A CHEROKEE IMAGE GALLERY PAGE 1

CHEROKEE ARTIST CECIL DICK   (1915 - 1992) RECORDED AND PRESERVED CHEROKEE TRADITION FOR MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS WITH HIS BRILLIANT PAINTINGS. HE WAS HONORED WITH THE SEQUOYAH MEDAL -- THE HIGHEST HONOR BESTOWED BY THE MODERN CHEROKEE NATION -- IN 1983.

SEQUOYAH  (ALSO KNOWN AS GEORGE GIST)  WAS BORN SOMETIME AROUND 1776, THE SON OF VIRGINIA FUR TRADER NATHANIEL GIST AND HIS WIFE WUT-TEH, THE DAUGHTER OF A CHEROKEE CHIEF.  AFTER 12 YEARS OF HARD WORK, HE INTRODUCED THE SYLLABARY SHOWN ABOVE IN 1821, GIVING THE CHEROKEE PEOPLE  A WRITTEN LANGUAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME. BY 1825 THE BIBLE AND SEVERAL OTHER WORKS HAD BEEN TRANSLATED. HE WAS HONORED WITH THE FIRST SEQUOYAH MEDAL, CREATED BY THE TRIBE TO HONOR THIS MAN'S INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT.

SEQUOYAH'S MEDAL

GENERAL STAND WATIE  (1806 - 1871), SHOWN ON THE LEFT DURING CIVIL WAR TIMES AND ON THE RIGHT IN LATER YEARS,  WAS ONE OF ONLY TWO NATIVE AMERICANS TO RISE TO THE RANK OF BRIGADIER GENERAL DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR.  HE WAS ELECTED PRINCIPAL CHIEF IN 1862. ON JUNE 23, 1865, HE BECAME THE VERY LAST CONFEDERATE GENERAL TO SURRENDER TO UNION FORCES.

GENERAL STAND WATIE'S BATTLE FLAG

MARKING THE SPOT OF GENERAL WATIE'S SURRENDER

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