Vonore, Tenn. — Sunday marked the annual Day of Remembrance for the Native American legend --- Sequoyah.
The Cherokee tribe member gave his people a writing system, so that their legacy will live on forever.
The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore is near where Sequoyah was born circa 1776 in the village of Tuskeegee. His father was a Virginia fur trader and his mother was the daughter of a Cherokee Chief.
According to the museum's website, Sequoyah noticed the white soldiers he encountered were writing letters back home or reading military orders, and realized the Cherokee people had no way to do that. Over twelve years, he eventually devised 85 symbols to represent the sounds in the Cherokee language and presented them to his people in 1821.
By 1825 much of the Bible and numerous hymns had been translated into Cherokee. By 1828 they were publishing the "Cherokee Phoenix," the first national bi-lingual newspaper, along with religious pamphlets, educational materials and legal documents.
The Day of Remembrance was celebrated with free admission to the museum and a number of events to help visitors learn and understand more about the Cherokee people.