Matthew, Chapter 1, in Cherokee — 1860
About this text
The work is the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1 only (ᎹᏚ ᎤᏬᏪᎳᏅᎯ — “Matthew, his writing”), in Cherokee (ᏣᎳᎩ), printed in the Sequoyah syllabary in the Cherokee New Testament, New York: American Bible Society, 1860. Its translators were Samuel Austin Worcester with Elias Boudinot on the early books, then Worcester with Stephen Foreman, with Charles C. Torrey assisting on the final books.
Provenance: the source copy is Internet Archive item cherokeenewtest00socigoog (a Google scan of the Harvard University copy; 451 images in the item). The book was published in 1860 in the United States and is public domain by publication date (before 1930); its translators died in 1839 (Boudinot), 1859 (Worcester) and 1881 (Foreman), so life-plus-70 years has long expired.
This is the people’s own book, recovered and set here exactly as it was printed. It is not a Sacred Name edition: the names in it stand as its own translators printed them. The collection’s own edition in this language waits for the partnership, as the doorway of this language says.
How it was recovered: this is a transcription from the page images, read directly from the enlarged images (leaves n9 and n10; leaf n10 is printed page 4). The edition’s machine text was not used as copy: its optical reading destroyed the syllabary — the item’s full machine text contains not one Cherokee character — and machine reading was used only as a finding aid; every reading here was settled against the page image, and no other edition, modern or otherwise, was consulted to fill a reading. The volume carries no printed syllabary chart in its front matter, so the standard Sequoyah syllabary was the key, as the transcription file states. The 1860 type prints several glyphs in forms that differ from modern fonts; hyphenated line-breaks in the print are silently rejoined, and the printed punctuation is retained.
The unresolved places stand exactly: a mark [?] stands in place of any glyph or word that could not be read confidently from the images, and nothing was guessed to fill one. There are 37 of them in what is set here — 3 in the page heading, 1 in the chapter heading, and 33 in the verses — concentrated in the narrative verses 16–24, in the “carrying away” phrases of verses 11–12, and in a few genealogy names. Because chapter 1 did not complete cleanly, chapter 2 was not attempted, as the closing note below records.
