Cherokee Syllabary Flash Cards.

Cherokee Syllabary Flash Cards.

Tulsa, OK:

Cherokee Language & Culture,

1998.

Sequoyah (ca. 1770–1843) began developing a writing system for the Cherokee language in 1809. He perfected the 86-character Cherokee syllabary by 1821 and then presented it to the Cherokee National Council. Within three years, the easy-to-learn syllabary was widely adopted by members of the Cherokee Nation for reading and writing in manuscript. A few years later, the syllabary was used to create a font of type for printing. These late 20th-century flash cards attest to the living legacy of Sequoyah’s innovation.

From the collection of Rare Book School