The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-02-16
SIGN TALK ON THE PLAINS.
ALanguage without Words, Yet It Is saf
fcient for Every Occasion.

ALanguage without Words, Yet It Is saf
fcient for Every Occasion.
Garrison life has developed some
Experts in Indian folklore among
army officers One Of these is Lieut..
H. l. Scott, Of the Seventh Cavalry.
Lieut.. Scott has made study Of the
sign language OF the plains Indians.
In the days of Indian outbreaks and
wars there was practical phase to
this study, but now that peace pre-
walls and there are only reservation
Indians, Lieut. Scott's acquisition ia
remarkable chiefly for the scientific
interest which attaches to it
One daYduring the Folklore Congress
Lieut. Scott borrowed four Indians
of various tribes from Buffalo Bill's
camns, and, with only such language
as he used to explain to the palefaces
what he was saying, he carried on
long conversation by signs The In
dians were Painted Horse, Flat Iron,
Horses Come-Last, and Standing
Bear.
The Lieutenants hand moved MIN.
oly when he asked Painted Horse
where he Lived The old Indian
looked homesick for moment, and
then he made superb motion pic.
ture of a rock with trees on it.
"Pine Ridge" interpreted Lieu!
Scott.
Painted Horse, having found Ii.
aands, kept them going, while hia
face remained expressioniess. Lieut.
Scott added:
"He says his relatives live there.
lud that he has come long way anc
has arrived here"
One after the other the Indian.
,oined in the sign conversation with
as much enthusiasm as an Indian can
manifest They told their names
a ID where they were from and to
what tribes they belonged They un.
derstood the Lieutenant and each
other as we'll. When Painted Horse
said Horses -Come.Last was a Brule
Sioux, Horses Come-L asst Immediately
worked his hands to say that was
mistake: he was an Ogallalla. Hay-
ing started, Horses-Come-Last,
Notwithstanding Indian, signed
that he knew Gen. Miles, who was
sitting near, and be wanGed the Gen.
sral to say something to him. Gen
Miles told Lieut.. Scott 20 tell Horses
Come-Last that he remembered him
very well as an Indian who had done
good service In the Montana CAM
paign. Lieut.. Scott Interpreted by
signs, and Immediately Horses-Come
Last showed his pleasure.
Lieut. Scott has had some striking
evidences that the Indians Of the
plains meet on common ground, when
they resort to the sign language. 5He
was present when Chief Joseph Of the
Nez Perces addressed several hundred
indians. The chief told Of his march
from Washington Territory across
Idaho and into Montana to the vicin-
ity of the Yellowstone Park, a mas
terly military feat, without a parallel
since the retreat Of Xnenophon's ten
thousand. Ia the crowd to which
the chief gave the narrative were
Aricarees, Mandans Gros Ventres,
Nez Perces, Cheyennes, and Sioux.
They were the representatives OF six
different spoken languages. Yet
Lieut.. Scott could see that there was
perfect comprehension Of the nara
tive. Not word was spoken. Chief
Joseph used nothing but the sign
language, but the Indians ali followed
him.
A literal translation Of the sigs
language is the best illustration OF
its formation. Take the following
sentence:
Il shot with an arrow last night
an eagle which was sitting upon a
limb of tree and 1t fell to the
ground"
The Indians will convey this In.
formation by sign language as fol-
lows:
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
saw bird-curved beak-limb Of tree
-arrow-bow -aim - shoot trans
fX-whirl downward strike the
ground"
Lieut. Scott has taken part in num-
oerless talks where the assemblages
included Indians from nearly every
prairie tribe from Texas to the Can
adian line. Practically the samt
signs were used by all
II must give" he said, "my un>
Qualified adherence to the belief THAI
the sign language Of the plains In
dians does exist, and that it hai
:eached a high Development"
Lieut. Scott has tried to trace thu
origin of the sign language. All OF
the Indians tell him it is Of great an.
tiQuity. The Cheyennes and Ara
panues tell him their ancestors got II
from the Kiowas, who invented It
But the Kiowas claim they got II
from the Cheyennes. Lieut. Scott
! believes there was no invention OF
the sign language, but that it was OF
gradual and general development
AS tribes Of Indians become perma-
nent!y separated they cease to have
use for sign language in communi.
eating with other tribes; then they
drop the use of it. The Indians
around Fort Totten, on Devils Lake,
have been away from other indians
and associated with white people
some years. Only the oldest among
them retain any knowledge Of the
sign language. The Northern CheY-
; ennes are the best sign takers Co
manches are the poorest This The
Lieutenant accounts for by the fact
that the Comanche language was the
court language of the southern plains.
Many Indians of other tribes under.
stood it. Hence there was less occa-
sion for the ,Comanches to perfect