Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared With That Among Other Peoples Part 50

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 322.]

Placing his right hand on me, he placed both his hands on his breast and breathed deeply two or three times, then using the index finger and thumb of each hand as if he were holding a small pin, he placed the two hands in this position as if he were holding a thread in each hand and between the thumb and forefinger of each hand close together, and then let his hands recede from each other, still holding his fingers in the same position, as if he were letting a thread slip between them until his hands were two feet apart--_You live long time_, Fig. 323. Laying his right hand on his breast, then extending his forefinger of the same hand, holding it from him at half-arm's length, the finger pointing nearly upward, then moving his hand, with the finger thus extended, from side to side about as rapidly as a man steps in walking, each time letting his hand get farther from him for three or four times, then suddenly placing his left hand in a horizontal position with the fingers extended and together so that the palm was sidewise, he used the right-hand palm, extended, fingers together, as a hatchet, and brought it down smartly, just missing the ends of the fingers of the left hand, Fig. 324. Then placing his left hand, with the thumb and forefinger closed, to his heart, he brought his right hand, fingers in the same position, to his left; then, as if he were holding something between his thumb and forefinger, he moved his right hand away as if he were slowly casting a hair from him, his left hand remaining at his breast, and his eyes following his right--_I go about a little while longer, but will be cut off shortly and my spirit will go away_ (or will die). Placing the thumbs and forefingers again in such a position as if he held a small thread between the thumb and forefinger of each hand, and the hands touching each other, he drew his hands slowly from each other, as if he were stretching a piece of gum-elastic; then laying his right hand on me, he extended the left hand in a horizontal position, fingers extended and closed, and brought down his right hand with fingers extended and together, so as to just miss the tips of the fingers of his left hand; then placing his left forefinger and thumb against his heart, he acted as if he took a hair from the forefinger and thumb of his left hand with the forefinger and thumb of the right, and slowly cast it from him, only letting his left hand remain at his breast, and let the index finger of the right hand point outward toward the distant horizon--_After a long time you die_. When placing his left hand upon himself and his right hand upon me, he extended them upward over his head and clasped them there--_We then meet in heaven_. Pointing upward, then to himself, then to me, he closed the third and little finger of his right hand, laying his thumb over them, then extending his first and second fingers about as far apart as the eyes, he brought his hand to his eyes, fingers pointing outward, and shot his hand outward--_I see you up there_. Pointing to me, then giving the last above-described sign of _look_, then pointing to himself, he made the sign as if stretching out a piece of gum-elastic between the fingers of his left and right hands, and then made the sign of _cut-off_ before described, and then extended the palm of the right hand horizontally a foot from his waist, inside downward, then suddenly threw it half over and from him, as if you were to toss a chip from the back of the hand (this is the negative sign everywhere used among these Indians)--_I would see him a long time, which should never be cut off_, i.e., _always._

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 323.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 324.]

Pointing upward, then rubbing the back of his left hand lightly with the forefinger of his right, he again gave the negative sign.--_No Indian there_ (in heaven). Pointing upward, then rubbing his forefinger over the back of my hand, he again made the negative sign--_No white man there_. He made the same sign again, only he felt his hair with the forefinger and thumb of his right hand, rolling the hair several times between the fingers--_No black man in heaven_. Then rubbing the back of his hand and making the negative sign, rubbing the back of my hand and making the negative sign, feeling of one of his hairs with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand, and making the negative sign, then using both hands as if he were reaching around a hogshead, he brought the forefinger of his right hand to the front in an upright position after their manner of counting, and said thereby--_No Indian, no white man, no black man, all one_. Making the "hogshead" sign, and that for _look_, he placed the forefinger of each hand side by side pointing upward--_All look the same_, or alike.

