith and Margaret
Maupin.
Juniors
Cleo Plasteur, Ethel Davis, Frances Culbertson,
Vina Smith, Archie Demmert, Russell Hayward, John
Frenier, George Meachem, Earl Crofoot and Ronald
Leask.
Sophomores
Eldred George, Robert Hall, Joe Matt, Charles
Morgan, Aaron Sookum, Eula Hudson and Irene
Walker.
Freshmen
Ivy Sanderson, Anna Jackson, Alice Mae Clark,
Rosemond Ecoffey, Inez Lobdell and Fred Sandberg.
Eighth Grade
George Littlelight, George Weeks, Myrtle Rinehart,
Agnes Scott, Josephine Hughes, Flora McAuley,
Christine Muller, Fannie Shurlock, Jasper Anthanum,
James Monteau and Hans Jack.
Seventh Grade
Harold Lewis, Ina Curtis, Idella Curtis, Lois Jenks,
Edna Wesley and Elsie Balch.