Sequoyah
Syllabary inventor, Cherokee
Sequoyah was a Cherokee silversmith and scholar who created the Cherokee syllabary in the early 19th century—the only known instance of an individual creating a complete writing system without being literate in another language.
The giant sequoia tree is named in his honor.
Also spelled Sequoya or Sikwayi.
Person of rare brilliance
- creationMaking something exist
- polymathMulti-domain expert
- self-taughtEducated without instructors
- silversmithMaker of silver objects
innovation · pioneering · breakthrough · ingenuity · originality · remarkable · achievement · contribution
Social group sharing ancestry
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- OklahomaSouth Central U.S. state
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
tradition · Appalachia · Trail of Tears · sovereignty · clans · nation · Cherokee Nation · ancestry
Language's letter system
- scriptWritten words for performance
- writingRecorded language on surface
- charactersPersons in a narrative
- phoneticsStudy of speech sounds
glyphs · orthography · syllables · transcription · notation · graphemes · codification · inscription
Three-dimensional sculpted likeness
- memorialThing preserving remembrance
- stampMark-making device
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
- namesakeOne sharing another's name
recognition · redwood · California · tribute · legacy · historical figure · monument
genius
Person of rare brilliance
- creationMaking something exist
- polymathMulti-domain expert
- self-taughtEducated without instructors
silversmith · innovation · pioneering · breakthrough · ingenuity · originality · remarkable · achievement · contribution · legacy
tribe
Social group sharing ancestry
- Native AmericanOriginal inhabitants of America
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- OklahomaSouth Central U.S. state
heritage · tradition · Appalachia · Trail of Tears · sovereignty · clans · nation · Cherokee Nation · ancestry · removal
alphabet
Language's letter system
- scriptWritten words for performance
- writingRecorded language on surface
- charactersPersons in a narrative
phonetics · glyphs · orthography · syllables · transcription · notation · graphemes · codification · inscription · literacy
statue
Three-dimensional sculpted likeness
namesake · recognition · redwood · California · tribute · legacy · historical figure · monument
- Native AmericansCherokee, Apache, Navajo, Sioux, Mohawk
- CherokeeCherokee Nation, Cherokee syllabary, Trail of Tears, clan mothers, stickball
- Language ShapersNoah Webster, simplifiers, orthographers, lexicographers, purists
- North CaroliniansAndrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, James K. Polk, Billy Graham, Michael Jordan
- TennesseansDolly Parton, Elvis Presley, Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, Al Gore
- Indigenous WritingCherokee syllabary, Mayan glyphs, syllabary, codices, hieroglyphs