The passage of script through the generations gives us an interesting perspective of the processes used in past times. This is none more peculiar than when we consider the Cherokee "talking leaves" method of written communication.
The recorded history of the Native Americans began, like all other cultures, with an oral history being passed down from generation to generation. The Native Americans used imitative magic, meaning the stories or events they wanted to communicate were acted out using ceremony, sacred dancing or other rituals. When a shaman had successful communication with nature, bringing rain, sun or crops to abundance, these powerful rituals were recorded as petroglyphs.
Theses pictorial cave paintings depicted animals and people, often to communicate actions such as hunting or traditional dancing. The Cherokee Indians of North America wanted to evolve their system of writing once the Europeans arrived in the early 19th century. The Cherokee identified the success of the Europeans’ writing system and wanted to develop their own system of recording events and history.
The Cherokee broke their language down to eighty-six specific syllables and used symbols to notate these sounds. The Cherokee adapted their language to the written form by borrowing letters from the Roman, Greek and Hebrew alphabet from literature they acquired from missionaries. The written language of the Cherokee is characterized as ‘talking leaves’. The Sequoyah, who are descended from a Cherokee woman and a British trader, are credited with making ‘talking leaves’ widespread throughout Native American tribes. The system of writing dates in completion to 1821 and the first printed issue of the ‘Cherokee Phoenix’ dates to February 21, 1828.
Eric Hartwell oversees "The World's Best Homepage" intended to be a user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit us to read, comment upon or share opinions on art and script and visit our associated site articles for free.
Source: www.ezinearticles.com
