He was born about 1725 in Cherokee Nation East, now Tennessee. Tsu-La is pronounced as jew-law and means fox in Cherokee. He was a full-blood Cherokee of the Deer Clan.
The Deer Clan members were the keeper of the deer, deer hunters and trackers, tanners and seamers as well as keeper of the deer medicines. They rest in the northwest on the Chickamaugan Stomp Ground. They are known as fast runners and foot messengers, delivering messages from village to village or person to person. They also maintain all sports and sports equipment. It is their responsibility to teach the knowledge of relaxation and unconditional love. They also teach of the deer and its habitat, including its willingness of self sacrifice to provide the two legged ones with food and clothing. Their color is brown, their wood is oak and their flag is purple with yellow stars.
Clan Division
There are 7 clans of the Cherokee Indian. It is important to know this because they are not allowed to marry inside their clan. The women are the head of household in the Cherokee so membership is attained through the mother. The members within a clan are considered brothers and sisters.
Clan Control
Each clan is controlled by elected women and by elders of both men and women. The women were given this responsibility because they were the ones who stayed home with their babies and assured the continuity of the family and clan. Because of this responsibility of the women for the family and the town, all property belonged to the women and the children belonged to her clan as only a mother is known for sure. It was women who inherited field rights as handed down from mother to daughter.
It was the responsibility of each clan to judge and execute any punishment of any social wrong done by a clan member but the clan did not and could not make the laws or social customs. All laws and customs were made either by the Anidawehi, the people or evolved out of ancient acceptance. All religious laws were handled by the Anidawehi and Cherokee's believed religion was part of every day living.
In 1751 at the age of 26 Tsu-La married Nancy Nanye'hi Fivekiller, my 6th great grandmother, who was later in life to be a Beloved Woman of the Cherokee.
Tsu-La was killed while fighting in the Taliwa Battle in Ball Ground, Georgia in 1755 led by the great war chief Oconostota. The Cherokees were determined to drive the Muskogeans (Creeks) out of North Georgia. His wife Nanye'hi the Ghi-ga-u was at his side chewing bullets to cause more deadly effects on the Creeks. Kingfisher was mortally wounded. His wife continued the battle and the Cherokees were eventually victorious. Thus ended the conflict with the Creeks that had started in 1715. As a result of her bravery, Nanye'hi was given the title Ghi-ga-u ("The Beloved One") and, as a result, had veto power over the Cherokee Chiefs.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
GUIDE TO CHEROKEE SYLLABARY PRONUNCIATION
GUIDE TO CHEROKEE SYLLABARY PRONUNCIATION:
(PHONIC) PRONUNCIATION:(THE ALPHABET READS STRAIGHT ACROSS, LEFT TO RIGHT
FROM ROW TO ROW . THERE ARE (13) ROWS TOTAL)
Row Number One:
"a" is said as ah
"e" is said as aye
"i" is said as ee
"o" is said as oh
"u" is said as ooh
"v" is said as uh
Row Number Two:"ga" is said as gah
"ka" is said as kah
"ge" is said as gay
"gi" is said as gee
"go" is said as goe
"gu" is said as goo
"gv" is said as guh
Row Number Three:
"ha" is said as hah
"he" is said as hay
"hi" is said as hee
"ho" is said as hoe
"hu" is said as hue
"hv" is said as huh
Row Number Four:"la" is said as law
"le" is said as lay
"li" is said as lee
"lo" is said as low
"lu" is said as loo
"lv" is said as luh
Row Number Five:
"ma" is said as mah
"me" is said as may
"mi" is said as mee
"mo" is said as moe
"mu" is said as moo
Row Number Six:
"na" is said as nah
"hna"is said as nanuh
"nah"is said as gnaw
"ne" is said as nay
"ni" is said as knee
"no" is said as noe
"nu" is said as new
"nv" is said as nuh
Row Number Seven:
"qua" is said as quah
"que" is said as quay
"qui" is said as quee
"quo" is said as quoo
"quu" is said as quooh
"quv" is said as quuh
Row Number Eight:
"sa" is said as sah
" s " is said as like a hiss of a snake...ssss
"se" is said as say
"si" is said as see
"so" is said as sew
"su" is said as sue
"sv" is said as suh
Row Number Nine:
"da" is said as dah
"ta" is said as tah
"de" is said as day
"te" is said as tay
"di" is said as dee
"ti" is said as tee
"do" is said as doe
"du" is said as due
"dv" is said as duh
Row Number Ten:
"dla" is said as dahlah
"tla" is said as claw
"tle" is said as clay
"tli" is said as clee
"tlo" is said as cloe
"tlu" is said as clue
"tlv" is said as cluh
Row Number Eleven:
"tsa" is said as jaw
"tse" is said as jay
"tsi" is said as jee
"tso" is said as joe
"tsu" is said as jew
"tsv" is said as juh
Row Number Twelve:
"wa" is said as wah
"we" is said as way
"wi" is said as wee
"wo" is said as woe
"wu" is said as woo
"wv" is said as wuh
Row Number Thirteen:
"ya" is said as yah
"ye" is said as yay
"yi" is said as yee
"yo" is said as yo
"yu" is said as you
"yv" is said as yuh
Cherokee (Tsa la gi) Words and Phrases:
You can use the Phonic Alphabet
to learn how to say these...
