Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared With That Among Other Peoples Part 28

May be signified by smartly brus.h.i.+ng the right hand across the left from the wrist toward the fingers, both hands extended, palms toward each other and fingers joined. (_Arapaho_ I.)

Is included in _gone, destroyed. (Dakota_ I.)

Place the open left hand about a foot in front of the navel, pointing obliquely forward toward the right, palm obliquely upward and backward, and sweep the palm of the open right hand over it and about a foot forward and to the right through a curve. All bare. (_Dakota_ IV.)

Another: Pa.s.s the ulnar side of the right index along the left index several times from tip to base, while p.r.o.nating and supinating the latter. Some roll the right index over on its back as they move it along the left. The hands are to be in front of the navel, backs forward and outward, the left index straight and pointing forward toward the right, the right index straight and pointing forward and toward the left; the other fingers loosely closed. Represents a bush bare of limbs. (_Dakota_ IV.)

Another: With the light hand pointing obliquely forward to the left, the left forward to the right, palms upward, move them alternately several times up and down, each time striking the ends of the fingers.

Or, the left hand being in the above position, rub the right palm in a circle on the left two or three times, and then move it forward and to the right. Rubbed out; that is all; it is all gone. (_Dakota_ IV.)

Pa.s.s the palm of the flat right hand over the left from the wrist toward and off of the tips of the fingers. (_Dakota_ VI, VII, VIII; _Ponka_ II; _Pani_ I.) Fig. 272.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 272.]

Brush the palm of the left hand from wrist to finger tips with the palm of the right. (_Wyandot_ I.)

Another: Throw both hands outward toward their respective sides from the breast. (_Wyandot_ I.)

Pa.s.s the flat right palm over the palm of the left hand from the wrist forward over the fingers. (_Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Apache_ II; _Wichita_ II.) "Wiped out."

Hold the left hand open, with the palm upward, at the height of the elbow and before the body; pa.s.s the right quickly over the left, palms touching, from the wrist toward the tips of the left, as if brus.h.i.+ng off dust. (_Apache_ I.)

_Deaf-mute natural signs_:

Place the hands near each other, palms downward, and move them over and apart, bringing the palms upward in opposite directions.

(_Ballard_.)

Make a motion as in picking up something between the thumb and finger, carry it to the lips, blow it away, and show the open hand. (_Wing_.)

_Australian sign_:

_Pannie_ (none or nothing). For instance, a native says _Bomako ingina_ (give a tomahawk). I reply by shaking the hand, thumb, and all fingers, separated and loosely extended, palm down. (_Smyth_, _loc.

cit._) Fig. 273.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 273.]

_Turkish sign_:

Blowing across open palm as though blowing off feathers; also means "Nothing, nothing left." (_Barnum_.)

----, I have none.

_Deaf-mute natural signs_:

Expressed by the signs for none, after pointing to one's self.

(_Ballard_.)

Stretch the tongue and move it to and fro like a pendulum, then shake the head as if to say "no." (_Ziegler_.)

---- Left. Exhausted for the present.

Hold both hands naturally relaxed nearly at arm's length before the body, palms toward the face, move them alternately to and fro a few inches, allowing the fingers to strike those of the opposite hand each time as far as the second joint. (_Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Apache_ II; _Wichita_ II.) Cleaned out.

QUANt.i.tY, LARGE; MANY; MUCH.

The flat of the right hand patting the back of the left hand, which is repeated in proportion to the greater or lesser quant.i.ty. (_Dunbar_.) Simple repet.i.tion.

The hands and arms are pa.s.sed in a curvilinear direction outward and downward, as if showing the form of a large globe; then the hands are closed and elevated, as if something was grasped in each hand and held up about as high as the face. (_Long_; _Creel_.)

Clutch at the air several times with both hands. The motion greatly resembles those of danseuses playing the castanets. (_Ojibwa_ I.)

In the preceding signs the authorities have not distinguished between the ideas of "many" and "much." In the following there appears by the expressions of the authorities to be some distinction intended between a number of objects and a quant.i.ty in volume.

---- MANY.

A simultaneous movement of both hands, as if gathering or heaping up.

(_Arapaho_ I.) Literally "a heap."

Both hands, with spread and slightly curved fingers, are held pendent about two feet apart before the thighs; then draw them toward one another, horizontally, drawing them upward as they come together.

(_Absaroka_ I; _Shoshoni and Banak_ I; _Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Apache_ II; _Wichita_ II.) "An acc.u.mulation of objects."

Hands about eighteen inches from the ground in front and about the same distance apart, held scoop-fas.h.i.+on, palms looting toward each other, fingers separated; then, with a diving motion, as if scooping up corn from the ground, bring the hands nearly together, with fingers nearly closed, as though holding the corn, and carry upward to the height of the breast, where the hands are turned over, fingers pointing downward, separated, as though the contents were allowed to drop to the ground. (_Dakota_ I, II.)

Open the fingers of both hands, and hold the two hands before the breast, with the fingers upward and a little apart, and the palms turned toward each other, as if grasping a number of things.

(_Iroquois_ I.)

Place the hands on either side of and as high as the head, then open and close the fingers rapidly four or five times. (_Wyandot_ I.) "Counting 'tens' an indefinite number of times."

Clasp the hands effusively before the breast. (_Apache_ III.)

_Deaf-mute natural signs_;

Put the fingers of the two hands together, tip to tip, and rub them with a rapid motion. (_Ballard_.)

Make a rapid movement of the fingers and thumbs of both hands upward and downward, and at the same time cause both lips to touch each other in rapid succession, and both eyes to be half opened. (_Hasenstab_.)

Move the fingers of both hands forward and backward. (_Ziegler_.) Add to _Ziegler's_ sign: slightly opening and closing the hands. (_Wing_.)

---- Horses.

Raise the right arm above the head, palm forward, and thrust forward forcibly on a line with the shoulder. (_Omaha_ I.)

---- Persons, etc.

Hands and fingers interlaced. (_Macgowan_.)

Take up a bunch of gra.s.s or a clod of earth; place it in the hand of the person addressed, who looks down upon it. (_Omaha_ I.) "Represents as many or more than the particles contained in the ma.s.s."