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A member of the Cherokee tribe is the only illiterate person in recorded history to create a writing system!

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A member of the Cherokee tribe is the only illiterate person in recorded history to create a writing system!

Sequoyah was an illiterate Cherokee silversmith who lived from 1770 until 1840. However, through hard work, he independently completed his creation of the Cherokee syllabary in 1821, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible.

This is the only time in recorded history that a non-literate person ever created an effective writing system. The Cherokee nation quickly understood how important it was to have a functioning syllabary and began using it.

In 1825, the Cherokee Nation officially adopted it as their official syllabary. Sequoyah’s life is somewhat controversial as some of the tales are fact and fiction.

He was a Cherokee warrior. He married at least two women having four children with the first and three children with the second and it is speculated that he had three other wives.

He moved to northeast Alabama where he established himself as a silversmith by 1809. He often dealt with white people and it was through these interactions that he recognized the need for a syllabary for his people.

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