Famous American Indians

Native Americans are the indigenous people, comprising of different tribes and ethnic groups, spread across the regions of North America. This region has been the home to some talented people from diverse walks of life. Let's take a look at the achievements of some of these famous American Indians.

Sequoya
Sequoya, or Sequoyah, was a Native North American leader, who developed Cherokee syllabary. Basically, a silversmith and a trader by profession, he was known as George Guess by the Americans, and Sogwali by the Cherokees. The name Sequoya was given to him by the missionaries. He created a table of 85 characters to be used in the written version of Cherokee language. In 1822, Sequoya visited the Cherokees in Arkansas, where he taught the people to read and write this language. A weekly newspaper in Cherokee was started in 1828. His contribution in developing this new language proved to be a useful tool in uniting the Cherokee people.

Sacajawea
Born in 1788, Sacajawea was a lady from Shoshone tribe. She was the guide in the Lewis and Clarke expedition to the Pacific coast, and the lone lady in the expedition. Sacajawea was captured and traded to Toussaint Charbonneau, who married her. Charbonneau was an interpreter in the Lewis and Clarke expedition. Sacajawea's knowledge about the region proved to be very useful in the expedition, especially in the Upper Missouri River region. According to the historians, Sacajawea died in 1812, but it's a topic of debate as some native Americans believe that she died in 1884.

Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe was an American athlete from the Sac and Fox tribe. He was born on 28th May, 1888, in Prague, Oklahoma. In 1907, Jim joined Carlisle Indian School in Carlisle. He went on to join the Carlisle football team, the very next year. In the 1911-1912 season, he led the team to a great campaign, creating major upsets throughout the season, defeating favorites like the Harvard University and University of Pennsylvania. In 1912, he took part in Olympics which were held in Sweden, where he won gold medals in pentathlon and decathlon. Later in his life, Jim played for New York Giants baseball team and Canton Bulldogs football team from Ohio. Jim died on 28th March, 1953, after suffering from a heart attack. In 1913, some controversies about him playing professional football forced him to return the Olympic medals he had won. These medals were restored back in 1982, 29 years after his death.

Charles Curtis
Charles Curtis was the 31st Vice-President of the United States. He was born on 25th January, 1860, in Topeka, Kansas. After completing his law studies, he was admitted to the Bar in 1881. His political career got a great start when he joined the Republican Party in Kansas. He served in the US Congress from 1892 to 1906. He advocated Native American rights to self-government with the Curtis Act of 1898. Curtis served in the US Senate between the period of 1907 and 1913, and again from 1915 to 1929. In 1928, after being ousted from the race for the Presidential elections, he chose to be the running mate for Herbert Hoover and eventually became the Vice-President in 1929. Curtis died in 1936 in Washington, D.C. due to a heart attack.

Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson is an songwriter and a guitarist from Toronto, Canada. He was born on 5th July, 1943. Well-versed with rock songwriting, Robbie's claim to fame was his association with Bob Dylan and The Band. He also composed music for films like Raging Bull in 1980 and The Color of Money in 1986. He was the executive music producer for 2003 film, Gangs of New York. In 1987, Robbie came up with a self-titled album of his own. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 78th in their list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

These were some of the famous American Indians who have earned respect for themselves in their own fields, but the list continues to grow.