Sequoyah
Sequoyah <<sih KWOY uh>> (1775?-1843) was a Cherokee Indian. He invented a system for writing the Cherokee language. The giant sequoia tree and Sequoia National Park in California were named after him.
Sequoyah was born in Loudon County, Tennessee. He spoke little or no English, but he became interested in the written language of white people. At that time, there was no written form of the Cherokee language. From 1809 to 1821, Sequoyah worked on his ideas. He invented a set of 86 symbols that stood for the sounds used in speaking Cherokee. The Cherokee people learned Sequoyah's system quickly. They used it to write books and newspapers in their own language.
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