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Vai Syllabary of the Vai in Liberia
Here is Cornell's table of the Vai
syllabary of the Vai in Liberia :
Figure 2: The Vai Syllabary
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The
Liberian Post, Page 8 notes, "By dreams, indigenous systems of
writing were invented. Dwaki Bukele (Vai tribe) invented such a system.
Other scripts are Bassa Vah (invented by Di Widah), Kpelle by chief Gbili
of Sonoyea, and Bond Lorma by Widoh Zobo from Lofa County. " However,
LINGUIST
List 7.400 says, " ... Or else, the inventor of writing
was supposedly inspired by a dream, as in the case of Momolu Duwalu Bukele,
the inventor of the Vai (West African) script ..." So the name of
the inventor of the Vai syllabary was Dwaki Bukele or Momolu Duwalu Bukele.
Figure 2.1 - A Story in the Vai Syllabary with English Translation
TRANSLATION OF STORY NO. FIFTY-ONE
THE RASCAL MAN
One man live to take a walk to go
to some place. He go and catch one big town. All the people
join for play. They kill one cow. The man said, you all give
to me cow head I buy him. Then all give it to him. He catch
him and carry him far away. He go and catch big swamp. Some
people live pass. He tell the people my cow swamp done catch him,
he can't come out. You all come help me, so we can pull my cow out
of the swamp. The people say all right. Then he said you all
done kill my cow. That's the thing you pay sixty dollars for him.
The people give to him the sixty dollars.
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