Hello: o-si-yo!
(There is no “goodbye” in our language) so we say “We will see each other again”
Speaking to just one person do-na-da-go-hv-i
Speaking to two or more people do-da-da-go-hv-i
Speaking to just one person do-na-da-go-hv-i
Speaking to two or more people do-da-da-go-hv-i
Are you well? do-hi-tsu
Yes: V-V
I: a-ya
You: ni hi ::ni-ti
I am Well: do-hi-quu
Good: o-s-da!
And You? ni-hi-na-hv
Thank-You: wa-do! (The sign with the hands is the same as modern sign language,
Lift your palm hand to your lips, and motion downward)
Lift your palm hand to your lips, and motion downward)
No: tla
Please: u-do-hi-yu-i
Good Morning: o-s-da su-na-le-I
Good Evening: o-s-da sv-hi-ye-I
Good Night: o-s-da sv-no-I
Cherokee: tsa-la-gi
My Name Is: da-qua-do-a
I am Cherokee: tsi tsa-la-gi
Are you Cherokee? hi tsa-la-gi?
Do you Speak Cherokee? tsa-la-gi-s hi-wo-ni?
Spiritual Words:
God: Yo-wa, Yihowa, Yahweh
Jesus: tsi-sa
Spirit: a-da-(nv)-do
Medicine: nv-wo-ti
Disciple: a-da-s-da-wa-di-to-hi
Heaven: ga-lv-la-di tso-sv
Eternity: I-go-hi-da
Eternal: i-go-hi-dv
Angel: a-ni-da-we-hi
Hell: tsv-s-gi-no
RELATIONS:
(My) Friend: o gi na li
Child: a-yo-tli
Teacher: di-de-yo-hv-s-gi
Man: a-s-ga-ya
Woman: a-ni-ge-ya
Son: (My) a-tsu tsa-a-que-tsi
Boy: a-tsu-tsa Boys: a-ni-tsu-tsa
Daughter: (His/Her) u-we-tsi- a-ge-hu-tsa
Girl: a-ge-yu-tsa Girls: a-ni-ge-yu-tsa
Aunt: e-lo-gi
Uncle: e-du-tsi
Sister: (Female) v-gi-lv
Sister: (My Sister) v-gi-do
Sisters: (They Are) di-(na)da-lv
Sisters: (We Are) tso-s-da-da-lv
Brother: (Male) di-na-da-nv-tli
Brother: (My) tso-s-da-da-nv-tli
Brother: (His) di-na-da-nv-tli
Brother: (Hers) u-do-I
Father: e-do-da
Father: (My) a-gi-do-da
Grandfather: e-du-da
Mother: e-tsi
Grandmother: e-li-si
Chief: u-gv-wi-yu-hi
Warrior: di-tli-hi
ASSORTED WORDS:
Tobacco: tso-la
Pipe: ga-nv-no-wa
Council: di-na-la-wi-gi
History: ka-no-he- s gi nv-wo-ti
Songs: di-ka-no-gi-s-di
Phoenix: qui-ni-(gi)-si
ANIMALS:
Eagle: u-wo-hi-li
Hawk: ta-wo-da
Buffalo: ya-(na) se
Bear: yo-na
Horse: so-qui-li
Turtle: dv-(ga)-si
Turkey: gv-ni
Fox: tsu-la
Deer: a-wi
Cat: we-si
Dog: gi-li
Snake: i-na-dv
MORE ASSORTED WORDS:
Earth: e-lo-hi
Stone: nv-ya
Plant: ga-go-ti
Flower: a-tsi-lv-s-gi
Coffee: ka-wi
Thanksgiving: a li he li s di - i-ga
Merry Christmas! da-ni-s-ta-yo-hi-hv!
