Sequoyah and the Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet: Landmarks of the American Mosaic
Ebook
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Overview
Through a unique combination of narrative history and primary documents, this book provides an engrossing biography of Sequoyah, the creator of the Cherokee writing system, and clearly documents the importance of written language in the preservation of culture.
Sequoyah's creation of an easy-to-learn syllabary for the Cherokee nation enabled far more than the Cherokee Phoenix, the first newspaper of the Cherokee Nation, and the ability for Native Americans to communicate far more effectively than word of mouth can allow. In many ways, the effects of Sequoyah's syllabary demonstrate the critical role of written language in cultural preservation and persistence.
Sequoyah and the Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet is a readable study of Sequoyah's life that also discusses Cherokee culture as well as the historical and current usage and impact of the Cherokee syllabary he created. While the emphasis of the work is on Sequoyah's adult life between 1800 and 1840, enough pre- and post-history information is provided to allow any reader to fully grasp the contextual significance of his accomplishments. The book includes a biography section of key individuals and contains a collection of primary documents that helps illustrate the usage of Sequoyah's syllabary.
Through a unique combination of narrative history and primary documents, this book provides an engrossing biography of Sequoyah, the creator of the Cherokee writing system, and clearly documents the importance of written language in the preservation of culture.
A page from the Cherokee Phoenix showing the use of written Cherokee language in Sequoyah's syllabary
A Cherokee syllabary chart
A bibliography of sources that describes the focus of each entry and identifies its benefit and intended audience
Photographs of road signs in Cherokee, NC written in English and in the Cherokee syllabary
Series Foreword,
Introduction,
Chronology,
ONE Growing up Cherokee,
TWO Sequoyah and the "Talking Leaves,"
THREE The Cherokee Nation after Sequoyah,
FOUR Reading and Writing Cherokee,
FIVE Sequoyah, Real and Imagined,
Short Biographies of Key Figures,
Primary Documents,
Glossary,
Annotated Bibliography,
Index,
- Title: Sequoyah and the Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet
- Author: April R. Summitt
- Series: Landmarks of the American Mosaic
- Publisher: Greenwood
- Print Publication Date: 2012
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 184
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBN: 9798216143468
- Resource ID: LLS:9798216143468
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T15:49:41Z
April R. Summitt is assistant professor of history at Arizona State University's Polytechnic Campus in Mesa, AZ.