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The Cherokee Syllabary
Carole Camp
Sequoia, a member of the Cherokee tribe, was very intelligent man. Although he had learned to speak English, Sequoia was amazed by the men who could look at pages and know what they said. He called them, "talking leaves". The Cherokee Indians were one of the Five Civilized Tribes and were encouraged, even required in some instances, to learn the ways of the English. It was difficult for Cherokee people to learn the written language of the English. Realizing that it was important for the Cherokee to have a written language of their own, Sequoia created the Syllabary in which symbols represented sounds. It was said that a person who was born a Cherokee could learn the language in as little as a day. After creating the Syllabary, Sequoia published a newspaper in both English and Cherokee. The Cherokee even adopted a constitution based on the English constitution. In his address "To the Chiefs of the Cherokee Nation" in 1806, Thomas Jefferson said, "...Tell your chiefs, your men, women, and children, that I take them by the hand and hold it fast. That I am their father, with their happiness and well-being, and am always ready to promote their good." However, things had changed drastically by the time Andrew Jackson became president and all of the attempts to be allowed to fit in with the English and stay on their land failed. The Cherokee were driven off their land in 1838 by order of President Jackson. Students will examine the Syllabary of Sequoia and write some sentences in Cherokee. This lesson should be used as an enrichment lesson after the content which addresses the removal of the Cherokee has been mastered.
1. A copy of the Cherokee Syllabary can be found by going to ask.com and typing in Sequoia's Cherokee Syllabary. It is best if each child has his/her own copy during this lesson.
2. For background information on The Trail of Tears and the removal of Native Americans from Georgia go to http://ngeorgia.com/history/nghistt.html.
one 85 minute class period
4Y3
To what extent was the Cherokee Nation impacted by Sequoia's writing a syllabary?
How did you learn to read? Can you remember if the words on the page looked strange and had no meaning for you until you learned to read them? Did you have to learn the alphabet before you could put the letters together to form words? Try to imagine what it would be like to not be able to read. How could you find items at the grocery store? How could you read the recipes to use to make the food?
Write these sentences on the board: Ancay ouyay underlayandstay isthay? Ouldcay ouyay itrwray ouryay amenay inlay isthay angualelay? Ywhay islay itlay osay ardhay? (Note: translation: Can you understand this? Could you write your name in this language? Why is it so hard?)
Ask if any of the students can read the sentences. Then ask if anyone can translate them. Ask: "What is the problem?" Lead them to understand that as far as they can tell, they are just a jumble of letters strung together in some way. (If a student immediately recognizes the "dog latin" language, encourage them not to give it away too soon).
Help the students realize that Sequoia had a similar problem trying to read English.
If the students cannot figure out the sentences, read the translation and explain that it is "dog latin". It is not necessary to go into the construction of the words.
Before students begin work with the Syllabary, share background information given in the lesson overview. Additional information can be accessed at http://ngeorgia.com/history/nghistt.html.
1. Pull up a copy of the Syllabary from the Internet (see materials #1). If a copy is available in a textbok you use, that would be even better. The Syllabary should be projected as large as possible so the students can use it effectively. Allow the students time to look over it. Speaking the Cherokee language is not a part of this lesson.
2. Ask the students to each write his/her name in Cherokee. Ask: "Was it easy or difficult? Why?"
3. Now ask them to write the name of the student sitting across (or in front of, etc.) from them. They should see if the way they wrote that student's name matches the way the student wrote his/her own name.
4. Ask students to think of their favorite sport and write the name of it in Cherokee. Again swap papers and see if each student can tell the sport written by the person they swapped with.
5. Students should now write the name of their favorite song in Cherokee. Swap papers again (students should swap with different students as much as possible) and see if each can translate what the other wrote.
6. Now write a sentence describing a favorite animal, including size, color, whether it has fur, feather, or scales, and where the animal lives. Swap again and try to translate.
7. Students should now open the textbook and find two sentences to write in Cherokee. The teacher should tell the students which page to turn to. All the students should be on the same page. Swap again and see whether the other student can find the sentences their partner wrote.
8. Depending on time and the ability level of the students, the teacher could now ask each student to translate the same passage (the Preamble to the Constitution, for example). After completing the translation, students should compare translations. Different examples could be written on the board and the students could decide which version is the best translation or is closest to the original document.
9. The teacher should now guide the students in discussing the problems they had, why translating was difficult, and whether it was mentally tiring to translate all the different sentences. Ask: "How is being able to translate from an unknown language into your own language beneficial? In what ways do you think being able to read their own language benefited the Cherokee people?"
How did you feel when you saw the sentences on the board and you didn't know what they meant? Did you feel helpless? Did you feel less than intelligent? Write how you think Sequoia must have felt when he saw the writing on the pages of the letters and books the Europeans had and read, but could not understand the meaning himself. How does being able to read printed words benefit you? Was the writing of the Syllabary by Sequoia enough of a benefit to the Cherokee to help them remain on their land?
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