Birthday: u-de-ti-yi-s-gv
Big: e-qua
Small: u-s-ti
THE FOUR DIRECTIONS:
East: ka-lv-gv
West: wu-de-li-gv
North: u-yv-tlv
South: u-ga-na-wv
THE FOUR SEASONS:
Spring: gi-la-go-ge
Summer: go-gi
Fall: u-la-go-hv-s-di
Winter: go-li
NUMBERS IN CHEROKEE (tsa-la-gi):
One: sa quu i
Two: ta li
Three: tso i
Four: nv gi
Five: hi s gi
Six: su da li
Seven: ga (li) quo gi
Eight: tsu ne la
Nine: so ne la
Ten: s go hi
Eleven: sa du i
Twelve: ta (li) du i
Thirteen: tso ga du i
Fourteen: ni ga du i
Fifthteen: s gi ga du i
Sixteen: da la du
Seventeen: ga (li) qua du
Eighteen: ne la du
Nineteen: so ne la du
Twenty: ta (li) s go hi
Twenty-one: ta (li) s go sa quu i
(Leave off the last syllable of the word twenty and add numbers one to nine)
Thirty: tso s go hi
Forty: nv (gi) s go hi
Fifty: hi (gi) s go hi
Sixty: su da (li) s go hi
Seventy: ga (li) qua s go hi
Eighty: ne (li) s go hi
Ninety: so ne (li) s go hi
One Hundred: s go hi (tsu) qui
(For numbers thirty to ninety-nine leave off the last syllable (hi) and add numbers one to nine.
For numbers one hundred to one hundred ninety nine, pronounce one hundred and add numbers one to ninety-nine.
Then do the same for two hundred to five hundred.)
COLORS IN THE CHEROKEE LANGUAGE:
Black: gv ni ge
White: u ne ga
Blue: sa go ni ge
Brown: u wo di ge
Green: i tse i yu s di
Grey: u s go lv - sa go ni ge
Orange: a da lo ni ge
Purple: gi ge s di
Red: gi ga ge
Silver: a de lv u ne gv
Yellow: da lo ni ge
Pink: gi ga ge-i- yu s di
<><><><><><><>
Days of the week:
Sunday: u na do da qua s gv i
Monday: u na do da quo nv i
Tuesday: ta li ne i ga
Wednesday: tso i ne i ga
Thursday: nv gi ne i ga
Friday: tsu (ni) gi lo s ti
Saturday: u na do da qui de na
<><><><><><><>
Months of the year:
January: u no lv ta ni
February: ka ka li
March: a nv yi
April: ka wo ni
May: a (ni) s gv ti
June: ti ha lu yi
July: gu ye quo ni
August: ga lo ni
September: du li s di
October: du ni nv di
November: nv da de wi
December: v s gi yi
David Solon James 1842 - 1925 My Great Grandfather
 |
| Taken When He Was About 40 |
His army description says he is 5.9" tall, with fair complexion, blue eyes and auburn hair. His Cherokee records say he was white. (He Married a Cherokee)
David was born January 5, 1842 in Jasper, Missouri. His father Calvin was 28 and his mother Perlina was 22.
David Solon James was a Corporal of Captain George Clark Company E, 14th Regiment of the Kansas Calvary Volunteers (Union) who was enrolled on the 15th day of July 1863 to serve three years or during the war (he furnished his own horse and equipment).
Discharged from the service of the U.S. this 25 day of June 1865 at Fort Gibson, Cherokee Nation. On the muster roll March-April 1864 David owed the U.S. $7.50 for one sabre.
The 14th Kansas Cavalry (Union) was organized and placed in the field November, 1863.Company E was engaged in different battles of the border with the rebel Gen. Price during the fall of 1864. This Company, with its commanding officer Lt. William B. Clark, acted as the personal escort to Major Gen. Blunt.
Soon after the Civil War, David Solon James and his wife, Tennessee A. James, moved from Kansas to Indian Territory. "Aunt Tenn," as she was later to be affectionately called, was one-eight Cherokee thus qualifying the family to stay here although Solon was a white man. They settled in the community that later became known as Hickory Grove. Several children were born to this couple, including Lorenzo, Albert, Della, Lulu, Jesse, Calvin, Reece and Claud. Solon became active in the community and served several terms on the newly organized school board. He was known as a fairly prosperous farmer.
