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Native America Calling: The Cherokee Syllabary bicentennial
Thursday, February 4, 2021
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When Cherokee leader Sequoyah introduced a written version of his language 200 years ago, his fellow Cherokees were skeptical. He eventually won them over and now the Cherokee Syllabary evolved to be included on typewriters, printing presses, and even mobile phone apps.

This year the Cherokee Nation is celebrating the bicentennial of its written language. Native America Calling will get the history of Sequoyah’s 12-year process to develop the series of symbols and letters that represent the spoken language.

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Two hundred years ago, Sequoyah invented the Cherokee syllabary. In 2021, the Cherokee Nation is honoring the bicentennial of Sequoyah’s historic achievement that brought widespread literacy to the tribe. #NativeLanguages @ChuckHoskin_Jr @CherokeeNation https://t.co/dUhzCGS6xG
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Native America Calling will also talk about ways the syllabary is helping keep the language thriving.

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