The native American., 1837-10-07
THE NATIVE AMERICAN.

The annexed particular account Of onas of the most
remarkable in the history of literatarethe
invention Of the Cherokee written anguage--is taken
from one Of The introductory chapters Of Mr. Knapps
new work: M $50. II II ..s,iS 1888
a. In the winter Of 1898, delegation Of the Chero
KEGS visited the city Of Washington in order to make
treaty with the United States, and among them was
See-quah-yah the inventor of the Cherokee alphabet
His English name was George Guess; he Vas half
blood; but had never, from his own account spoken
single word Of English up to the time of his invention
nor since. Prompted by my own curiosity. and urged
by several literary friends, \ applied to See.qua YAH
through the medium Of two interpreters one of them
ahafbIood, Captain Rogers, and the other fu-bIood
chief, whose assumed English name was John Nav.
to relate to me- as mnutey possible the mental ope
raons and all the facts in his discovery. He cheer.
fully complied with my request, and gave very delibe
rate and satisfactory answers to every question: and
was at the time careful to know fom the inter
prefers if ! distinctly understood his answers. No
stole could have been grave in his demeanor than
was Seeqsah-yah he pondered. according to the IN
dian custom, for considerable time after each cues.
ton put, before he made his reply and often took
Whit of his calumet, while rejecting on an ans
y Wer. ,t El8G EatHE1. sls sf@ GH AZ
The details Of the examination are too long for the
closing paragraph Of this lectures but the substance Of
4 il was this: 0fta1 h et 8ae r .st t'S @ls es
That he (See quah.yah) was now about sixty-ive
years old, but could not precisely say; that in early
ehe gay and talkatve and although he never al
tempted to speak in council but once, vet was often
from the strength Of his memory, his easy coloquiai
powers, and ready command Of his vernacuar, story
teller OF the convvial party. His reputation for tai
ens Of every kind gave him distinction when he
was quite young 80 long ago ST. Glars defeat In
this campaign, or some one that followed let
ter found on the person Of prisoner, which was
wrongly read by him to the Indians. In some Of their
deliberations this subject the question arose among
them, whether this mysterious power offhe taLng Leaf
was the gift of the Great Spirit to the white man. or
discovery of the white man himself. Most Of his
companions were Of the former opinion, while he as
strenuousy maintained the latter This frequently be-
came subject Of contemplation with him afterwards
as well as many other things which he knew, or had
heard, that that the white could do; but he never
Pwn seriously TO reflect on the subject, until swell
an his knee confined him to his cabin, and which
Uength made him cripple for life by shortening the
diseased leg. Deprived Of the exctements Of war
and the pleasures Of the chase, the long nights or his
confinement, his mind was again directed to the mys-
terry Of the power Of speaking By ersihe very name
Of which, Of course was not TO be found in his Ian
guage. Fiom the cries of wild beasts from the talents
Of the hooking Bird from the voices OF his children and
his companions he knew that feelings and passions
were conveyed by different sounds, from one intelligent
being another The thought struck him to try TO as
certain all the sounds in the Cherokee language His
own ear not remarkably DISCRIMINATING and he
called to his aic the more acute ears Of his wife and
children. He found great assistance from them When
he thought that he had distinguished all the different
sounds in their language, he attempted to use pictorial
signs, images Of birds and beasts, to convey these
sounds to others, TO mark them in his own mind He
soon dropped this method, difficult or impossible
and tried arbitrary signs, without any regard to appear
ances, except such might assist him in recoecling
them, and distinguishing them from each other. AT
first these signs were very numerous, and when he got
far as to think his invention nearly accomplish
ed, he had about two hundred characters in his apha
bet. By the aid of his daughter, who seemed to enter
in the genius OF his labors, he reduced them al least
TO eighty-sx, the number he now uses He then SET
to work make these characters more comey to the
eye, and succeeded Asyet he had not the knowledge
Of the pen instrument, but made his characters
piece of bark, with knife or nail. AT this time
he sent to the Indian agent or trader in the ma
ton, for paper and pen. His ink easily made from
some OF the bark OF the forest trees, whose coloung
properties he had previously known and after seeing
the construction Of the pen, he learnt to make ones
butat first he made II without slit this Inconvenience
was however, quickly removed by his sagacity. His
next difficulty was to make his invention known to his
counymea; for by this time he had become SO abstrac
ted from his tribe and their usual pursuits that he was
viewed with an eye Of suspicion. His former COM
panions passed his wigwam without entering it, and
mentioned his name as one who practising i'm
proper sspells for notoriey mischevous purposes
and heseems to think that he should have heen hardly
dealt with, if his docile and unabmitious disposition
had not been so generally acknowledged By his tribe
Atlengh ne Summoned some of rhe most distinguished
men of his nation, in order make his communication
theT-and after giving the best explanation Of his
discovcrythat he could, stripping Of all supernatural
nfuence he proceeded todemonstrate 10 them in good
earnest, that ne had made discovery. His daughter
who was now his only pupil ordered to 60 out Of
hearing while he requested his friends 10 name aword
sentiment which he put down, and then she cal
led in and read il to them; then the father retired and
the daughter wrote; the Indians wonder struck,
bnt not entirely satisfied. See-quah-quah then propo-
sod that the tribe should select several youths from
among their brightest Young men, that he might COM
muncate the mystery to them. This was al length
agreed TO, although there lurking suspicion
/, Of necromancy in the whole business. John Nav,
This Indian name have forgoten) fnll blood with
several others were selected for this purpose The
tribes watched the youths for several months with anx-
iety; and when they offered themselves for examna-
ton the feelings Of all wrought up to the
highest pitch. The youths were separated from their
nseer and from each other, and watched with great
care The unnitiated directed what the master and pu-
pill should write each other. and these tests were
ried in suc manner, only TO destroy their inf
deity, but most firmly fix their faith. The Indians,
this ordered great feast, and made See-quah-yah
conspicuous at it. How nearly is man alike in every
age! Pyihagoras did the same, the discovery of an
important principle in geometry See-quahyah became
at once school master, professor philosopher, and
chief His countrymen proud Of his talents and
held him in reverence as ono favored by the Great