When the Dawes Commission made up the Indian rolls and allotted land, some of the children were grown and did their own enrolling. Most of them were enrolled as one-sixteenth Cherokee but some listed themselves as one-thirty-second which gives a little strangeness on the rolls. As the children got old enough, they attended the Cherokee seminaries at Tahlequah.
On 29 June 1922 at Miami, Ottawa Co., OK. David gave a deposition on the behalf of Malinda Ann JAMES. It was given to T Quin Jones, Special Examiner of the Bureau of Pension. He stated that he was 80 years of age, his address was 202 C Street N.E.., Miami, OK. and that he was receiving a pension on account of his service in Co., E 14th Kansas Cavalry. He was also in the same Company as William Whig JAMES his brother.
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At 24 years of age he married Tennessee Almira Lane, age 17, on October 16, 1866 in Jasper, Missouri. They had 11 children in 28 years.
Although David was white, once he married Tennessee he was considered Cherokee
Dawes Card Information
tribe
|
last
|
first
|
middle
|
age
|
sex
|
blood
|
card
|
roll
|
misc
|
type
|
Cherokee
|
Coffman
|
Jesse
|
S
|
1
|
M
|
1/16
|
82
|
272
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
Cherokee
|
Coffman
|
Condia
|
Jane
|
15
|
F
|
1/16
|
82
|
269
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
Cherokee
|
James
|
Calru
|
0
|
M
|
82
|
P
|
||||
Cherokee
|
James
|
Farrett
|
0
|
M
|
82
|
P
|
||||
Cherokee
|
James
|
Jane
|
0
|
F
|
82
|
P
|
||||
Cherokee
|
James
|
Rnlina
|
0
|
F
|
82
|
P
|
||||
Cherokee
|
James
|
Claud
|
Frannie
|
10
|
F
|
1/16
|
82
|
271
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
Cherokee
|
James
|
Jesse
|
13
|
M
|
1/16
|
82
|
270
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
|
Cherokee
|
James
|
Sula
|
19
|
F
|
1/16
|
82
|
268
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
|
Cherokee
|
James
|
Clara
|
26
|
F
|
1/16
|
82
|
267
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
|
Cherokee
|
James
|
Tennessa
|
A
|
51
|
F
|
1/8
|
82
|
266
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
Cherokee
|
James
|
Solon
|
58
|
M
|
IW
|
82
|
NR
|
FAIRLAND
|
BB
|
|
.jpg)
Solon lists his occupation as a farmer, his race as white and he could read, write and speak English He owned a farm which was mortgage free.
In the 1920 Federal Census Sloan is 78 and list is occupation as Gardner. (Since he was prosperous I imagine this was gardening on his own property.)
 |
Family Portrait of the 8 living children with Mother Tennessee and Father Solon
The Fairland News, Fairland, Ottawa County, OK. Friday, Nov. 22, 1912
Solon JAMES, of Route 2, was in town Wednesday and renewed his subscription to The News. Mr. JAMES is one of the old settlers of this section of the country, having lived where he now lives for the past thirty-five years. He said that in the early days here people did not think the prairie land would ever be suitable for cultivation, but he has lived to see it transformed from a homeless prairie into the best agricultural section of the State. -
FAMILY REUNION AT HOME OF SOLON JAMES, 1916
David Solon James died September 30, 1925. He is buried at the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery (G.A.R. Cemetery) in Miami, Ottawa County, OK at the age of 83.
.jpg)
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Saturday, January 25, 2014
A Great Story about Sequoyah (1776 - 1843) and His Daughter Ayoka
Ayoka and Sequoyah
THE CHIEFS STARED at Ayoka as she was brought into the room. Was she scared? No, just a little nervous. Was she afraid she would fail? No, she knew her papa had taught her well.
But she also knew the great importance of this meeting. The Cherokee people had been laughing at her papa. Some said that he was under a witch's spell and should be sent away. Ayoka must now do her part to change their minds.
She saw her papa at the other end of the long room, but she knew she must not look at him. The chiefs might think that they were signaling to each other. Soon one of the chiefs whispered to her papa. Her papa made marks on a piece of paper and handed it back. The paper was brought across the room to Ayoka. It was her big moment.
In her strongest six-year-old voice, Ayoka read the markings on the page. For the first time ever, a Cherokee Indian was reading her own language! Everyone gasped. Was this a trick?