Extent counted: chapter 1 only — 25 verses (leaves n9–n10). Chapter 2 begins on the same printed page and is not transcribed.
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Matthew 1
[?]Ꮺ[?] ᎾᏃᎮ[?]
ᎹᏚ ᎤᏬᏪᎳᏅᎯ.
ᎠᏪ[?]ᏪᏛ I.
1 ᎯᎠ ᎪᏪᎵ ᎧᏃᎮ[?] ᏧᏁᏢᏔᏅᏍ[?] ᏥᏌ ᎦᎶᏁᏛ, ᏕᏫ ᎤᏪᏥ, ᎡᏆᎭᎻ ᎤᏪᏥ. 2 ᎡᏆᎭᎻ ᎡᏏᎩ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎡᏏᎩᏃ ᏤᎦᏈ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ, ᏤᎦᏈᏃ ᏧᏓ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᎾᏓᏅᏟ ᎬᏩᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 3 ᏧᏓᏃ ᏬᎵᏏ ᎠᎴ ᏎᎳ ᎬᏩᏕᏁᎴᎢ [?]Ꮉ ᏚᎾᏄᎪᏫᏎᎢ; ᏬᎵᏏᏃ ᎢᎵᎳᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎢᎵᎳᎻᏃ ᎡᎵᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 4 ᎡᎵᎻᏃ ᎡᎻᏂᏓᏈ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎡᎻᏂᏓᏈᏃ ᎾᏐᏂ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎾᏐᏂᏃ ᏌᎵᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 5 ᏌᎵᎻᏃ ᏬᏏ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ ᏍᏪ[?] ᎤᏪᏣᏅᎯᏛ; ᏬᏏᏃ [?]Ꮟ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ [?] ᎤᏪᏣᏅᎯᏛ; [?]ᏏᏃ ᏤᏏ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 6 ᏤᏏᏃ ᏕᏫ ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᏕᏫᏃ ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ ᏏᎵᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ [?] ᎤᏪᏣᏅᎯᏛ; 7 ᏏᎵᎻᏃ [?]ᏬᎹ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; [?]ᏬᎹᏃ ᎡᏆ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎡᏆᏃ ᎡᏏ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 8 ᎡᏏᏃ ᏦᏏᏆ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ. ᏦᏏᏆᏃ ᏦᎳᏂ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᏦᎳᏂᏃ ᎣᏌᏍ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 9 ᎣᏌᏍᏃ ᏦᏓᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᏦᏓᎻᏃ ᎡᎭᏏ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎡᎭᏏᏃ ᎮᏏ[?] ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 10 ᎮᏏ[?]Ꮓ ᏦᏏ[?] ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᏦᏏ[?]Ꮓ ᎠᎹᏂᏏ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎠᎹᏂᏏᏃ ᏦᏌᏯ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 11 ᏦᏌᏯᏃ ᏤᎪᎾᏕ ᎠᎴ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᎾᏓᏅᏟ ᎬᏩᏕᏁᎴᎢ; [?]ᏍᏬ ᏓᎢᎶᏂ ᏂᎧᎵᏍᏗᏅᏍᏔᏁᎢ; 12 ᏓᎢᎶᏂᏃ [?] ᏤᎪᎾᏕ ᏌᎳᏗᏰᎵ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᏌᎳᏗᏰᎵᏃ [?]ᏏᏬᎵ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 13 [?]ᏏᏬᎵᏃ ᎠᏗᏳᏗ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ, ᎠᏗᏳᏗᏃ ᎢᏔᏳᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎢᏔᏳᎻᏃ ᎡᏐ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 14 ᎡᏐᏃ ᏌᏛᎩ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᏌᏛᎩᏃ ᎡᏂᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎡᏂᎻᏃ ᎢᏔᎹᏗ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 15 ᎢᏔᎹᏗᏃ ᎢᎵᏳᏗ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎢᎵᏳᏗᏃ ᎹᏗᎻ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; ᎹᏗᎻᏃ ᏤᎦᏈ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ; 16 ᏤᎦᏈᏃ ᏦᏌᏈ ᎤᏕᏁᎴᎢ, ᎾᏍᎩ [?] ᎾᏍᎩ [?] ᏥᏌ ᎦᎶᏁᏛ [?]. 17 ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏂᎦᏛ ᏄᏪᏣᏅᏍᏛᏈ ᎡᏆᎭᎻ ᏭᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏁᎬᏐᏍᏗᏍᏗ ᏕᏫ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏭᏗ ᏄᏪᏣᏅᏍᏛᏈ; ᏕᏫᏃ ᏭᏗ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏁᎬᏐᏍᏗᏍᏗ ᏓᎢᎶᏂᏃ ᏂᎧᎵᏍᏗᏅᏍᏔᏁᎢ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏁᎬᏐᏍᏗᏍᏗ; ᏓᎢᎶᏂᏃ ᏂᎧᎵᏍᏗᏅᏍᏔᏁᎢ ᏥᏌ ᎦᎶᏁᏛ ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏁᎬᏐᏍᏗᏍᏗ ᏄᏪᏣᏅᏍᏛᏈ. 18 ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᏓ ᏄᏪᏣᏅᎯᏛ ᎤᏕᏅᏌ ᏥᏌ ᎦᎶᏁᏛ. ᎾᏍᎩ ᎤᏪᏥ ᏥᏌ ᎤᏪᏥ ᏦᏌᏈ ᎤᏖᏴᏍᏗ, ᎠᏏᎹ ᏂᏓᎾᏤᎬᎦ ᏗᏖᏍᎨᎢ, [?] ᎤᏓᏅᏖᎸᎯ [?]. 19 ᏦᏌᏈ ᎾᏍᎩ Ꮎ ᏗᎦᏓᏍᏛᏈ ᎤᏓᏖᎸ, ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᏭᏗ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ, ᎠᎴ ᏄᏚᎵᏍᎬᎾ ᏭᏗ ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᎤᏕᎰᎯᏍᏙᏗᏱ, ᎤᎵᏛᏉ ᎢᏴᏛ ᏮᏓᏥᏯᎧᏂ, ᎤᏪᎵᏎᎢ. 20 ᎠᏎᏃ ᎠᏏᏉ ᎯᎠ ᎾᏍᎩ ᏄᏍᏗ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏍᎨᎢ, ᎬᏂᏳᏉ ᏗᎧᎿᏩᏗᏙ ᏮᏱᏰᎩ ᎤᏅᏏᏛ ᎬᏂᎨᏒ ᏄᏛᏁᎴ ᎠᏍᎫ ᏓᏍᎬᎢ, ᎯᎠ ᏂᎦᏪᏍᎨᎢ: ᏦᏩ, ᏕᏫ ᎤᏪᏥ, ᏞᏍᏗ ᏣᏍᎦᎸ ᎯᏯᏅᏗᏱ ᏅᏗᏳᏣᏓᏴᏍᏗ, ᎾᏍᎩᏰᏃ Ꮎ ᎹᎵ ᎦᎸᏄᎭᎴᏘᏳ ᎠᏓᏅᏙ ᎤᏓᏅᏖᎸᎯ; 21 ᎠᎴ ᏓᎦ[?]ᎪᏫᏏ ᎠᏧᏣ, ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᏥᏌ [?], ᏧᏈᎵᏰᏃ ᏴᏫ ᏙᏛᏍᎦᎸᏄᎯ ᏙᏓᎫᏓᎵᏏ ᎤᏂᏍᎦᏅᏨᎲᎢ. 22 ᎾᏍᎩᏃ ᎠᏓ [?] ᏄᏍᏗ [?] ᎠᏏᏴᏗ ᎠᏓ [?] ᏄᏍᏗ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏍᎩ [?]; 23 ᎬᏂᏳᏉ ᎠᏓ [?] ᏗᏖᏍᎨᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᏓᎦ[?]ᎪᏫᏏ ᎠᏧᏣ, ᎾᏍᎩᏃ [?] ᎠᏏᏴᏗᎢ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏍᎩ ᏍᏪᏍ, ᎢᎹᏄᎡᎵ ᎠᏃᏎᎮᏍᏗ, ᎧᏍᎩ ᎠᏁᏢᏙᏅᎯ ᎨᏒ ᎯᎠ ᏄᏍᏗ ᎦᏛᎦ, ᎤᏁᎳᏅᎯ ᎢᎬᎨᏓᎳᏗᏙᎭ. 24 ᏦᏌᏈᏃ ᎤᏰᏨ ᎤᏍᏗ [?] ᏮᏱᏰᎩ ᏅᏓᏳᏅᏏᏛ ᏄᏪᏎᎸ ᏄᏭᏁᎴᎢ, ᎤᏯᏅᎮᏉ ᎤᏓᏴᏍᏗ. 25 ᎠᎴ ᎥᏝ ᏳᏍᏙᎢᏎᎢ ᎬᏂ ᎤᏪᏣᏅᎾᏏ ᎢᎬᏍ ᎡᎯ ᎤᏪᏥ ᎠᏧᏣ, ᏥᏌᏃ ᏚᏳᏒᏗ.
Notes on the text
Chapter 1 is complete in extent (verses 1–25, leaves n9–n10), but it did not complete cleanly: unresolved glyphs/words remain, marked [?] above — concentrated in the narrative verses 16–24, in the “carrying away” phrases of verses 11–12, in a few genealogy names (verses 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13), and in the first page-heading line. Under the task's gating rule, chapter 2 was therefore not attempted. The [?] places are listed for a future proofing pass against the same page images; no reading was supplied from any other edition.
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