The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-08-21
MEANING Of
INDIAN s SIGNS
How Red Men on the Trail
Communicate With
Each Other.
The San Francisco Chronicle says;


AS time has passed and civilization
has changed Indian conditions, ] was
under the impression that our red
brothers had forgotten the use OF
signs in their travels, but as l was
lettering about the hills in Siskyou
county few weeks ago | came across
q genuine Indian sign, such as
had not seen for a dozen years or
more 1t was a simple little sign IN
appearance, but it was full of mean
ing to those who could read it, A
long stick with one end stuck in the
ground, the other leaning and point
ing up the road. The stick was ele-
waited at an angle of only about ten
degrees from the ground and WAS
supported on a stone. 1t told some
Indian that his friend had been along
there and had gone ahead in the d.
rection pointed out by the stick.
I marvelled at il, but on investiga-
ton found that the Indians of Call
fornia still use signs to conveT intel
lagence to each other. | found that
among the Cocopahs, Cohuillas, Pimds
and Yumas' the sign is as much in
use as ever.
While travelling IN San BeInardinn
county some months ago | came
across a peculiar grouping of stones,
and at once saw that some Indian
had left sign, so that all other In
dams might know that water was to
be found in a certa 81 direction, The
stones were lying in a complete circle
and in the center was a long triangu-
lar stone, with the sharp point indi-
eating a specific direction. The sign
was plain to one versed in such
things, and in order to see if the
same sign was universal, for I had
seen it elsewhere, l followed the di-
rection pointed out by the long stone
and found a little spring.
This arrangement OF stones / had
often seen in a dozen different places
in the Middle West, and as variant
which was also found in California,
I have seen a mound of stones, SINH
lar to a miners monument, with a
pointed stone resting on top, point
ing toward water. In many parts OF
the country. especially in the desert
parts of California and Arizona, the
question of water supply for travel
ers is one that requires serious con-
sideration, and / have known men to
pass within a few hundred yards of
water without knowing it, because
they could not read Indian signs.
The sign was in plain view, and w9s
placed there because the Indians
recognized the necessity of telling all
who came along that they could find
water. True, there was not big
board set up with water painted
On it. but TO the initiated it was
equally plain. There is not trail in
all the Southwest that runs near
spring that does not have the sign
openly displayed. | have even seen
instances where the water was so far
from the regular trail that special
signs have been made to show where
it is. remember one instance among
the Shoshones where there was a large
monument of stones with an extra
long fat stone on top pointing toward
the spring. After going in this direc-
ton for some distance / came upon
another similar monument, and be,
fore l got to the spring / found five
distinct monuments showing the way
Sometimes, however. these circles
may not mean water at all. and then
1t Is necessary to understand the in
tricacies Of the Indian mind 10 under
stand just what he is driving at. !
remember once when 1 was hunting
on the Republican river came across