Sequoyah and the Invention of the Cherokee Alphabet (Landmarks of the American Mosaic)

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.Sequoyahs 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 Sequoyahs 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 Sequoyahs 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 Sequoyahs 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 Sequoyahs syllabary.A page from the Cherokee Phoenix showing the use of written Cherokee language in Sequoyahs syllabaryA Cherokee syllabary chartA bibliography of sources that describes the focus of each entry and identifies its benefit and intended audiencePhotographs of road signs in Cherokee NC written in English and in the Cherokee syllabary