Running his hands over his wild Indian costume and over my clothes, he made the "hogshead" sign, and that for _same_, and said thereby--_All dress alike there_. Then making the "hogshead" sign, and that for _love_, (hugging his hands), he extended both hands outward, palms turned downward, and made a sign exactly similar to the way ladies smooth a bed in making it; this is the sign for _happy--All will be happy alike there_. He then made the sign for _talk_ and for _Father_, pointing to himself and to me--_You pray for me_. He then made the sign for _go away_, pointing to me, he threw right hand over his right shoulder so his index finger pointed behind him--_You go away_. Calling his name he made the sign for _look_ and the sign of _negation_ after pointing to me--_Kin Che-ess see you no more_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 325.]

Fig. 322, an ill.u.s.tration in the preceding address, also represents a common gesture for _sit down_, if made to the right of the hip, toward the locality to be occupied by the individual invited. The latter closely corresponds to an Australian gesture described by Smyth (_The Aborigines of Victoria, London_, 1878, Vol. II, p. 308, Fig. 260), as follows: "_Minnie-minnie_ (wait a little). It is shaken downwards rapidly two or three times. Done more slowly towards the ground, it means 'Sitdown.'" This is reproduced in Fig. 325.

_TSO-DI-A'-KO'S REPORT._

The following statement was made to Dr. W.J. HOFFMAN by TSO-DI-A'-KO (Shaved-head Boy), chief of the Wichitas in Indian Territory, while on a visit to Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., in June 1880.

The Indian being asked whether there was any timber in his part of the Territory, replied in signs as follows:

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 326.]

(1) Move the right hand, fingers loosely extended, separated and pointing upward, back to the front, upward from the height of the waist to the front of the face--_tree_ (for ill.u.s.tration see Fig. 112, p. 343); repeat this two or three times--_trees_; (2) then hold the hand, fingers extended and joined, pointing upward, with the back to the front, and push it forward toward different points on a level with the face-_standing at various places_; (3) both hands, with spread and slightly curved fingers, are held about two feet apart, before the thighs, palms facing, then draw them toward one another horizontally and gradually upward until the wrists cross, as if grasping a bunch of gra.s.s and pulling it up--_many_; (4) point to the southwest with the index, elevating it a little above the horizon--_country_; (5) then throw the fist edgewise toward the surface, in that direction--_my, mine_; (6) place both hands, extended, flat, edgewise before the body, the left below the right, and both edges pointing toward the ground a short distance to the left of the body, then make repeated cuts toward that direction from different points, the termination of each cut ending at nearly the same point--_cut down_, Fig. 326; (7) hold the left hand with the fingers and thumb collected to a point, directed horizontally forward, and make several cutting motions with the edge of the flat right hand transversely by the tips of the left, and upon the wrist--_cut off the ends_; (8) then cut upon the left hand, still held in the same position, with the right, the cuts being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the palm--_split_; (9) both hands closed in front of the body, about four inches apart, with forefingers and thumbs approximating half circles, palms toward the ground, move them forward so that the back of the hand comes forward and the half circles imitate the movement of wheels--_wagon_, Fig. 327; (10) hold the left flat hand before the body, pointing horizontally forward, with the palm down, then bring the right flat hand from the right side and slap the palm upon the back of the left several times--_load_, upon, Fig. 328; (11) partly close the right hand as if grasping a thick rod, palm toward the ground, and push it straight forward nearly to arm's length--_take_; (12) hold both hands with fingers naturally extended and slightly separated nearly at arm's length before the body, palms down, the right lying upon the left, then pa.s.s the upper forward and downward from the left quickly, so that the wrist of the right is raised and the fingers point earthward--_throw off_; (13) cut the left palm repeatedly with the outer edge of the extended right hand--_build_; (14) hold both hands edgewise before the body, palms facing, spread the fingers and place those of one hand into the s.p.a.ces between those of the left, so that the tips of one protrude beyond the backs of the fingers of the other--_log house_, see Fig. 253, p. 428; (15) then place the flat right hand, palm down and fingers pointing to the left, against the breast and move it forward, and slightly upward and to the right--_good_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 327.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 328.]

a.n.a.lYSIS OF THE FOREGOING.

