Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-11-06

on q long confab in the Sign Language "Feeling
strong?" is what the white mans hands are say
ing. EYES," say the Indians hands. Back OF
them rises the shadowy form of the Plains Indian
Of the old days, holding his right arm abort with
his palm open in the peace sign. full length
photograph of General Scott at the present time
shows what a solderly figure is this veteran, even
in his old age. Another photograph shows
group - Browning, where Supt. f. q. CampDell
has his office. The sketch shows General Scott
making the sign for bighorn the picturesque
Rocky Mountain sheep, whose most striking char
acteristc is his large horns, curving down and ln
This bighorn sign illustrates basic fact OF
the Sign Language: The. indian almost 1nvari-
ably takes the most salient feature OF anything
in making sign for it. '"TakesY' Oh, yes; the
Sign Language is a growing language-or else 1t
could not survive If it did not adapt itself to
the times, how could up-to-date matters be dis
cussed? When Indian wants to make the sign
of the former kaiser of the German empire, now
hiding in exile he simply interlocks six fingers
and two thumbs, puts his hands across his mouth
and sticks up his two index fingers toward his
eyes-in other words to the Indian the big thing
about the German kaiser is his mustache. Re-
member please that about $4,000 American In
dams responded to the call to the colors in the
World war-and they are talking about it yet.
Some of the signs, however, are not SO obvious.
This is to be expected since the Sign Language
3 an DID, old language. 1t probably had its be-
ginning when the tribes each with language
of its own, met the Plains in their hunting ex-
petitions. So of its signs long antedate
the advent of Europeans
One Of the very old signs of course is that for
buffalo, Mole Tequop says that for many years
he inquired about it and invariably the answer
was: my father told me that was the sign for
buffalo" Now, the buffalo sign is this: You
make fist of the left hand small finger down.
You draw the index finger of the right hand back
from the hollow made between the thumb and
ndny fnppr Of the fist. Mole ToQuOD, stand
ing on bluff and looking down Indians shoot
ing buffalo, realized that the outstanding feature
OF a buffalo his hump, suggesting the forma-
ton between index finger and thumb of the fist.
The index finger of the right hand is the arrow,
it's withdrawal the drawing of the bow and the
whole action is that of shooting the buffalo.
Are you skeptical over Indians talking about
Liberty bonds in the Sign Language? Remember,
please that Indians bought $25OOO,O0O of
Liberty bonds and that Indians nowadays are
very rich from oil lands, many Of them. So nat
uraly they have to talk about dollars cash, cred
it's and interest Moreover the Indian mind is
delightfully."- direct and logical these subjects.
The sign for the dollar in the Sign Language
is exactly as you yourself would make 1.-THE
outline of the silver dollar made by curving the
index finger and the thumb. The sign for cash
Is the placing Of this dollar sign in the palm OF
the other hand-money in hand. Credit is in
dictated by making writing motion in the palm
the entries in the account books OF the white
man. And interest? Why, the Indian just natur-
ally makes the dollar sign, then the credit sign
and then the child sign. If interest isn't the
child of invested money what is 1t!
With his eye for the characteristic feature OF
everything the Indian is usually delightfully."- direct
in the Sign Language. For example, the Whlte
man was the only one who wore hat 80 the
sign for white man is the passing of the index
finger along the line the forehead where the
brm Of the hat comes.