Article published In: Written Language & Literacy
Vol. 19:2 (2016) ► pp.246–256
The syllabary used by the Kickapoo in Mexico
Published online: 1 June 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.19.2.05uns
https://doi.org/10.1075/wll.19.2.05uns
Kickapoo who moved from the USA into northern Mexico since 1839 have written in a syllabary they identified as created by Sequoyah
for the Cherokee. Possible scenarios for how the Kickapoo may have learned the Cherokee syllabary are examined. However, some
authors have reported that the Kickapoo in Mexico used the less famous Great Lakes Algonquian Syllabary (GLAS), not the Cherokee
syllabary. A new line of evidence is presented concerning the label that the Kickapoo use to name the syllabary, evidence that
proves the syllabary they have used is the GLAS, not Sequoyah’s. Building on this evidence, new insights about the unexpected
shape of some of the GLAS symbols are presented, along with clues about the creator(s) of the GLAS.
Keywords: Kickapoo, syllabary, Cherokee, Sequoyah, Great Lakes Algonquian Syllabary
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