Introduction: Peoplehood, tools, and perseverance -- Sequoyah and the politics of language -- The syllabary as writing system -- The syllabary's design -- The syllabary from script to print -- Elias Boudinot and the Cherokee phoenix -- The breadth of the Cherokee writing system, 1840-1920 -- Perseverance and calculated inconspicuousness, 1920-1980 -- Peoplehood and perseverance : the Cherokee language, 1980-2010.