The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-01-16
INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE.
How They Talk with Their Hands-The
Meaning of BIank-t Signals.


| All Indians arc able to understand
each other and To converse freely bv
| means Of their sign-lauIuagr The
signs differ materially among different
tribes. but are all so significant ~ To
! permit of no doubt as 10 their meaning.
The sign-Ianguage is the easiest of all
| languages TO learn. rs almost ever
| symbol is founded upon reason.
Suppose an Indian and white man
riding together on the prairie. meet
another Indian. The latter is sus-
| picious. He raises his hand. palm
outwards. This means 'slnp" He
| then points to the white man. The
other Indian understands him TO mean
that he is suspicious of his companion
Pointing with the right forelingrr
several times indicates. w ho are you?"
Ii Grow the Indians raises both his
hands TO his ears and flaps them like
wings. Ii Blackfoct he raises his
foot and strokes the sole. Ii Sioux
he draws his hand across his throat.
Pointing toward the white man the
Indian is understood TO ask: WHO Is
hep" The first Indian by croolling his
two fore fingers together, informs the
stranger that he is Il friend. Suppose
he pats each breast with his fore
finger and points To the white man and
then TO himself, he means that the
whlte-man is very dear friend or a
brother. This sign signifies that they
both nursed the same mother.
Now. suppose the Indian wishes TO
Indicate to the one who is the compan-
t,., . . tlN.. H.,
differently and considers the latter to
be a bad man. he raises his right hand
TO Il level with his right ear. extends
the first two fingers and passes his
hand in straight line across his chest
toward his left shoulder. This means.
Your last statement is not true Ii
he then throws his right hand outward.
scattering his fingers. he means. He
Is a bad man."
A brave man would he indicated
among the Sioux by clinching the list
aud thumDng the breast once.
The signs for death are graphic. TO
say 'he is dead an Indian would raise
his forctinger and drop it back down
ward To a horizontal position. DYING
is indicated by moving the fnrciingcr
slowly downward toward the earth
For nearly dead. but rrcovrrrd. an
Indian will use the last sign. but viii
slowly raise tn" finger again. For
"kiilrd' sort of >tabbing motion with
the right hand i used.
The clements are indicated in just
the manner one would expect. \ cir
Gle formed by the ioreinger aud thumb
of one hand in some tribes and OF both
ia, .,th
circle formed by the forciinmer and
thumb pf one hand means the moon. '
Tnc hands raised with the fingers
hanging downward and then dropped
several times As if shaking water oil
means rain"
A tree is indicated by holding the
hand ralm upward aud the fingers
raised. then moving at once upward.
Growing or to crow is raised several
times with jerky motion. The same
sign is used TO signify smoke, only the
hand is slowly raised without tie jrrky
motion.
For nothing, none. | have none" etc,
the Sioux pass the palm of the right
hand over the palm OF the left from the
wrist to the tips Of the fingers. Silence
l. indicated by holding the finger upon
the lips. Holding blanket ont VITA
the hands far apart means, We have
discovered buifa!o," or used to when
there were any. Raising blanket on
pole means We are going into
camp Waving blanket toward the
legs means You may approach. W
Riding around in circle means
"rhrrr i, gamc.' Ii several Indians
do this in "DPo>i;e directions pAs>in.
and rcpa~~lug one anotncr they mean
"Iucre are cncmi">.'
Signalling At II distance with pillars
OF smoke OF dust aud shooIin- 4 blaz-
iug arrow lar into the sky at ui@lIt. are
other method, "f cunvcr,in~ with. or
giving Warning 10 friends al dis
tancc.