Cherokee Syllabary and the Penelope Johnson Allen Cherokee Collection

Sequoyah, the originator of the Cherokee syllabary, was born about 1776 at the village of Tuskegee, near modern-day Vonore. His father, Nathaniel Gist, was a fur trader from Virginia and his mother, Wut-teh, was the daughter of a Cherokee Chief.

Portrait of Sequoyah, credited with inventing the Cherokee alphabet, ca. 1838, from McKenney and Hall’s History of the Indian tribes of North America, with biographical sketches and anecdotes of the principal chiefs.
Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)

Although Sequoyah did not read English, he created a writing system for the Cherokee people. Sequoyah worked on his new language for 12 years before introducing it to the Cherokee in 1821. The Cherokee Syllabary is made up of 85 symbols representing various sounds. Some of the symbols resemble English and Latin characters.

The Penelope Johnson Allen Cherokee Collection, 1775-1878, contains a letter as well as parliamentary rules for the Cherokee Senate and a memorandum to John Ross, all written in Cherokee. The letter is from George Lowrey, Assistant Principal Chief of the Eastern Cherokee and Sequoyah’s cousin, to John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, and is dated January 5, 1838. An English translation of the letter is included in the collection.

For more information on the Penelope Johnson Allen Cherokee Collection, see the online finding aid: http://www.tn.gov/tsla/history/manuscripts/findingaids/1787.pdf.

To view images of the McKenney-Hall portraits of Sequoyah and John Ross as well as an example of the Cherokee Syllabary showing the characters systematically arranged with the sounds, visit the McKenney-Hall 19th Century Native-American Prints Collection on TeVA: http://teva.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/mckenneyHal.

Cherokee Syllabary depicting characters systematically arranged with the sounds, ca. 1836-1844, from McKenney and Hall’s History of the Indian tribes of North America, with biographical sketches and anecdotes of the principal chiefs.
Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)

Letter, written in Cherokee, from George Lowrey, Assistant Principal Chief of the Eastern Cherokee and Sequoyah’s cousin, to John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, dated January 5, 1838.
Penelope Johnson Allen Cherokee Collection, 1775--1878.

Portrait of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee from 1828 until his death in 1866, ca. 1843, from McKenney and Hall’s History of the Indian tribes of North America, with biographical sketches and anecdotes of the principal chiefs.
Tennessee Virtual Archive (TeVA)

Memorandum, written in Cherokee, sent to John Ross in Washington, November 15, 1837.
Penelope Johnson Allen Cherokee Collection, 1775--1878.

The State Library and Archives is a division of the Tennessee Department of State and Tre Hargett, Secretary of State.