Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared With That Among Other Peoples Part 32

Hand curved (Y, more flexed) and laid on its back on top of the foot (_moccasins much curved up at toe_); then draw hands up legs to near knee, and cut off with edges of hands (_boot tops_). (_Apache_ III.) "Those who wear booted moccasins with turn-up toes."

ARAPAHO.

The fingers of one hand touch the breast in different parts, to indicate the tattooing of that part in points. (_Long_.)

Seize the nose with the thumb and forefinger. (Randolph B. Marcy, captain United States Army, in _The Prairie Traveler_. _New York_, 1859, p. 215.)

Rub the right side of the nose with the forefinger: some call this tribe the "Smellers," and make their sign consist of seizing the nose with the thumb and forefinger. (_Burton_.)

Finger to side of nose. (_Macgowan_.)

Touch the left breast, thus implying what they call themselves, viz: the "Good Hearts." (_Arapaho_ I.)

Rub the side of the extended index against the right side of the nose.

(_Arapaho_ II; _Cheyenne_ V; _Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Apache_ II; _Wichita_ II.)

Hold the left hand, palm down, and fingers extended; then with the right hand, fingers extended, palm inward and thumb up, make a sudden stroke from left to right across the back of the fingers of the left hand, as if cutting them off. (_Sac, Fox, and Kickapoo_ I.) This is believed to be an error of the authority, and should apply to the CHEYENNE tribal sign.

Join the ends of the fingers (the thumb included) of the right hand, and, pointing toward the heart near the chest, throw the hand forward and to the right once, twice, or many times, through an arc of about six inches. (_Dakota_ IV.) "Some say they use this sign because these Indians tattoo their b.r.e.a.s.t.s."

Collect the fingers and thumb of the right hand to a point, and tap the tips upon the left breast briskly. (_Comanche_ II; _Ute_ I.) "Goodhearted." It was stated by members of the various tribes at Was.h.i.+ngton, in 1880, that this sign is used to designate the Northern Arapahos, while that in which the index rubs against or pa.s.ses upward alongside of the nose refers to the Southern Arapahos.

Another: Close the right hand, leaving the index only extended; then rub it up and down, held vertically, against the side of the nose where it joins the cheek. (_Comanche_ II; _Ute_ I.)

The fingers and thumb of the right hand, are brought to a point, and tapped upon the right side of the breast. (_Shoshoni and Banak_ I.)

ARIKARA. (CORRUPTLY ABBREVIATED REE.)

Imitate the manner of sh.e.l.ling corn, holding the left hand stationary, the sh.e.l.ling being done with the right. (_Creel_.) Fig. 284.

With the right hand closed, curve the thumb and index, join their tips so as to form a circle, and place to the lobe of the ear. (_Absaroka_ I; _Hidatsa_ I.) "Big ear-rings." Fig. 285.

Both hands, fists, (B, except thumbs) in front of body, backs looking toward the sides of the body, thumbs obliquely upward, left hand stationary, the backs of the fingers of the two hands touching, carry the right thumb forward and backward at the inner side of the left thumb and without moving the hand from the left, in imitation of the act of sh.e.l.ling corn. (_Dakota_ I, VII, VIII.)

Collect the fingers and thumb of the right hand nearly to a point, and make a tattooing or dotting motion toward the upper portion of the cheek. This is the old sign, and was used by them previous to the adoption of the more modern one representing "corn-eaters." (_Arikara_ I.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 284.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 285.]

Place the back of the closed right hand transversely before the mouth, and rotate it forward and backward several times. This gesture may be accompanied, as it sometimes is, by a motion of the jaws as if eating, to ill.u.s.trate more fully the meaning of the rotation of the fist.

(_Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Wichita_ II; _Apache_ I.) "Corn-eater; eating corn from the ear."

Signified by the same motions with the thumbs and forefingers that are used in sh.e.l.ling corn. The dwarf Ree (Arikara) corn is their peculiar possession, which their tradition says was given to them by a superior being, who led them to the Missouri River and instructed them how to plant it. (Rev. C.L. Hall, in _The Missionary Herald_, April, 1880.) "They are the corn-sh.e.l.lers." Have seen this sign used by the Arikaras as a tribal designation. (_Dakota_ II.)

a.s.sINABOIN.

