This unit addresses the second grade social studies standard for Sequoyah's contribution as well as the Cherokee Indians in history.

1. Sequoyah
&
Cherokee Indians

2. Table of Contents
• Standard
• Sequoyah-Creator of the Cherokee Alphabet
• Cherokee Indians
• Food
• Clothing
• Homes
• Transportation
• Communication
• Recreation

3. 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).

4. http://bcove.me/sndxve41
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.

5. The Cherokee Alphabet

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. Trail of Tears
In 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.

10. 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.

11. 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?

12. 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???

13. 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?

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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!

17. 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