Everything Under The Sun: Reviving The Cherokee Language

Friday, March 25, 2016

Reviving The Cherokee Language

A trunkload of mulberry wood to be used in papermaking classes.

As there is more and more of a global focus in most developed countries, some of the languages spoken by smaller groups of indigenous peoples are being lost. Many historic languages survived by word of mouth, being passed from one person to another, without the benefit of a written tradition.

So, when Frank Bannon, who is a professional book artist and educator, founded the SPEAKEASY PRESS in Dillsboro, North Carolina, its purpose of supporting the printing of the Cherokee language became important to a Native American people and university scholars. This press became a way of breathing new life into the language.

Not only was the site of this book arts studio a way of preserving this native language, but it was also a classroom, a real studio, where interested students could learn about papermaking, letterpress printing, and bookbinding. This site also provides a venue where workshops, apprenticeships, and collaborative work among different artists can take place.

Most people may not realize that printing was an important skill within the Cherokee tradition. In the early nineteenth century, the Cherokee Phoenix, a native newspaper, was published by the Cherokee Nation before the occurrence of the Trail of Tears. The language used a system of 85 characters, developed by Sequoyah, to express the sounds of the language.

Mr. Brannon wanted to "honor Cherokee printing history, and support language revitalization by printing in the manner the Phoenix had been printed." He added, "The ability of any culture to print in its own language is a simple matter of social justice." SpeakEasy Press also hand-prints small books and posters that support WEST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY CHEROKEE STUDIES PROGRAM.

Some of the tools of printmaking.

Speakeasy Press also offers its studios as a venue for rental during the winter and spring to qualified visiting artists. That way interested students can learn techniques from instructors who are not on the SpeakEasy Press staff, as Mr. Bannon takes his classes on the road. This year he is scheduled to visit University of Alabama for a presentation to MFA book arts students; Oxbow, Indiana for an intensive papermaking workshop; and Penland School of Crafts in NC for a program in papermaking.