The chiefs demanded another test. This time, a chief whispered to Ayoka. She wrote down what he said and then was taken out of the room. Her paper was given to her papa. He stood and proudly read exactly what she had written.
The room buzzed with excitement. In 1821, no North American Indian from any tribe could read and write his or her own language. Could this six-year-old girl really read and write Cherokee? And how did Ayoka's papa, Sequoyah, invent this amazing writing system?
Sequoyah's System
Sequoyah was born around 1770 in Tennessee. When he was young, settlers were taking over his tribe's nation. Cherokee chiefs had signed many treaties to protect their people, but Native Americans still kept losing their rights and land. The Cherokee called these treaties "talking leaves" because they thought the white man's promises dried up and blew away like leaves.
In the early 1800s, Sequoyah moved to a farm in Georgia and became a silversmith. Like most Indians at that time, he could not read, write, or speak any English. He was interested in how white men could talk to each other by making strange marks on paper. If the Cherokee people could read and write their own language, he thought, then they could better communicate and protect their rights. But Sequoyah's tribesmen laughed when he shared his ideas. They said that reading and writing were the way of the white man, not the Indian.
In 1813, he and other Cherokee men joined the U.S. Army. As Sequoyah watched American soldiers write letters home and record the events of the war, he wished that his people could do the same. He grew even more determined.
When Sequoyah returned home, he decided to focus entirely on writing. He stopped doing his farm work and built a small cabin in the woods, away from his people. He began drawing symbols for animals, trees, and other objects on birch bark, using burned sticks as pencils.
Sequoyah's tribesmen did not understand why he spent so much time alone. Many of them thought his writing was a form of witchcraft. Some were so afraid that they burned down his cabin, with all his work inside.
But Sequoyah had struggled with hardships and unkindness before. His father was a white man. Sequoyah was teased as a half-breed, even though he thought of himself as only Indian. He was handicapped with a lame leg and walked with a crutch. No, he would not give up.
He started over. He soon realized that it was not practical to draw a symbol for every word. As he carefully listened to people's speech, he noticed that the same sounds could be combined to make a lot of different words. He created a symbol for each sound and worked until he had 85 symbols that could form any word.
Sequoyah's youngest child and only daughter, Ayoka, spent many hours quietly at his side, watching him work His system was so simple that Ayoka learned to use it in about three days. It had taken Sequoyah twelve very hard years, but now his invention was just right.
His work, however, was not done. Sequoyah still needed to convince Cherokee leaders that his system could help their people. He could not do this alone. So when it was time to present his invention to the tribe, Sequoyah brought Ayoka with him.
A Family's Legacy
No one knows exactly what happened at the tribal council meeting. But after Ayoka's test, the chiefs agreed that Sequoyah's system was very useful. TheCherokee became the first tribe in America that could read and write in their own language. They started the Cherokee Phoenix, a newspaper in theCherokee language. Cherokee history and songs were recorded and preserved for future generations, and the Bible and other important writings were published in Cherokee.
Sequoyah's tribe honored him with a medal and made him a chief. The giant Sequoia trees in California were named after him, and a Sequoyah statue stands in the U.S. Capitol building. This great man -- handicapped, ridiculed, and uneducated -- dedicated his life to preserving the Cherokee language. Together, Ayoka and Sequoyah proved that written words were not just marks on a page. They were a powerful force that could unite a people.
The Cherokee Syllabary
Instead of learning an alphabet like the white men did, the Cherokee learned symbols for the sounds (syllables) they used in everyday speech. That is why Sequoyah's system is called a "syllabary." Each Cherokee symbol represents a syllable, not just a consonant or a vowel.
For example, ama ("water" in Cherokee) is written with three letters from the English alphabet: a, m, and a. But using the Cherokee syllabary, ama is written with only two characters because the word has two syllables: "a" (written as D) and "ma" (written as #).
~~~~~~~~
By James Gilbertson
Art by Yoshiko Miyake
Copyright of Spider is the property of Carus Publishing Company and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
Authors:
Gilbertson, James
Source:
Spider. Nov/Dec2012, Vol. 19 Issue 9, p10-14. 5p.
Document Type:
Article
Subjects:
CHEROKEE language
CHEROKEE Indians -- History
Geographic Terms:
UNITED States
Abstract:
In this article, the author discusses the history of Cherokee tribe, which became the first tribe in U.S. that could read and write in their own language.
CHEROKEE Indians -- History
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