Cherokee Language Creator To Be Honored On $1 Coin

The United States Mint released the design that will appear on the reverse (tails) of the Native American $1 Coin next year.

The coin will honor Sequoyah of the Cherokee Nation, creator of the Cherokee language, the U.S. Mint said in a news release.

The 2017 reverse features a profiled likeness of Sequoyah writing “Sequoyah from Cherokee Nation” in syllabary along the border of the design.

Inscriptions are “United States of America,” “$1,” and “Sequoyah” written in English in the field of the design. The reverse side of the coin was designed by Mint Artistic Infusion Program Designer Chris Costello and sculpted by Mint Sculptor-Engraver Charles L. Vickers.

The obverse (heads) of the 2017 Native American $1 Coin will continue to feature sculptor Glenna Goodacre’s “Sacagawea” design, introduced in 2000. Inscriptions are “Liberty” and “In God We Trust," according to the U.S. Mint.

"Authorized by the Public Law 110-82, the Native American $1 Coin Program celebrates the important contributions made by Native American tribes and individual Native Americans to the history and development of the United States," the release stated. "The public law mandates a new reverse design each year celebrating the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the development and history of the United States."

Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. issued a statement about the U.S. Mint honoring Sequoyah. 

“Having Sequoyah grace the U.S. dollar coin is a wonderful national recognition for our tribe’s renowned statesmen and creator of the Cherokee syllabary. Last year, the flip side of the Sacajawea dollar was a tribute to American Indian code talkers, and this year builds on the foundation of honoring the Indian people who have played a critical role in shaping our great country. From a Cherokee perspective, the look and message behind the United States’ currency has improved two-fold in 2016, with the emergence of the Cherokee language and Sequoyah’s image on the dollar coin that will be going into circulation in the coming year, coupled with the announced plans to remove Andrew Jackson from the face of the $20 bill. It is good to see the United States Treasury take Native history in America into account for its monetary creations," Hoskin Jr. said.