Yi Syllable Sup

No. It is a Yi syllable used as text, not an emoji. Read ꌡ as one syllabic unit within a Yi passage; the surrounding writing helps identify how it works in a word. “Sup” is the Latin-letter label for the syllable, not an English translation.

Modern standardized Yi writing grew from older, locally varied traditions. Claims of much older inscriptions are disputed. An early surviving monumental Yi example is a bronze bell dated 1485; the earliest surviving paper and sheepskin Yi texts date to around 1500. The Liangshan standard was devised in 1974 and officially promulgated in 1980.

Why was Yi writing used?

Traditional Yi writing preserved specialist knowledge. It mainly circulated through village ritual specialists—people who led ceremonies and kept specialized knowledge—in religious, magical, medical, and family-lineage texts. It was not a general writing system shared alike across all Yi communities.

Reform widened the Liangshan standard's role into secular writing and schooling in Liangshan.

Which Yi tradition uses ꌡ?

It belongs to the Liangshan standard for Nuosu, one Yi variety.

The modern standard drew on older forms used in Liangshan and other northern Yi communities. Other Yi writing traditions may have different character inventories, shapes, or writing directions. This standard is intended for Nuosu, not every Yi variety.