Bushyhead (Family : Bushyhead, Robert H., 1914-2001)

Robert Bushyhead (1914-2001), born in the Birdtown Community of Cherokee, N.C., was punished at the Cherokee Government Boarding School for speaking Cherokee and made a decision not to teach it to his children. Later in life, however, he became a champion for preserving the Kituhwa dialect of the Cherokee language. He was a Baptist minister and played the role of Rev. Elias Boudinot in the outdoor drama, Unto These Hills about the Cherokee removal, including an act where he speaks in Cherokee.

Jean Bushyhead Blanton, the daughter of Robert Bushyhead, taught sixth grade in the Qualla Boundary, commonly known as the Cherokee Indian Reservation in western North Carolina. When Robert Bushyhead decided to create a Cherokee language curriculum, he enlisted her help even though she was not a native speaker. She recognized the importance of seeing as well as hearing Cherokee language instruction for K-12 students, which led to the creation of a series of language videotapes.

Eddie Bushyhead, the brother of Robert Bushyead, contributed to the project by illustrating the stories and writing the music.

Ben Bushyhead is the son of Robert Bushyhead, and the father of Shana Bushyhead Condill, the family representative who donated the materials. Ben is a Swain County Commissioner and longtime representative of the native community there. He has worked on Indian issues extensively in his native North Carolina, but also across the nation.