Bowen, John T., lithographer, Frederick W Greenough, Thomas Loraine McKenney, and James Hall. Se-Quo-Yah / R.T. ; drawn, printed & coloured at I.T. Bowen's Lithographic Establishment, No. 94 Walnut St. , ca. 1838. [Philadelphia: Published by F.W. Greenough] Photograph. www.loc.gov/item/93504544/.
Sequoyah was a very important and influential figure in American history, and yet most Americans know very little about him. He was one of the first to invent a method for transliterating a Native American language, and his method for denoting syllables rather than individual sounds is important to linguistics. Within just a few years, his work allowed most of the Cherokee people to become literate. Because there were so many Cherokee people who could read and write in their language, much more of their language, culture, and stories were preserved. Studying this portrait and this person allows students to learn about a Cherokee person in a context other than as a victim of the Trail of Tears, and also to gain a window into linguistics and the benefits of literacy.
Print shows Se-Quo-Yah, half-length portrait, seated, facing right, holding Cherokee alphabet.
Sequoyah (1775–1843) developed this syllabary in the late 1810s and early 1820s. Contrary to the English alphabet, this system codes syllables, not just letters. There are 85 syllables rather than the 26 letters in the English alphabet. Once learned, a person can read it instantly. Because of Sequoyah’s efforts, most Cherokee-speaking people were literate by 1825, compared to only a third of English-speaking people at the same time. Sequoyah himself was not literate until he invented the syllabary. This image is a copy of a portrait of him painted in 1828 by Chales Byrd King while Sequoyah was in Washington, DC, to negotiate a treaty. Some copies of the syllabary were carried by Cherokee people on the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. The syllabary is still used to this day.
- Why do we make portraits of people?
- What other portraits have you seen? Of whom were they created?
- What can we tell about this person just by looking at this portrait?
- How is the subject posed? Where is he looking, and what is he doing?
- How is the subject dressed?
- Who is this person? What is that page of symbols he’s holding?
- After learning a little bit about this person, talk about the Cherokee syllabary. Which method of transliteration is more effective—one of individual sounds, or one of syllables? Why?
- What might English look like if we had a syllabary rather than an alphabet?
- Why is the ability to read and write in your language important?
Alaska ELA standards Grades 9–12)
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
- This source allows for research on a broad range of topics related to language preservation and literacy. Students can research this person, the syllabary, the history of the Cherokee people, the Cherokee language, etc.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
- Students can use this source to practice gaining information from a visual primary source. What conclusions can they draw, and what is their evidence?
- Have students analyze the portrait as an image before learning about who this person is. Some students might be familiar with this figure already, but looking carefully at how this Native person was depicted by a non-Native painter can be enlightening. Why is he dressed this way, posed this way? What is the overall message of the image?
- Then have students learn about this person and his work. Discuss the importance of literacy and the advantages of a syllabary as opposed to an alphabet.
- Students can also explore the ways in which Native American languages have been preserved or have been lost over time. Why are languages important, and how can they be passed down to future generations? Students can also explore a Native American language they don’t already know. How is it structured similarly or differently from languages they might speak?
- There are some parents who would rather their children not learn about aspects of history that might be upsetting. While Sequoyah’s achievement is impressive, it is hard to avoid connecting his achievement to the people who suffered on the Trail of Tears.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- We must not avoid complicated histories just because they are upsetting for some. This history happened and belongs to us all. This essay, “The Need for a Comprehensive Curriculum,” written by a high school senior for the Journal of Interdisciplinary Public Policy, succinctly makes the case for teaching this history.
- Portrait of Black Hawk, done about ten years later by the same artist. https://www.loc.gov/item/95502206/
- This image can be used for visual literacy and learning about an important Native American figure. The two portraits can also be compared.
- Vocabulary of the Kiowa Language by John P. Harrington
- https://www.loc.gov/resource/llserialsetce.08817_00_00-002-0509-0000/?st=gallery
- This digital scan of a book about the Kiowa language can highlight some interesting aspects of the Kiowa language as observed by a non-Native scholar .
- We Still Live Here is a documentary by Anne Makepeace about the Wampanoag effort to reclaim their language, which had ceased being a spoken language. It documents the work of Jessie Little Doe to use written materials to revive this language. It is an excellent story about linguistics, Native languages, and the importance of literacy and culture.
- For those wanting resources to explore or learn a Native American language, 7000 Languages offers free language instruction in many languages, including Cherokee.
- The Cherokee Nation Language Department offers more background and lots of downloadable charts and posters of the syllabary and other resources.