The Lamar register., 1893-11-25
INDIAN SIGN LANGUAGE.
Novel Way in which Redmen EXPIRES.
Thoughts withaut words.

fHouEhts without words.
Garrison life has developed some
experts in Indian folklore among
army officers One Of these i
Lieutenant II. l. Scott of the
seventh Cavalry.
Lieutenant scott has made a study
OF the sign language OF the plains
Indians In the days OF Indian out
breaks and wars there was practi
cal phase to this study. but now
Lieutenant Scott's acquisition is re-
markable chiefly for the scientific
Interest which attaches TO it
One day during the Folklore con
gress Lieutenant scott borrowed
four Indians OF yariozs tribes from
Buffalo Bills camp, and with only
such language as he used to explain
20 the palefAce what he was saying,
he carried on long conversation D.
signs The Indians were Painted
Horse. Flat IRON. Horses Come-Iast
and standing Bear.
The Lieutenant sh and moved nimbly
when he asked tainted Horse whero
he lived Tho Old Indian looked
homesiok for moment and then ne
made superb motion picture Of
rock with trees on It
pine Ridge'" intercepted Lieu
tenant Scott
Painted Horse. having found his
hands. kept them going. srhile his
face remained expres.ionlsss Lieu
tenant colt added;
lie says his relatives live there.
and that be has como long wa and
arrived here
One after another the Indians
joined in the sign conversation with
a much enthusiasm as an Indian can
manifest. They told their names and
where they were from aud to what
tribes they belonged. They under
stood tho lieutenant and each other
a. well
When Painted Horse said Horeses-
Come-l.ast was Brule Sioux. Horses
Come-Last Immediately worked his
hands 20 say that was a mistaSe; he
wa- an Ogailallah
Having started Horses-Come-Last.
a magnificent looking Indian. signed
tting near. and he wanted the gem
eral TO say something to him Cen
eral Miles told Lieutenant Scott to
tell HorseS-Come-Las that he remem-
bered him very well as an Indian
who had done good service in the
Montana campaign
lieutenant Scott has had some
striking evidence that the Indians of
the plains meet on common grounds
when they resort TO the sign language.
lie was present when CHIEF Joseph
OF the Nez rerces. addressed several
hundred Indians The chief told the
story OF his march from Washington
territory across Idaho and into Mon
taua to the vicinity of Yellowstone
Park. a mastery military feat. with
out a parallel since the retreat of
Keno hons ten thousand.
In the crowd to which the chief
gave the narrative there were the
Crickarees. Mandans. 6ros Nentres.
Nez Perces. Cheyennes and Sioux.
They were representatives OF six diff
ferent spoken languages Yet Lieu
tenant Scott could see that there was
perfect comprehension of the parra-
tive
Not word was spoken. Chief
Joseph used nothing but the sign
language, but the Indians all followed
him
A literal translation of the sign
language is the best illustration OF
its formation Take the following
sentence:
shot with an arrow last night an
eagle which was sitting upon limb
OF tree. and it fell to the ground.
The Indian will convey this infor-
nation by sign language as follows:
..Night-before-t - looking
saw bird-curved beak-limb OF
tree-arrow-bow - aim - shoot =
transfx = whirl-iownwa ard-strlke
the ground"
Lieutenant Scott has taken part in
numberless talks where these as
semblages included Indians from
almost every prairie tribe from Texas
to the Canadian line. Practically
the same signs We're used by all.
Piso's Remedy for Catarrh Is the
Best, Easiest to Use. and Cheapest