Sequoyah (ᏍᏏᏉᏯ Ssiquoya, as he signed his name, or ᏎᏉᏯ Se-quo-ya, as his name's often spelled today in Cherokee) (circa 1767 - 1843), named in English George Gist or Guess, was a Cherokee silversmith who in 1821 completed his independent creation of a Cherokee syllabary, making reading and writing in Cherokee possible. This was one of the only times in recorded history that a member of an illiterate people independently created an effective writing sys… (More on Sequoyah)