Laura Licea and Meredith Hall

ECE 4403

Artifact for unit plan: The Cherokee Syllabary

The Cherokee Syllabary is a written list of symbols that represent the phonetic sounds used in the

Cherokee language. It was invented by Sequoyah Silver Smith who was a Cherokee warrior and

silver smith. Sequoyah saw the benefit of having a written language from observing the English

alphabet used by European colonist. Although the English sounds do not correspond with those

of the Cherokee, both alphabets used similar symbols. It took 12 years to develop the syllabary;

which was introduced by Sequoyah and his daughter, Ayokeh, in the year 1821. This syllabary is

significant in that it was one of the first known written alphabets of the early Native Americans

and it influenced other tribes to create their own syllabaries. The Cherokee syllabary gave the

Cherokees a way to keep written records and communicate with others in their tribe. In addition,
this syllabary enhanced the ability of the Cherokee people and the English colonist to communicate

with one another. By 1825 the majority of the Bible as well as many hymns had been translated

into the Cherokee language. In 1828 the first national bi-lingual newspaper, the Cherokee Phoenix,

was published along with legal documents, educational material, and pamphlets regarding religion.

Sequoyah was awarded a silver medal by his people that was created in his honor. He was also

awarded a life time literary pension.

This artifact can be used as a hook that prompts the students to discuss the importance and

advantages of written language. Furthermore, this artifact can be used to introduce the challenges

and measures taken to overcome said challenges of communication between early Native

American people and the English colonists. This artifact is a beneficial attribute to this unit because

it provides a visual for the students of the origins of written language for early Native American

cultures.