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Timeline / Reshaping America / 1821: Sequoyah’s syllabary makes written Cherokee possible

1821: Sequoyah’s syllabary makes written Cherokee possible

Sequoyah, a Cherokee silversmith in northeast Alabama, often works for white settlers and is impressed by the written English language, which the Cherokee call “talking leaves.” He sets out to create a Cherokee writing system, deciding after several attempts to draw a symbol for each syllable in the spoken language. He publishes his Cherokee Agayuh, or syllabary, in 1821. It helps the Cherokee maintain their language despite forced assimilation.

Theme
Land and Water
Region
Southeast

Cherokee Agayuh or syllabary. Each of the characters represents one syllable; the first six characters represent isolated vowel symbols.

Courtesy The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum