ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ
tsalagi ayv
The phrase ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ (tsalagi ayv) is how to say "I am cherokee" in Cherokee.
This phrase is used as a direct statement to identify yourself as a member of the Cherokee people.
How do you pronounce it?
tsalagi ayv
Did you know?
- The phrase ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ is written using a syllabary where each character represents a whole syllable instead of a single letter. This system was created by a man named Sequoyah who was not literate in English when he invented it.
- The syllabary used to write ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ allowed the Cherokee people to achieve a higher literacy rate than many surrounding English-speaking settlers in the 19th century.
- Cherokee is a member of the Iroquoian language family, but it is the only language in that family spoken south of the Ohio River.
Example conversation
Two people are discussing their ancestral backgrounds.
- AᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ.Tsalagi ayv.I am Cherokee.
- BᎦᏙ ᏗᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ ᎢོᏓᏓᏓᏍᎩ?Gado ditsalagi ayv itodadasgi?Where are you Cherokee from?
- AᎠᏴ ᎪᏪᎳᏗ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ.Ayv Gowe ladi Tsalagi ayv.I am Cherokee from the community.
- BᎣᏏᏳ, ᎢᏳᏍᏗ ᏣᎳᎩ ᎠᏴ ᎢᏓᏓᏩᏛᎦ.Osiyu, iyu sdi Tsalagi ayv idadawadvga.Good, so we recognize you are Cherokee.
