Through genius Sequoyah, the Cherokee people developed literacy and literature in the early 19th century. Cherokee literacy and literary production continued in the Eastern Band up to the work of Will West Long (died 1947). Recently, with the work of major language scholars of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, literacy and literary production has increased. I present some of the major and minor written works in contemporary Eastern Cherokee language. I discuss the function of this work in the current educational and cultural context.
Topics: Native American, Our Region