The Cherokee Syllabary from Script to Print

The development of the Cherokee syllabary from script to print happened during a time in the tribe's history when great pressures were upon them to civilize, adopt English and the Roman alphabet, and establish a government. Between 1821 and 1828, the syllabary itself went through considerable change from the manuscript version to the print version recognized today. These changes remark on the sociocultural pressures of the time and reveal that the tribe had a larger stake in developing the script into print than previously understood. When the Cherokee syllabary became available in print, it facilitated Cherokee identity creation as a tribe and political position as a nation.