Cherokee Phoenix
Encyclopedia
The Cherokee Phoenix was the first newspaper published by Native Americans
in the United States
and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was published in English and Cherokee on February 21, 1828, in New Echota
, capital of the Cherokee Nation
(present-day Georgia). The paper continued until 1834. The Cherokee Phoenix was revived in the twentieth century, and today it publishes on the Web.
In the mid-1820s the Cherokee tribe was being pressured from the government and particularly Georgia to remove to new lands west of the Mississippi River, or to end their tribal government and surrender control of their traditional territory to the United States (US) government. The General Council of the Cherokee Nation established a newspaper, in collaboration with Samuel Worcester
, a missionary
, who cast the type for the Cherokee syllabary. The Council selected Elias Boudinot
as the first editor.
Named Galagina Oowatie, in the Cherokee language, he was born in 1804 at Oothcaloga, Cherokee Nation, near present-day Chatsworth, Georgia
. He chose the name of Boudinot after meeting the statesman, while on his way to the Foreign Mission School
in Cornwall, Connecticut, where he graduated. There he married Harriet Ruggles Gold, daughter of a prominent Congregational family. They returned to live at New Echota. Boudinot edited the newspaper for its first four and a half years.
Boudinot named the Cherokee Phoenix as a symbol of renewal, for the mythical bird that rose to new life from ashes of fire. The Nation founded the paper to gather support and to help keep members of the Cherokee Nation united and informed. The newspaper was printed in English and Cherokee, using the Cherokee syllabary
developed in 1821 by Sequoyah
. It served as the primary vehicle of communication among the many Cherokee townships that constituted the Cherokee Nation. The Nation occupied parts of what are now Virginia
, North Carolina
, Alabama
and Georgia. As the issue of removal attracted national attention, a fund-raising and publicity tour for the newspaper brought new subscribers from almost all areas of the United States and Europe. Boudinot gradually published mostly in English, trying to reach that larger audience.
In 1829, Boudinot renamed the Cherokee Phoenix as the Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate, reflecting his intention to influence an audience beyond the Cherokee. He addressed issues which Indians across the nation faced related to assimilation and removal from their traditional homelands. The paper no longer related solely the Cherokee tribe. The paper also offered stories about debates over Indian removal and U.S. Supreme Court cases that affected Indian life. Boudinot believed removal was inevitable and that the Cherokee should protect their rights by treaty. His views were opposed by the majority of the Cherokee, including Principal Chief John Ross. The Council forced Boudinot to resign in 1832.
Elijah Hicks, an anti-removal Cherokee, replaced Boudinot as editor. When the annuity was not paid to the Cherokee in 1834, the paper ceased publication. In 1835 the Georgia Guard took the printing press to prevent any further publication. The militia
was organized by the state to police the Cherokee territory which it had claimed.
as a monthly broadsheet in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
. The newspaper has modernized. It publishes on the Web and is available on the iPhone
.
A digitized, searchable version of the paper is available through the University of Georgia
Libraries and the Digital Library of Georgia. Transcriptions of the English-language portions of the 19th-c. newspaper can be found at Western Carolina University
's Hunter Library
's Web site.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was published in English and Cherokee on February 21, 1828, in New Echota
New Echota
New Echota was the capital of the Cherokee Nation prior to their forced removal in the 1830s. New Echota is 3.68 miles north of present-day Calhoun, Georgia, and south of Resaca, Georgia. The site is a state park and an historic site....
, capital of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee Nation (19th century)
The Cherokee Nation of the 19th century —an historic entity —was a legal, autonomous, tribal government in North America existing from 1794–1906. Often referred to simply as The Nation by its inhabitants, it should not be confused with what is known today as the "modern" Cherokee Nation...
(present-day Georgia). The paper continued until 1834. The Cherokee Phoenix was revived in the twentieth century, and today it publishes on the Web.
19th century
Samuel Worcester
Samuel Austin Worcester , was a missionary to the Cherokee, translator of the Bible, printer and defender of the Cherokee's sovereignty. He was a party in Worcester v...
, a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
, who cast the type for the Cherokee syllabary. The Council selected Elias Boudinot
Elias Boudinot (Cherokee)
Elias Boudinot , was a member of an important Cherokee family in present-day Georgia. They believed that rapid acculturation was critical to Cherokee survival. In 1828 Boudinot became the editor of the Cherokee Phoenix, which was published in Cherokee and English...
as the first editor.