[There is] much | timber | [in] | my | country | [of which I] cut down [some],| (3) (1,2) (5) (4) (6)

trimmed, | split, | loaded it upon | a wagon [and] | took it away, | (7) (8) (10) (9) (11)

[where I] threw [it] off | [and] built | [a] good | house |.

(12) (13) (15) (14)

NOTES.--As will be seen, the word _timber_ is composed of signs No.

1 and 2, signifying trees standing. Sign No. 3, for _many_, in this instance, as in similar other examples, becomes _much_. The word "in,"

in connection with _country_ and _my_, is expressed by the gesture of pointing (pa.s.sing the hand less quickly than in ordinary sign language) before making sign No. 5. That sign commonly given for _possession_, would, without the prefix of indication, imply _my country_, and with that prefix signifies _in my country_. Sign No.

7, _trimmed_, is indicated by chopping off the ends, and facial expression denoting _satisfaction_. In sign Nos. 11 and 12 the gestures were continuous, but at the termination of the latter the narrator straightened himself somewhat, denoting that he had overcome the greater part of the labor. Sign No. 14 denotes _log-house_, from the manner of interlacing the finger-ends, thus representing the corner of a log-house, and the arrangement of the ends of the same.

_Indian lodge_ would be indicated by another sign, although the latter is often used as an abbreviation for the former, when the subject of conversation is known to all present.

_LEAN WOLF'S COMPLAINT_

The following remarks were obtained by Dr. W.J. HOFFMAN from TCE-CAQ-A-DAQ-A-QIC (Lean Wolf), chief of the Hidatsa Indians of Dakota Territory, who visited Was.h.i.+ngton in 1880:

FOUR YEARS AGO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AGREED TO BE FRIENDS WITH US, BUT THEY LIED. THAT IS ALL.

(1) Place the closed hand, with the thumb resting over the middle of the index, on the left side of the forehead, palmar side down, then draw the thumb across the forehead to the right, a short distance beyond the head--_white man_, American, Fig. 329.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 329.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 330.]

(2) Place the naturally extended hand, fingers and thumb slightly separated and pointing to the left, about fifteen inches before the right side of the body, bringing it to within a short distance--_with us_, Fig. 330.

(3) Extend the flat right hand to the front and right as if about to grasp the hand of another individual--_friend, friends_, Fig. 331.

For remarks connected with this sign see pp. 384-386.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 331.]

(4) Place the flat right hand, with fingers only extended, back to the front, about eighteen inches before the right shoulder--_four_ [years], Fig. 332.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 332.]

(5) Close the right hand, leaving the index and second fingers extended and slightly separated, place it, back forward, about eight inches before the right side of the body, and pa.s.s it quickly to the left in a slightly downward curve--_lie_, Fig. 333.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 333.]

(6) Place the clinched fists together before the breast, palms down, then separate them in a curve outward and downward to their respective sides--_done, finished, "that is all"_, Fig. 334.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 334.]

SIGNALS.

The collaborators in the work above explained have not generally responded to the request to communicate material under this head. It is, however, hoped that by now printing some extracts from published works and the few contributions recently procured, the attention of observers will be directed to the prosecution of research in this direction.

The term "signal" is here used in distinction from the signs noted in the DICTIONARY, extracts from which are given above, as being some action or manifestation intended to be seen at a distance, and not allowing of the minuteness or detail possible in close converse.

Signals may be executed, first, exclusively by bodily action; second, by action of the person in connection with objects, such as a blanket, or a lance, or the direction imparted to a horse; third, by various devices, such as smoke, fire or dust, when the person of the signalist is not visible. When not simply intended to attract attention they are generally conventional, and while their study has not the same kind of importance as that of gesture signs, it possesses some peculiar interest.

SIGNALS EXECUTED BY BODILY ACTION.

Some of these are identical, or nearly so, with the gesture signs used by the same people.

ALARM. SEE NOTES ON CHEYENNE AND ARAPAHO SIGNALS, _INFRA_.

ANGER.