Cree syllabary

writing system

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July 22, 2026

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The Cree syllabary is a writing system developed in the 1830s by Methodist missionary James Evans for the Cree language. It is not an alphabet but a syllabary, where each symbol represents a consonant-vowel combination. This system was adapted from the English alphabet but without regard to English pronunciation. The Cree syllabary was influential and served as the basis for writing systems used for Ojibwa, Chipewyan, and Inuktitut languages. It fostered literacy among the Cree people, and efforts are underway to revive its use.12

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Indigenous languages of North America
Writing and texts
Other writing systems include “Cree syllabics” (developed in the 1830s by Methodist missionary James Evans, used for Cree and Ojibwa), Chipewayan syllabary (based on the Cree syllabary), the Eskimo syllabary of the central and eastern Canadian Arctic (also based on the Cree syllabary), and the Fox syllabary (also called…
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Other writing systems include “Cree syllabics” (developed in the 1830s by Methodist missionary James Evans, used for Cree and Ojibwa), Chipewayan syllabary (based on the Cree syllabary), the Eskimo syllabary of the central and eastern Canadian Arctic (also based on the Cree syllabary), and the Fox syllabary (also called…
Read More