Sequoyah produced the Cherokee alphabet about 1821. Since that time, most of the Cherokee Indians have been literate, their stimulus to learn being a combination of pride in having their own alphabet and having access to materials printed in their own language by means of that alphabet. Technically, it is a syllabary, each symbol representing one syllable of a word or word-phrase.

As the Kilpatricks point out in their introduction to The Shadow of Sequoyah, although Sequoyah's creation has been highly praised, it also has its shortcomings. For one thing, it does not provide for identifying the length and pitch of syllables or distinguish between voiced and unvoiced vowels. This inadequacy makes translation unduly difficult and uncertain. Furthermore, there is no capitalization, punctuation, or standardized spelling, and it fails to take into account the various Cherokee dialects.

The language, both written and spoken, is facing extinction because few can read or write Cherokee today. The syllabary was used extensively for about a hundred years after its invention, and many volumes of materials were published; but with the passage of time came the destruction of most of the documents. The Shadow of Sequoyah contains some of the remaining bits of writing, discovered by research, which are revealing about the culture since they sometimes contradict what has been written about the Cherokees and taken for granted to be factually true.

For the most part, the book consists of reproduced and translated social documents dating from 1862 to 1964. Each document is prefaced by an introductory explanation and background information compiled by the authors. The texts themselves are interpreted in footnotes, and sources of authority and additional information are also given. Translation was done in such a way as to retain the color of the original language as well as the personal and historical implications of the context.

From the Civil War period are printed accounts of battles, war losses, epidemics, and financial statements regarding monetary and clothing donations to families who suffered great losses in one way or another. The prime figure during this time is Inoli, a tribal official and minister to whom his people looked for guidance and counsel, as may be seen in the tone and wording of the correspondence addressed to him.

The remaining entries are those composed by medicine men, scientists, judges, ministers, soldiers, and husbands and wives. These include correspondence, financial matters, songs, poems, and myths. Throughout the book, no attempt has been made to group the writings in any fashion other than chronologically. Were it not for the enlightening introductions written by the authors, it would be difficult to detect the significance or the meaning of most of the documents, which, though certainly of a social nature, are obviously highly personal in origin.

The Shadow of Sequoyah is not the sort of book that just anyone at random would find either enlightening or pleasurable reading. It is disjointed and at times dry. However, the authors seem to have succeeded in their effort to explain and emphasize the general texture, tone, and color of the Cherokee language through the use of illustrations drawn from a century of everyday life. For the person who has a particular interest in Cherokee language and culture specifically or in the general areas of anthropology, history, or American Indian life ways, this book should prove to be of some value. It is obvious that a great deal of time and effort was devoted to the location, translation, and compilation of the documents. It is not great literature, nor will it be found on the bestseller lists; yet there is a certain warmth and charm to be found throughout, if not conveyed by the documents themselves, then by the Kilpatricks as they bring to focus a small portion of America's heritage.

Millie Jo Barnes