Table of Contents
How many letters does the Cherokee alphabet have?
85
He first experimented with logograms, but his system later developed into a syllabary. In his system, each symbol represents a syllable rather than a single phoneme; the 85 (originally 86) characters provide a suitable method to write Cherokee.
Did the Cherokee have a written alphabet?
When it was adopted by the Cherokee Nation, they became the first Native Americans to have their own alphabet and writing system. This allowed the Cherokee to create written documents: religious periodicals, newspapers, laws, and in 1827, a Constitution for the Cherokee Nation.
How many Cherokee adopted the newly written language?
The tribal leaders recognized the value of Sequoyah’s writing system. Within six months, more than 25% of the Cherokee Nation had learned how to read and write.
What did Sequoyah do with the Cherokee language?
Afterwards, he settled in Willstown (present-day Fort Payne, Alabama) and devoted himself to the task of converting the Cherokee language into written form. Sequoyah was monolingual—he spoke only his mother tongue, Cherokee—and thus did not know how to read or write in any language.
When did the Cherokee take the syllabary with them?
Forced from their homes and robbed of most of their belongings, they took the Cherokee language and syllabary with them. Sequoyah’s syllabary, which the Cherokee Nation formally adopted in 1825, proved its value during an extremely trying period in the nation’s history.
Is the Sequoyah syllabary still in use?
In the twenty-first century, Sequoyah’s Cherokee syllabary remains in use, and is visible on street signs and buildings across the Cherokee Nation (located in northeast Oklahoma), where Cherokee is the co-official language alongside English.
When did the Cherokee get the printing press?
Sequoyah’s syllabary, which the Cherokee Nation formally adopted in 1825, proved its value during an extremely trying period in the nation’s history. Through the work of the Christian missionary Samuel Worcester, the Cherokee obtained a printing press and launched the Cherokee Phoenix in 1828.