Cherokee Nation Stop Sign

Just returned from Thanksgiving in the wonderful little town of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, a hot bed of cozy Americana! Highlights of our whirlwind tour included world-class pizza at "Sam and Ella's cafe," a delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner, a tour of several Barbecue restaurants (most of them closed for the holidays, unfortunately), and roasting imaginary marshmallows over an imaginary camp fire while conducting an imaginary orchestra with a 3-year-old. (Note the "food" theme, so far. Very important. I gained three pounds.)

Also toured the Cherokee Nation, or at least that part of it in Tahlequah. Those shapes above the word "stop" on this sign spell out the word 'stop' (naturally) using the Cherokee alphabet. Which, according to our host, isn't really an alphabet, it's a syllabary: the shapes stand for sounds/syllables, rather than letters. The flags and marker in the background are to honor Cherokee soldiers killed in a variety of U.S. wars.