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Sequoyah's syllabary
A syllabary has one sign for each syllable in the language, unlike an alphabet, which has one sign for each individual sound. It is one of very few documented cases in world history of an individual constructing a working writing system from scratch without being able to read an existing one. The syllabic principle suits Cherokee better than an alphabet would. The Cherokee Phoenix began publication in 1828, bilingual, and the script is in use today — including in Unicode. It arrived two years before the Removal Act, and became an instrument of resistance to it.
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