Hands in front of abdomen, horizontal, backs outward, ends of fingers pointing toward one another, separated and arched (H), then, moved up and down and from side to side as though covering a corpulent body.

This sign is also used to indicate the Gros Ventres of the Prairie or Atsina. (_Dakota_ I.)

Make the sign of _cutting the throat_. (_Kutine_ I.) As the a.s.sinaboins belong to the Dakotan stock, the sign generally given for the Sioux may be used for them also.

With the right hand flattened, form a curve by pa.s.sing it from the top of the chest to the pubis, the fingers pointing to the left, and the back forward. (_Shoshoni and Banak_ I.) "Big bellies."

ATSINA, LOWER GROS VENTRE.

Both hands closed, the tips of the fingers pointing toward the wrist and resting upon the base of the joint, the thumbs lying upon, and extending over the middle joint of the forefingers; hold the left before the chest, pointing forward, palm up, placing the right, with palm down, just back of the left, and move as if picking small objects from the left with the tip of the right thumb. (_Absaroka_ I; _Shoshoni and Banak_ I.) "Corn-sh.e.l.lers."

Bring the extended and separated fingers and thumb loosely to a point, flexed at the metacarpal joints; point them toward the left clavicle, and imitate a dotting motion as if tattooing the skin. (_Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Apache_ II; _Wichita_ II.) "They used to tattoo themselves, and live in the country south of the Dakotas."

See also the sign of (_Dakota_ I) under a.s.sINABOIN.

BANAK.

Make a whistling sound "phew" (beginning at a high note and ending about an octave lower); then draw the extended index across the throat from the left to the right and out to nearly at arm's length. They used to cut the throats of their prisoners. (_Pai-Ute_ I.)

Major Haworth states that the _Banaks_ make the following sign for themselves: Brush the flat right hand backward over the forehead as if forcing back the hair. This represents the manner of wearing the tuft of hair backward from the forehead. According to this informant, the Shoshoni use the same sign for BANAK as for themselves.

BLACKFEET. (THIS t.i.tLE REFERS TO THE ALGONKIAN BLACKFEET, PROPERLY CALLED SATSIKA. FOR THE DAKOTA BLACKFEET, OR SIHASAPA, SEE UNDER HEAD OF DAKOTA.)

The finger and thumb encircle the ankle. (_Long_.)

Pa.s.s the right hand, bent spoon-fas.h.i.+on, from the heel to the little toe of the right foot. (_Burton_.)

The palmar surfaces of the extended fore and second fingers of the right hand (others closed) are rubbed along the leg just above the ankle. This would not seem to be clear, but these Indians do not make any sign indicating _black_ in connection with the above. The sign does not, however, interfere with any other sign as made by the Sioux.

(_Creel_; _Dakota_ I.) "Black feet."

Pa.s.s the flat hand over the outer edge of the right foot from the heel to beyond the toe, as if brus.h.i.+ng off dust. (_Dakota_ V, VII, VIII.) Fig. 286.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 286.]

Touch the right foot with the right hand. (_Kutine_ I.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 287.]

Close the right hand, thumb resting over the second joint of the forefinger, palm toward the face, and rotate over the cheek, though an inch or two from it. (_Shoshoni and Banak_ I.) "From manner of painting the cheeks." Fig. 287.

CADDO.

Pa.s.s the horizontally extended index from right to left under the nose. (_Arapaho_ II; _Cheyenne_ V; _Kaiowa_ I; _Comanche_ I, II, III; _Apache_ II; _Wichita_ I, II.) "'Pierced noses,' from former custom of perforating the septum for the reception of rings." Fig. 288. This sign is also used for the Sahaptin. For some remarks see page 345.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 288.]

CALISPEL. SEE PEND D'OREILLE.

CHEYENNE.

Draw the hand across the arm, to imitate cutting it with a knife.

(_Marcy_ in _Prairie Traveller_, _loc. cit._, p. 215.)