Evening star., 1932-01-17

In producing the dictionary Gen. Scott
makes each sign before the lens of the
camera. Before this is done, however,
subtitle presenting a word or phrase
identifying the individual sign is pre-
pared for addition to the film. Each SUBJ
title is accompanied by an explanation
of the signs origin and other relevant
information. The generals hands are
then photographed as they make the
sign which has been described by the
title material.
A scooping motion of the hand, termi-
mating at the mouth, means water" An
unnatural position of the arm indicates
lame man" Placing of the fists above
the forehead, one atop each eye, signifies
buffalo. The same position of the hands,
with the fingers extended, stands for
"elk." Jumping one hand over the other
denotes frog" And pointing to the
backbone Is the sign language way of
saying Rocky Mountains"
ZEN. SCOTS name among the In
dians is mole -Te- -Qu-Op." 1t means
1.-THE Man Who Talks With His Hands,"
and was first applied to the general by
Big Wolf a Cheyenne chief, in 1890,
when the Army officer was sent among
the Cheyennes in Montana to quiet the
ghost dance excitement.
The veteran soldiers proficiency in the
sign language, however, antedates the
coming of his Indian title by almost two
decades.
Soon after his graduation from West
Point, in 1876, he was assigned to the
9th Cavalry; later he obtained transfer
to the 7th Cavalry, which had suffered
heavy losses in the battle Of Little Big
Horn. The general served with the 7th
throughout the remainder of the Sioux
campaign, and, later, in the Nez Perces
War.
early in his career on the plains"
writes one commentator, Scott recog-
nized that one way to solve the Indian
problem was to try to get the Indian point
of view. In order to accomplish that he
had to learn to converse with the In
to learn the tongues of all the tribes.
But the intertribal language, the sign
language, offered a short cut. So the
young officer set himself about the task
of learning that method of communica-
ton.
"He was fortunate in gaining the
friendship of remarkable Indian,
I-See-O of the Kiowa who became guide,
philosopher and teacher of the young
lieutenant.
Both instructor and pupil were fight
ing men, but they also were peacemak-
ers; they worked together in establishing
a better understanding between the
white men and the Indians"
Full recognition of Gen. SCOTS posi-
ton as an authority on the intertrlbal
language was centered in the act Of Con-
greSs providing for production of the
films which now are nearing completion.
That measure appropriated $4,000, which
it stated should be used by the Board of
Indian Commissioners ito meet the eX-
pense of recording by motion and sign
pictures, through the inStrumentallty OF
Mai. Gen. Hugh l.. Scott, retired, and
such Indians as may be required to as
sist him, the theory, history and practice
of such soundless language"
One of the plans held for the film pro-
poses exhibitions in the several large In
dian schools throughout the United
States. The younger generations of In
dians, authorities declare, have found
more appeal in the swing of modern
slang than they seem to see in the move
ments that make sign words.
If the students in the Indian schools
are inspired by the film to engage them
selves in a continuation of the soundleSs
speech of their ancestors, many elderly