The Ripple Effect of Native Voices Featuring Tom Allard

By Opal H. '22

Tom Allard, a beloved faculty member and resident storyteller, joined Global Scholar Laila W. ’21 and Tonanxochitl O. ’23 on Oct. 21 to tell the story of Sequoyah, the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet. 

Tom entranced his audience with the gripping story of how Sequoyah, over many years, created a syllabary of Cherokee language and eventually convinced his community of its utility. The Cherokee alphabet spread quickly, and eventually even communities as far as Liberia were inspired to create written forms of their own languages. Tom spoke to how the written language, still alive and well to this day, helped to preserve Cherokee culture and tradition. 

At the conclusion of his story, Tonanxochitl O. engaged Tom in a broader conversation about the preservation of Native American culture in an ever-changing world. Fielding questions from the audience, Tonanxochitl O. asked why preserving Cherokee culture and language is important to Tom. He responded by saying simply, “It’s the survival of the people.” He expanded, telling how Cherokee youth are shaping the culture of the community through education, art, and in particular, theater. 

Audience members shared their takeaways after the event, many of them noting that this is the first indigenous story that has been told at a GIP event. Katie H. ‘21 wrote, “ I hope we can continue welcoming indigenous voices in the Poly discourse and expanding our [understanding] of the issues facing indigenous communities.” Reflecting on the feelings of many audience members, Juliette H. ‘21 shared, “Tom's storytelling never fails to amaze me! There's a difference between reading a story like this on paper and hearing and seeing it being acted out with so much raw emotion and movement... it makes each story 10 times more moving.”

For the full event, watch here.

More from Tom Allard

Osiyo! 
Osiyo tv is a goodwill ambassador for the Cherokee nation. It enriches our understanding of where we're from and who has helped us evolve and survive. I have the good fortune to narrate this episode as we take a deeper look at the genius of Sequoyah. Runs about 7 minutes. Explore all of the Osiyo tv programming (I recommend Strawberry festival and Bigfoot)

Enjoy!
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