Sequoyah was a Cherokee warrior of mixed ancestry who is credited with inventing the Cherokee written language, the so-called talking leaves. A linguist who had learned English, French, and Spanish, he became determined to preserve Cherokee culture and was opposed to American intrusions into his tribal lands. Sequoyah recognized the power of the written word and developed an alphabet of 86 symbols for the Cherokee language by adapting letters of the English alphabet. The accepted date for completion of his work is 1821, although the date is earlier in Cherokee lore.