A Preservation of a Culture through Written Language
Written language is critical to the preservation of a culture's stories, traditions and record keeping. Written texts provide consistency through generations, a vehicle for cross-cultural communication, and a means for business transactions. Sequoyah invented the syllabary, the first sound-to-symbol conversion for the Cherokee language. Students should realize the advantages of the written language for a culture. In a paper by bell hooks which discusses the ways Black vernacular helps African-Americans keep their spirit, their imagination, and their dreams alive, hooks compares architecture to spaces and claims that "creating spaces of possibility where the future can be imagined differently..." allows us to "[imagine] in such a way that we can witness ourselves dreaming, moving forward and beyond the limits and confines of fixed locations" (151). Creating a written language is a way of creating a space in which the Cherokee people can keep their dreams alive and push back against repression and hegemony.
For the Teacher:
In this lesson students will gain an understanding of written language and oral traditions according to the following standards:
11.L 3. Knowledge of Language: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
11.RI 4. Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Warm Up:
Provide each student with access to the Cherokee syllabary. Briefly identify the differences between the English alphabet and the Cherokee syllabary. Focus on variations in phonetics, the absence of long vowel sounds and silent symbols.
Instruct students to attempt to write their name according to the Cherokee syllabary (provided by www.omniglot.com) pictured below.
For the Teacher:
In this lesson students will gain an understanding of written language and oral traditions according to the following standards:
11.L 3. Knowledge of Language: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
11.RI 4. Craft and Structure: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
Warm Up:
Provide each student with access to the Cherokee syllabary. Briefly identify the differences between the English alphabet and the Cherokee syllabary. Focus on variations in phonetics, the absence of long vowel sounds and silent symbols.
Instruct students to attempt to write their name according to the Cherokee syllabary (provided by www.omniglot.com) pictured below.
If Cherokee had an oral tradition for so long, how do we have records of Cherokee myths? An ethnographer named James Mooney spent time among the Cherokee people writing down the myths. These myths, spiritual teachings, are interwoven into the fabric of the Cherokee life by passing along the stories from one generation to the next by mouth. This is taken seriously, and those responsible for passing these myths on knew the importance of not losing or forgetting this part of the Cherokee people's roots. Once the Cherokee syllabary was created, it was then possible to copy down these stories, word for word, by listening to those who had heard these stories since childhood and remembered them in order to then tell others. Think about how hard it would be to continue an oral tradition without losing details or creating a new story. Then consider again the advantages of having a written language for Cherokee.
Activity:
Split students up into groups of three or four. Give one student in each group one of the provided Cherokee myths. This student will read the myth silently to themselves and then re-tell the myth to the other students without referencing the written version. Then, have the students who listened to the myth answer the following questions on the worksheet without discussing their answers with each other.
1. What was the tone of the myth?
2. What did you feel was the most important aspect of the myth? Did the speaker emphasize any particular event?
3. What certain words did the speaker use that stuck out to you?
4. What do you feel the myth was trying to teach?
Now have the speaker read the story from the page.
5. Did you notice different things this time? If so, what?
6. Did the speaker leave anything out or change anything the first time?
Now, have groups who did the same myth form larger groups (The class should be in two large groups now). Have them discuss the similarities and differences in the oral re-telling of the myth. Have them consider the following questions:
1. Did the speaker of the story affect the way the story was heard?
2. Did the speaker embellish anything? Or forget something?
3. How would the discrepancies you found affect the accuracy of oral communications that are not stories? Consider family histories, trade agreements, traditions, and ceremonies.
Split students up into groups of three or four. Give one student in each group one of the provided Cherokee myths. This student will read the myth silently to themselves and then re-tell the myth to the other students without referencing the written version. Then, have the students who listened to the myth answer the following questions on the worksheet without discussing their answers with each other.
1. What was the tone of the myth?
2. What did you feel was the most important aspect of the myth? Did the speaker emphasize any particular event?
3. What certain words did the speaker use that stuck out to you?
4. What do you feel the myth was trying to teach?
Now have the speaker read the story from the page.
5. Did you notice different things this time? If so, what?
6. Did the speaker leave anything out or change anything the first time?
Now, have groups who did the same myth form larger groups (The class should be in two large groups now). Have them discuss the similarities and differences in the oral re-telling of the myth. Have them consider the following questions:
1. Did the speaker of the story affect the way the story was heard?
2. Did the speaker embellish anything? Or forget something?
3. How would the discrepancies you found affect the accuracy of oral communications that are not stories? Consider family histories, trade agreements, traditions, and ceremonies.
cherokee_myth_questions.docx | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
the_first_fire.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
origin_of_fish_and_frogs.docx | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Outside Research:
Instruct the students to find a scholarly article on oral tradition and a scholarly article on syllabaries or written language and then compare and contrast in a 2-3 paragraph reflection paper. Research can be done in the classroom, but this should be a homework assignment.