Cabin in the Woods
Author: Krystan Moser One of the most notable figures in Cherokee history is Sequoyah, the creator of the Cherokee syllabary. Sequoyah, or George Guess, was born around 1770 in what is now the state of Tennessee. Sequoyah spent more than a decade studying the structure of the Cherokee language, and in 1821 he unveiled a […]
The Cost of Free Land
Author: Krystan Moser On September 16, 1893, a shot rang out and more than 100,000 settlers raced to stake a claim on one of 42,000 homesteads in the Cherokee Outlet. The largest of the Oklahoma land runs, the 1893 run opened more land than any other individual run. The land run that resulted created about […]
Order in the Courts
Author: Krystan Moster Prior to the Trail of Tears and removal to Indian Territory, Cherokee Nation existed in our eastern homelands of what are now North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama. The Cherokees operated schools, courts, a bilingual newspaper, and had a written constitution that laid out the foundations of a government and the laws […]
Through the Lens
Author: Karen Shade Photographer Jennie Fields Ross Cobb occupies a special place in Cherokee Nation’s history. Between about 1896 to 1906, she took her small box camera and photographed the people and places she knew. The result is a small collection of images offering a glimpse of life in Indian Territory before Oklahoma statehood in […]
Cherokee Syllabary Typeset
In celebration of the Cherokee Syllabary Bicentennial, the Cherokee Nation Language Department helped create a unique typeset to print copies of the Sequoyah Day proclamation. Learn more about the creation of this historic typeset here: bit.ly/SyllabaryTypeset For your own digital copy of a print created from this typeset and its translation in English, click here to download.
Cherokee Coloring Pages
In celebration of the Cherokee Syllabary Bicentennial, we have some Cherokee language-themed coloring pages for you to download and color. Featuring the Cherokee words for “Cat,” “Rabbit,” and “Strawberry.” Click here to download coloring pages.
Finding Sequoyah
Author: Karen Shade-Lanier Sequoyah was about 80 years old when he left his family and home in Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, in 1842. Whether or not he knew it would be for the last time is next to impossible for us to know. The inventor of the written form of the Cherokee language left nothing […]
The First Cherokee Christmas
Discover the history of the first Christmas celebration in the Cherokee Nation in this perennial exhibit inspired by a small gathering in 1805.
Sequoyah Historic Cabin
Cherokee Nation restoring, relocating historic cabin in Sequoyah County SALLISAW, Okla. — Cherokee Nation’s preservation efforts have led to an extraordinary collection of attractions that authentically tell the Cherokee story. Recently, the tribe began work to repair and relocate a historic cabin in Sequoyah County. The cabin will be moved from the former Tahlonteeskee interpretive site […]
It Takes a Nation
“It Takes a Nation: Sequoyah Schools and the Roots of Excellence” open now at John Ross Museum PARK HILL, Okla. – Learn about the history and evolution of Cherokee Nation’s Sequoyah Schools in a new exhibit at the John Ross Museum. Hosted in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the school, “It Takes a Nation: Sequoyah […]
