The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-12-06
SIGN TALK.
How Indians of the Plains Meet
on Common Ground.
ConverSing Readily in a Lam
guage Without Words.


Lieutenant Scott has made study of
the sign language of the plains Indi-
ans. In the days of Indian outbreaks
and wars there was a practical phase
to this study, but now that peace pre-
walls and there are only reservation
Indians Lieutenant Scotts acquisition
is remarkable chiefly for the scientific
interest which attaches to it.
One day during the folklore con
gress, says the Globe Democrat, Lieu
tenant Scott borrowed four Indians of
various tribes from Buffalo Bills
camps, and, with only such language
as he used to explain to the paleiace
what he was saying, he carried on
long conversation by signs. The
Indians were Painted Horse, Flat
Iron, Horses Come Last and Standing
Bear.
The ieutenant's hand moved nimbly
when he asked Painted Horse where
he lived. The old Indian looked home
sick for moment, and then he made
y superb motion picture of rock with
trees on it.
"Pine Ridge" interpreted Lieuten-
ant Scott.
Painted Horse, having found his
hands, kept them going, while his face
remained expressiouless. Lieutenant
Scott added:
He says his relatives live there and
hat he has come long way and has
arrived here"
One after the other the Indians
joined in the sign conversation with as
much enthusiasm as an Indian can
manifest. They told their names and
where they were from and to what
tribes they belonged. They under
stood the Lieutenant and each other
as we'll. When Painted Horse said
Horses -Come-Last was Brule Sioux
Horses-C Come. Last Immediately worked
his hands to say that was mistake;
he was an Ogallalla. Having started
Horses-C Come Last, magnihcent-look-
ing Indian, signed that he knew Gen
eral Miles, who was sitting near, and he
wanted the general to say something
to him. General Miles told Lieuten-
ant Scott SO tell Horses Come-Last
that he remembered him very well as
an Indian who had done good service
in the Montana campaign. Lieutenant
Scott interpreted by signs, and i'm
mediately Horses-C -Come-Last showed
his pleasure.
Lieutenant Scott has had some
striking evidence that the Indians of
the plains meet on common ground
when they resort to the sign language.
He was present when Chief Joseph of
the Nez Perces addressed several hun
dred Indians. The chief told the story
of his march from Washington territory
across Idaho and into Montana to the
vicinity of the Yellowstone Park. A
mastery military feat, without a par
allel since the retreat of Xenophon's
ten thousand. In the crowd to which
the chief gave the narrative there were
Aricarees, Mandans, Gros Ventres, Nez
Perces, Cheyennes and Sioux. They
were representatives of six different
spoken languages. Yet Lieutenant
Scott could see that there was perfect
comprehension of the narrative. Not
a word was spoken. Chief Joseph
used nothing but the sign language,
but the Indians all followed him.
A literal translation of the sign Ian
guage is the best illustration of the for
nation. Take the following sentence I:
81 shot with an arrow last night an
eagle which was sitting upon limb
of tree and it fell % the ground"
The Indian will convey this inform
alton by sign language, as follows:
Might before-trees-lo
saw bird-curved beak-limb of tree
-arrow-bow--aim aim-shoot - transfx
--whirl downward--strike the ground. "
Lieutenant Scott has taken part in
numberless talks where the assemb-
lagos included Indians from almost
every prairie tribe from Texas to the
Canadian line. Practically the same
signs were used by all. 81 must give"
he said, "my unqualified adherence to
the belief that the sign language OF
the plains Indians does exist, and that
it has reached high development"
Adventure with Boa.