Author:
Fred
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Date Posted: 11:55:19 04/21/10 Wed
>What Sequoyah accomplished figuring out a written
>language for Cherokee was quite remarkable. However,
>he is the 4th know inventor of a language's alphabet
>or syllabary. In reverse chronological order:
>
>Sequonyah (19th century) - Cherokee
>King Sejong (15th century) - Korean
>St. Cyril & Methodius (9th century) - Russian
>(Cyrillic)
>Panini (6th century BC) - Sanskrit
>
>What is so amazing about Sequoyah is that (unlike the
>other inventors) he had no background in written
>languages at all. He was illiterate coming from a
>continent of people full of oral and, at best,
>pictographic historical records. and in the midst of a
>conqueror's tongue. All he know is that whites could
>"make marks" on and then read "talking leaves". Rather
>than just learning English, he set about creating a
>syllabary for his native tongue.
>
>He was half-white, half-Cherokee in a white man's
>world. He got the name Sequoyah (pig's foot) after a
>hunting accident and was ridiculed for his infirmity.
>He was however, a clever silver-worker and blacksmith.
>What an example of the indomitable human spirit!
>
Something that might be considered when speaking of the Navajo and their help in working with the language, Apache is a derivative of Navajo. Perhaps a speaker/teacher of some of the Apache dialects as well as some of the Navajo might be able to help. University of New Mexico Anthropology department, as well as some of other colleges and universities in the southwest might also be able to help.
In addition there are some good medical anthro studies out that predate the DNA studies that might also help with studies.
fred
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