1770-1843. American Indian scholar and
leader. After serving with the US army in the
Creek War 1813-14, he made a study of his own
Cherokee language and created a syllabary
which was approved by the Cherokee council
1821. This helped thousands of Indians
towards literacy and resulted in the
publication of books and newspapers in their
own language. Sequoya went on to write down
ancient tribal history. In later life he
became political representative of the
Western tribes in Washington, negotiating for
the Indians when the US government forced
resettlement in Indian territory in the
1830s. A type of giant redwood tree, the
sequoia, is named after him, as is a national
park in California.