Pics of the Week: Sequoyah

We have visited the topic of the images on the bronze doors of the Adams Building in several posts – Itzamna, Quetzalcoatl, and Brahma.  Today’s post  celebrates Native American Heritage Month by featuring two pictures from the Adams Building.

John Adams Building, Library of Congress

John Adams Building, Library of Congress

One image is of Sequoyah from the building’s bronze doors done by Lee Lawrie, the other is of a warrior from the relief around the doors.

The images on these doors were selected to depict the written word so the choice to include Sequoyah is particularly apt.  It was he who developed a writing system for the Cherokee language, the Cherokee syllabary.

Sequoyah was likely born around the year 1770 near what is now Knoxville, Tennessee and was a silversmith by trade, and his interaction with Europeans and their writing systems must have sparked a desire to create one for the Cherokee. Eventually he developed a system that used symbols, some of which were Latin alphabet letters, for each syllable. After several years promoting his alphabet,  the Cherokee Nation finally adopted the writing system in 1825.

Many members from a number of tribes, including many Cherokee, were moved as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and that journey became known as the Trail of Tears.   Sequoyah was one of the many that was relocated, and this is why the statue of him in the National Statuary Hall Collection represents the state of Oklahoma. He died somewhere in Mexico about 1843.

If you wish to read a legislative history of the Native American Heritage Month, the Law Library has written a post.

Veterans History Project: Illuminating the Future by Sharing the Past

Today’s post is by Veterans History Project (VHP) Liaison Specialist Lisa A. Taylor who works in the John Adams Building. With the Project since 2009, Lisa is on the team responsible for program communication and coordination. Among other duties, she writes and edits materials for publication and works with local and national organizations and Congressional …

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Creatures of the Night

Halloween is here and neighborhoods will be filled with magical, mysterious, and mystical creatures such as devils, ghosts, zombies, werewolves, witches, and vampires. We will also see plenty of bats displayed in homes, windows, and yards. On this holiday of the supernatural, the bat (Order Chiroptera) is a real-life creature of the night which may …

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A Special Kind of Moon

There is something about a full moon that affects us (sometimes literally!) and our admiration of it can be found in art, literature, music, and poetry.  The full moon is revered in many cultures across the globe.  In North America, tribes of Native Americans gave varying names to the full moons according to the season, …

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Put Yourself on Target

Today’s post is authored by Constance Carter, head of the science reference section. Connie has written for us before, see her posts - Food Thrift: Scraps from the Past  and Celebrate with a Chocolate Chip Cookie. The LC Science Tracer Bullet is celebrating its 40th birthday this month! The idea behind the Tracer Bullet was to find …

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Transit of Venus: The Unsung Heroes

The following is a guest post by Dr. Sten Odenwald, NASA/ National Institute of Aerospace, who presented a lecture on the Transit of Venus at the Library of Congress on May 8, 2012. You can view his lecture on our webcast page and Youtube channel. On June 5th, 2012 most people will have the opportunity …

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Science Diplomacy

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage month, which provides me with the perfect opportunity to highlight one of our outreach activities- the Asian Science & Technology (S&T) Forum. Our division’s research specialist in Asian S&T policy, Dr. Tomoko Steen, created this forum three years ago as a discussion group on behalf of a selection of Asian …

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Pic of the Week pt2: Play Ball!

Without looking at today’s photo, can you use the following clues to figure out what today is? The Green Monster Duffy’s Cliff The Triangle Williamsburg The Lone Red Seat The Splendid Splinter Pesky’s Pole Sweet Caroline Curse of the Bambino The Snodgrass Muff One hundred years ago today Fenway Park had its first professional game …

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