Chipewayan syllabary

The Chipewyan syllabary is a writing system developed for the Chipewyan language, an Athabaskan language spoken in northern Canada. This syllabary is based on the Cree syllabics, which were developed in the 1830s by Methodist missionary James Evans.12

Unlike an alphabet where symbols represent individual sounds, a syllabary uses symbols to represent consonant-vowel combinations. The Chipewyan people are an Indigenous group traditionally known for their nomadic lifestyle, following caribou herds for sustenance and materials. While no native writing systems were known among Indigenous peoples of North America at the time of European contact, several systems were later developed with European stimulus.12