Sequoya (c.1770-1843), also known as George Guess or Gist, was the son of
an English trader and part-Cherokee mother.  Though an accomplished
farmer, hunter, horse trainer, artist, and renowned silversmith, he is
best remembered for inventing the Cherokee alphabet.  Fascinated by the
"talking leaves" or pages of written language of the white man, he did not
believe, as most Indians did, that the white man's ability to write was a
magical gift.  Experimenting first with pictographs, he finally developed
an alphabet of eight-six characters which had been adapted from the
English, Greek, and Hebrew alphabets he had studied in the mission school
books.  Sequoya's alphabet was a success.  Within a few years many
Cherokees were literate in their native language.