Tom Kidwell, age 14, of Glendale, Ariz., for his question:

HOW WAS THE SEQUOIA TREE NAMED?

Sequoia National Park in California and the giant sequoia trees were named after Chief Sequoya, (CQ) a Cherokee Indian. He lived from 1760 until 1843 and invented a system of writing.

Sequoya was highly respected among the Cherokee for his great knowledge of tribal traditions and religion. He was fascinated with method of written communication and set himself the task of inventing a system of writing for his people. He completed it in 1821 after 14 years of work.

The Cherokee used Sequoya's system in publishing books and newspapers in their own language and thousands of them learned to read and write the language.

Later Sequoya went to Washington, D.C., as a representative of Western tribes. He helped settle bitter differences that arose among the Cherokee after the U.S. government forced them to move to Indian Territory, which is now Oklahoma, in the 1830s.