Named Galagina Oowatie, in the Cherokee language, he was born in 1804 at Oothcaloga, Cherokee Nation, near present-day Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth, Georgia
Chatsworth is a city in Murray County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Dalton, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,531 at the 2000 census, but was estimated around 3,890 as of the 2005 census. The city is the county seat of Murray County...
. He chose the name of Boudinot after meeting the statesman, while on his way to the Foreign Mission School
Foreign Mission School
The Foreign Mission School was an educational institution which existed between 1817 and 1826 in Cornwall, Connecticut. It was established by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to bring Christianity and Western culture to non-caucasian people by educating missionaries of...
in Cornwall, Connecticut, where he graduated. There he married Harriet Ruggles Gold, daughter of a prominent Congregational family. They returned to live at New Echota. Boudinot edited the newspaper for its first four and a half years.
Boudinot named the Cherokee Phoenix as a symbol of renewal, for the mythical bird that rose to new life from ashes of fire. The Nation founded the paper to gather support and to help keep members of the Cherokee Nation united and informed. The newspaper was printed in English and Cherokee, using the Cherokee syllabary
Cherokee syllabary
The Cherokee syllabary is a syllabary invented by Sequoyah to write the Cherokee language in the late 1810s and early 1820s. His creation of the syllabary is particularly noteworthy in that he could not previously read any script. He first experimented with logograms, but his system later developed...
developed in 1821 by Sequoyah
Sequoyah
Sequoyah , named in English George Gist or George Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith. In 1821 he completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible...
. It served as the primary vehicle of communication among the many Cherokee townships that constituted the Cherokee Nation. The Nation occupied parts of what are now Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Georgia. As the issue of removal attracted national attention, a fund-raising and publicity tour for the newspaper brought new subscribers from almost all areas of the United States and Europe. Boudinot gradually published mostly in English, trying to reach that larger audience.
In 1829, Boudinot renamed the Cherokee Phoenix as the Cherokee Phoenix and Indians’ Advocate, reflecting his intention to influence an audience beyond the Cherokee. He addressed issues which Indians across the nation faced related to assimilation and removal from their traditional homelands. The paper no longer related solely the Cherokee tribe. The paper also offered stories about debates over Indian removal and U.S. Supreme Court cases that affected Indian life. Boudinot believed removal was inevitable and that the Cherokee should protect their rights by treaty. His views were opposed by the majority of the Cherokee, including Principal Chief John Ross. The Council forced Boudinot to resign in 1832.
Elijah Hicks, an anti-removal Cherokee, replaced Boudinot as editor. When the annuity was not paid to the Cherokee in 1834, the paper ceased publication. In 1835 the Georgia Guard took the printing press to prevent any further publication. The militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
was organized by the state to police the Cherokee territory which it had claimed.
Recent developments
The Cherokee Phoenix has published intermittently since its beginning in New Echota. It is now published by the Cherokee NationCherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It was established in the 20th century, and includes people descended from members of the old Cherokee Nation who relocated voluntarily from the Southeast to Indian Territory and Cherokees who...
as a monthly broadsheet in Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
Tahlequah is a city in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. It was founded as a capital of the original Cherokee Nation in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears. The city's population was 15,753 at the 2010 census. It...
. The newspaper has modernized. It publishes on the Web and is available on the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
.
A digitized, searchable version of the paper is available through the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
Libraries and the Digital Library of Georgia. Transcriptions of the English-language portions of the 19th-c. newspaper can be found at Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University
Western Carolina University is a coeducational public university located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, United States. The university is a constituent campus of the University of North Carolina system....
's Hunter Library
Hunter Library
Hunter Library is the university library at Western Carolina University and is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The library, which is a medium-sized facility, was built in 1953 on the former football field and was enlarged in 1967 and again in 1983. The building is named after Hiram Tyram...
's Web site.
See also
- Cherokee languageCherokee languageCherokee is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Cherokee people which uses a unique syllabary writing system. It is the only Southern Iroquoian language that remains spoken. Cherokee is a polysynthetic language.-North American etymology:...
- Ádahooníłígíí