Challenges and Answers
Summer 2024
Read the sentence taken from the Cherokee-English Dictionary and select the right answer:
ᎦᏙ ᎤᏍᏗ ᎦᏰᎠ ᏥᏍᏚ gado usdi gahyea tsisdu, What is the rabbit eating?
a. ᏓᎶᏂᎨ ᎦᎳᏗᏍᎩ dalonige galadisgi, a carrot
b. ᎠᎪᏍᏓᎩᏍᏗ agosdagisdi, lettuce
c. ᏄᎾ nuna, a potato
Solution
In Cherokee there are a group of verbs called Classificatory verbs. These verbs reflect the nature of the thing being talked about and there are five classifications: Long and slender; liquid; flexible; living, and neutral (whatever doesn’t fit the other four categories). So, there are different verbs for ‘eating,’ depending on what is being eaten. ᎦᏰᎠ gahyea indicates that the thing being eaten is flexible. Therefore, only one of the answers fits: b. ᎠᎪᏍᏓᎩᏍᏗ agosdagisdi, “lettuce.” Read more about Classificatory verbs page 303 of The Cherokee-English Dictionary Grammar Guide.
Autumn 2023
Read the sentence below, then decide how to say: ‘I built a fire.’
ᎤᏒ ᏥᎨᏒ ᎤᏔᎾ ᎠᎪᏔᏅᎢ Usv jigesv utana agotanvi, ‘Last night I built a big fire.’
Solution
ᎠᎪᏔᏅᎢ agotanvi. ‘I built a fire.’
June 2023
Can you translate the sentence below into English?
ᏧᏃᏚᎯ ᎠᏂᏥᎸᏍᎩ ᏓᏛᎯᏍᏗᏍᎪᎢ.
Solution
ᏧᏃᏚᎯ ᎠᏂᏥᎸᏍᎩ ᏓᏛᎯᏍᏗᏍᎪᎢ Junoduhi anijilvsgi datvhisdisgoi. ‘She grows beautiful flowers.’
April 2023
Can you translate the sentence below into English?
ᎩᎶ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎠᏂᏔᎵ ᏧᏪᏥ ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯ ᎠᏁᎮᎢ
Solution
Matthew 21:28
ᎩᎶ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎠᏂᏔᎵ ᏧᏪᏥ ᎠᏂᏍᎦᏯ ᎠᏁᎮᎢ kilo asgaya anitali tsuwetsi anisgaya anehei
“A certain man had two sons…”
February 2023
Can you translate the sentence below into English?
ᎤᎵᏂᎩᏗᏳ ᏐᏈᎵ—ᎤᏟ ᎤᎵᏂᎩᏗᏳ ᎡᏍᎦᏉ ᏴᏫ
Solution
ᎤᎵᏂᎩᏗᏳ ᏐᏈᎵ—ᎤᏟ ᎤᎵᏂᎩᏗᏳ ᎡᏍᎦᏉ ᏴᏫ uhlinigidiyu soquili— udli uhlinigidiyu esgaquo yvwi ‘A horse is very strong—stronger than a person.’ — Cherokee Primer (1840.)
December 2022
Here is a December syllabary challenge: Translate the sentence below into English.
ᎥᏍᎩᏱ ᎧᎸ ᎨᏐᎢ ᏓᏂᏍᏓᏲᎯᎲᎢ
Solution
This is an entry from Durbin Feelings’ Cherokee-English Dictionary.
ᎥᏍᎩᏱ ᎧᎸ ᎨᏐᎢ ᏓᏂᏍᏓᏲᎯᎲᎢ
vsgihyi kalv geso danisdayohihvi
Christmas is in the month of December.
November 2022
What do these syllabary words below mean? You will find them in Cherokee Primer, published in 1840. Only one of these words is commonly in use now. Can you guess which one?
ᏐᎢᏦᏁ ᏔᎵᏦᏁ ᏦᎢᏦᏁ ᏅᎩᏦᏁ ᎯᏍᎩᏦᏁ ᏑᏓᎵᏦᏁ ᎦᎵᏉᎩᏦᏁ ᏁᎳᏦᏁ ᏐᎣᏁᎳᏦᏁ
Solution
ᏐᎢᏦᏁ soitsone, 21 /ᏔᎵᏦᏁ talitsone, 22 / ᏦᎢᏦᏁ tsoitsone, 23 / ᏅᎩᏦᏁ nvgitsone, 24 / ᎯᏍᎩᏦᏁ hisgitsone, 25 / ᏑᏓᎵᏦᏁ sudalitsone, 26 / ᎦᎵᏉᎩᏦᏁ galiquogitsone, 27 / ᏁᎳᏦᏁ nelatsone, 28 / ᏐᎣᏁᎳᏦᏁ soohnelatsone, 29
These words represent an older Cherokee way of writing numbers between 21 and 29. To understand this way of writing numbers, think of a clock or a calendar. The first number with two in it is 2. The second number with two in it is 12, and the third number with two in it is 22. ᏔᎵᏦᏁ is talitsone (tali tsoine) or ‘third 2.’ This is the only one of that series of numbers still in common use today. ᏔᎵᏦᏁ talitsone is a .22 rifle.
October 2022
Here is a Fall syllabary challenge: Which words below do not have anything to do with making ᎧᏅᏥ kanvtsi?
ᏗᎵᏊ ᏚᏂᏂᏗ ᏥᏍᏆ ᎧᏃᏅ ᎠᏍᏙᎠ ᏐᎯ ᎧᏬᎾ ᏕᎭᎷᏱ ᎧᏅᏥ
ᏐᏈᎵ ᎧᏄᏥ ᎦᏅᏆᎶᏍᏗ ᏥᏍᏉᏉ
Solution
ᏗᎵᏊ ᏚᏂᏂᏗ ᏥᏍᏆ
diliqua /rice dunindi/October tsisqua /a bird
ᎧᏃᏅ ᎠᏍᏙᎠ ᏐᎯ
kanonv/pounding block asdoa/he or she is pounding it sohi /hickory nut
ᎧᏬᎾ ᏕᎭᎷᏱ ᎧᏅᏥ ᏐᏈᎵ ᎧᏄᏥ
kawona / a duck dehaluyi / June kanvtsi soquili / a horse kanutsi
ᎦᏅᏆᎶᏍᏗ ᏥᏍᏉᏉ
ganvqualosdi / hammer tsisquoquo/ a Robin
September 2022
Can you answer the problem below? It was taken from Elementary Arithmetic in Cherokee and English, by John B. Jones, 1870.
ᎢᏳᏃ 2 ᎢᏯᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᏱᏗᏣᎭ, 3Ꮓ ᎢᏯᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᏱᏗᏣᏩᏛᎲ, ᎯᎳᎪ ᎢᏯᏓᏅᏖᏗ ᏱᏗᏣᎭ?
Solution
iyuhno 2 iyadan(v)tedi yiditsaha, 3hno iyadan(v)tedi yiditsawatvdi, hilago iyadan(v)tedi yiditsaha?
If you have 2 cents, and find 3 cents, how many cents will you have?
Answer: 5 cents