The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-04-16
WHY NAMED SEQUO|A
Origin Of the Title Given to Cali
fornia's Big Trees.
HONOR TO A FAMOUS INDIAN.

The Wonderful Work Of Joseph Guess,
Half Breed Cherokee, Whose Lat
inized Name, Thanks to Generous
Scientist, the Giant Trees Bear.
In California's wonderland nothing is
Sequoia gigantea. which grows along
Sierra Nevada's slopes. aud its lesser
cousin Seauoia sempcrvirens. inhabit-
ing the lands near the coast around
Santa Cruz. ''What is the meaning Of
sequoia?' | asked judge. ",t is un
doubtedly Of Latin derivation, but !
fail to remember its Significance" wa;
the judicial reply. The physician de-
clarc1 it "wcll chosen scientific nOmen-
clature" and stopped. A man on the
street said he guessed it was the
name Of the fellow that discovered the
trees" so | came to the conclusion that
but few know, and yet the story is in
tcrcsting.
\ long time ago, as the story books
say. there lived near famous Old Fort
London, in east Tennessee. not far
from the Georgia lire. very great
man Of whom not ole American in Il
hundred has ever heard. Joseph Guess,
| or Sequoia. a half breed Cherokee In
dian, was born in 11GO and possessed
qualities which would have made him
| great at any period or among any pco-
MI in, l,i. u
with 4 powerful creative intellect were
indomitablc energy. application. per-
| siStencc, that no diScoura"rincnt could
| affect. and Il firm confidence in his own
| ability to overcome obstacles. In his
youth he acquired distinction in his
| tribe as Il craftsman IN silver. his
handiwork showing not only technical
| skill in execution. brt unusual ingenu-
| ity and originality of dcs;-n.
1t was not, however. until 1899 that
he began the work that was to cntitle
| him to Il place anon. the e;,rth'.; truly
great. In that year Scuuoia's ambition
was fired hy the Knowledge that the
| whites had Il method of communication
| by means Of writing and hooks al'l sci
| out to devise Il written langhagc rol
! his own people When it is realized
that Scuuoia was ilitcrate, knew not
| single letter of the English ap!labct
had no basis in his own languages Il
build upon. the stuprn,luus difficulties
Of the task he set for himself may
well bc imagined. He began his grca
work without q doubt Of his ultima It
success, with the superb faith that be
longs only 10 the great From an oil
English spelling book he copied all tlis
letters. givin. to each a sound, molf
fed some of the letters he found. in
vented others until he had eightyfivt
characters. by means of which Nigh
he expressed every sound in the Chero
kce language Not only would thi.
have been impossible with our alpha
bet, but so simple was the system tha
any one speaking Cherokee might with
I'm week or two learn to read ant
write it. There are not lacking learned
and distinguished philologiSts who un
hesitatinyly declare that Scquoia's al
phabet is tie most perfect ever devils
ell Tor any language.
He had ut first the usual experience
of inventors. Shafts of ridicEle wcr
aimed ut him. and he even rcceiret
violent abuse from many Of his tribes
men for his attempts to Introduce thi
remarkable innovation. but his triumph
came in 1921 In California. He wa
then SiXty-One years of age, when
council of Cherokee chiefs formall
adopted his invention. Soon printing
press was established, and quite
large and varied literature was it
fruit, while even newspaper wa
printed in Cherokee by the aid Of SC
quoia's alphabet.
The desire for learning among th
Cherokees was remarkable, so much 5
that in !; very few. months after tn
invention was given to the nation tho4
sands of its members could read an
write. Considering the difficulties O
his undertaking, l think we are safe i
writing the old chief who died full 9
hOnors far from home in Mexico one
the greatest of Americans.
! lcllutSSCt flttS -iN cll ~ thS WI !
many great men, Presidents Jackson
Polk and Johnson standing in the fors
front The nation they served has bt
come one Of the first Of the earth, an
SO their nalnes are known of all mel
The people toward whose uplifting 81
quota spent his life are scattered
the four winds of heaven. Only a ren
nant remains. and in few more gel
cratiOns they will be but mcmor.
and his achievement will be know
only to the curious.
: The old chiefs life work was not
vain No life of unselfish dcvotio
ever is. A great American scicnti:
= with a soul attuned to the fitness {
I things I.atiniZed the Indian name
Seauoia and gave it to California
great trees And what name for fl
greatest Of American growths cou
he more appropriate than that of OF
u of the greatest Of Americas early race
Scientists tell us some Of these tre'
are thousands of years old. Evefythil
that lived in all the earth when tho
4
away But there are young ones col
) ing on under the shadow of the
+ elders, aud so is it beyond the range
= probability that dozen centur
hence some broken and discourage
!, traveller resting under the gracio'
+" shade shall ask the reason for q
beautiful name Sequoia and, hearin
become uplifted and stimulated to
!" noble things through the story of t