Sequoya, whose gift of the Cherokee syllabary removed the shackles of illiteracy from an Indian Nation, left a mark upon all Native American history by providing a means to record and transmit the language of his people.  Although unable to speak any language but Cherokee, and incapable of reading or writing anything, Sequoya was aware of the benefits of a written word by which events could be recorded as they happened.  

Work on his "talking leaves" (as the symbols were called) began about 1809 and consumed most of his time until the system was perfected in 1821.  The alphabet was proven and adopted by the Cherokees in the winter of 1821-22.  Within a relatively short time, all members of the Cherokee Nation could read, a printing press had been set up, and a newspaper had begun publication. 

Sequoya's birth date has been estimated sometime around 1760-1775.  The birth dates of some of his kin have been recorded, but none was set for him.  He was born to Nathaniel Gist and a Cherokee woman, in Tuskegee, Tennessee. 

Sequoya was a silversmith and blacksmith.  He was lame as the result of a hunting accident.  His work in perfecting the syllabary made a virtual recluse of him, and earned him jibes from his tribesmen.  All this was changed upon the introduction of his "talking leaves," and he became a recognized leader of his people.  His greatest concern was for the Cherokees.  He made several trips to Washington in the interest of the Cherokee Nation, and was active in tribal governmental affairs.

Late in life, Sequoya became interested in a group of Cherokee people who were living in Mexico and, in 1842, undertook a trip from his home to Mexico.  It is thought he was about eighty years old at the time, and he died in Mexico in August, 1843.