Norwich bulletin., 1921-07-13
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
THE FIRST INDIAN NEWSPAPER


 No Indian nation on the continent has such a remarkable journalistic history as the Cherokee. Their great schoolmaster, Se-quoyah in 1924 perfected for them an alphabet the first ever invented by abo- riginees for more than a thousand years.
 Se-quo-yah. like many inventors, had been ridiculed and even accounted crazy by his tribe. On many fine morning his wife who had little patience with his medistive and philosophic ways, could be heard chiding him for his laziness. In spite of all opposition he pefsevered, and having spent nearly as much time in per suasion as he had in inventing. at length convinced his people of his utility.
 Hence it was that, in November, 1923, the Cherokee Council resolved to procure two sets of type, one fashioned after se-duo-yah's invention and the other English, and also to procdre d printing press and the general furniture for a well equipped printing office. It took a long time t6 accomplish tfiis; but on Feb ruary 21 1928, the iron printing press, together with the entire outfit necessary for publishing a newspaper was set up at New Echota, Georgia, and the first copy of the Cherokee Phoenix was given to the world
 This newspaper was not only the first aborigines newspaper Cn this continent but it was printed in the most perfect ] Iorthography. Elias B6udnot, an Indian, who Was given the name 6f tfe kfni. nent governor of New Jersey, was the first editor. He was aided by the mis- sionaries of the American board. The Phoenix was the average size of the newspapers of the day, and one-ha!f of it was printed in the Se-uo-yah alpha- bet By resolution of the council the l printers apprentices were boarded ane clothed at the expense of the council ana the editor was forbidden to publish sour riious communications or anything of re. ligious nature that wo1ld savor of sec ] tarianisin.
 No publication was ever received witf 1 such profound wonder by the world as | was this Phoenix. Copies were ordered l from all parts of the country and tho London Times e 2 arEed with it on eaua i terms. The nubli { ion seemed to he th, key which was to unlock the inHll6ctu. l al facilities of the Cherokees
 In November, nine months after tbt l first copy of the paper appeared, a r1is ! sienary wrote from among them that. il | his opinjop at least three-f6urths of tn, | nation could read and write in their owl l alphabet. Publications from the pres l of New Echota were ca agetly sought ant 1 five years after the adoption of Se-dtfo yah's alphabet the press of this frs Cherokee publishing house had turned ou l 753 600 pages of good reading. and twt 1 years after the number had increased t, l 1513S00 pases. and before that 1000
 900 pages of good literature had beer printed in Cherokee. and that amount no | including the circulation of the Phoe l nix.
 As early as 1880 the pages of tn Phoenix began to forecast the doom tha
 was inevitably to follow. Even then tn l Cherokees had given up all hope of re
 ceiving justice from our government.
 In June. 1882. the Phoenix remarked
 'The gigantic silver pipe which G@org
 Washington placed in the hands of tn l Cherokees as a memorial of his warn
 and abiding friendship, has ceased t l reciprocate It lies in corner, cold, lik it's author to rise no more"
 | Tn October. 1885, the Georgia Guar
 took possession of the newspaper es
 tabIishment, and it's further issue va
 prohibited unless it would uphold tn
 course of Georgia against the Indians
 Thus perished one of the most remark
 able newspapers. both in it's origin an
 results. that America has ever known
 For a long time there was no furthe
 attempt at journalism by the Cherokee.
 put the nat1on stdrted tnelr. next pape in 1S44 and called it the Cherokee Advc
 cate, which was continued until 1854. ] did not attract the attention the Phoeni did, as the novelty of Cherokee joirna ism had subsided. Perha1i one of it most remarkable ventures was the pull
 fishing each week in the Se-duo-yah al : phabet, chapters from Brnyan's "Pi grfrns Progress which was prepared afs
 in book form.
 (Tomorrow: The Cardiff Giant Hoax.l ]