Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared With That Among Other Peoples Part 45

(15) Following the exclamation with a repet.i.tion of No. 2--_gray hair_--repeatedly touching the hair, meaning in this case--_an old man_.

(16) Pointed with the finger toward the right, directing it obliquely toward the ground--_at a short distance toward my right_.

(17) Repeated No. 13--_furthermore_.

(18) Repeated No. 14, adding the third finger to joined fore and middle fingers, thumb resting upon tip of fourth--_another_, i.e., _joined by a third_, and p.r.o.nounced the words "_o-gwis-san Sa-ba-dis_"

(this is a corruption of the French "Jean Baptiste," a favorite name among Christianized Indians)--_John Baptist, his son_, while repeating the movement.

(19) Held up the three separated fingers perpendicularly in front of the face, pus.h.i.+ng the hand forward a little--_three in all_.

(20) Presently lowered the hand, fingers relaxing, and carried it a short distance toward the left, thence back to the right, fingers pointing obliquely toward the ground in each case--_placed to the right and left of me at a short distance_.

(21) He then brought the hand--back toward the right, index horizontally extended, remaining fingers closed, thumb placed against second finger--in front of abdomen, and moved it slowly up and down two or three times, giving it a slight jerk at the upward motion, and raising the arm partially in doing so. At the same time he inclined the body forward a little, eyes looking down--_fis.h.i.+ng_. This refers to fis.h.i.+ng on the ice, and, as may be inferred from it, to the use of hook and line. A short stick to which the line is attached serves as a rod and is moved up and down in the manner described.

(22) After a short pause he elevated the hand, directing the index toward that point of the meridian which the sun pa.s.ses at about the tenth hour of the day, and following the direction with, the eye--_about ten o'clock_.

(23) Turning his face toward the southwest and holding up the flat and extended hand some distance in front of it, back outward, he waved it briskly and several times toward the face--_fresh breeze from the southwest_.

(24) Repeated No. 21 (_fis.h.i.+ng_), playing the imaginary fish-line up and down regularly for a while, till all at once he changed the movement by raising the hand in an oblique course, which movement he repeated several times, each time increasing the divergence and the length of the motion--_the fish-hook don't sink perpendicularly any longer_, i.e., _it is moving_.

(25) Quickly erecting his body he looked around him with surprise--_looking with surprise_.

(26) Shading his eyes with the hand, gazed intensively toward the south--_fixedly gazing toward the south_.

(27) Threw up his arm almost perpendicularly the next moment--_greatly astonished_.

(28) Extended and slowly moved the arm from southeast to northwest as far as he could reach, at the same time exclaiming "_mig-wam_"

"ice"--_the ice from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e_.

(29) Approximated the flat and horizontally extended hands, backs upward, with their inner edges touching, whereupon, suddenly turning the edges downward, he withdrew them laterally, backs nearly opposed to each other--_parting_.

(30) Pushed the left hand, palm outward, fingers joined, edges up and down, forward and toward its side with a full sweep of the arm, head following the movement--_pushed in that direction_, i.e., _northeastward_.

(31) Repeated No. 23, but waved the hand only once and with a quick and more powerful movement toward the face--_by the force of the wind_.

(32) Rotated hands in front of body, rolling them tips over tips very rapidly, fingers with thumbs nearly collected to a point--_winding up the hook-line in a hurry_.

(33) Quickly pa.s.sed the hand toward the left breast of his coat--_putting it in pocket_.

(34) And bending the body forward made motion as if picking up something--_picking up_.

(35) Raised the hand closed to fist, arm elevated so as to form a right angle with elbow, and made a short stroke downward and toward the left--_hatchet_.

(36) Thence moved the hand to side of breast and pushed it down the waist--_putting it into belt_.

(37) Placed the closed hands to each side of the waist (thumbs upward with tips facing each other) and approximated them rapidly and with a jerk in front of navel--_tightening the belt_.

(38) With both hands lowered to the ground, he described an elongated oval around his foot by placing tips of forefingers together in front of the toes and pa.s.sing them around each side, meeting the fingers behind the heel and running them jointly backward a few inches to indicate a tail--_snow-shoe_.

(39) Raised up the heel, resting the foot on the toes and turning it a little toward the right, brought it back in a downward movement with a jerk--_putting it on_.

(40) Waved the left hand emphatically forward, palm backward, fingers joined and pointing downward, extending them forward at termination of motion, at the same time pus.h.i.+ng forward the head--_starting_.

(41) Directed the finger of the same hand toward the light-house--_toward that point_.

(42) Pointed with extended first two fingers of the same hand, thumb with remaining fingers partially extended to right and to left--_companions_.

(43) Repeated No. 40 (_starting_) less emphatically.

(44) Made several very quick jumping movements forward with the extended left fingers, joined, back upward--_going very fast_.

(45) Repeated No. 23 (_wind_), increasing the force of the movement and terminating the sign with the second repet.i.tion (wave)--_wind increasing_.

(46) Raised up the hand in front of head and then arrested it a moment, palm outward, fingers extended, upward and forward--_halt_.

(47) Partially turning the body toward the north he lowered the extended hand, back forward, fingers joined and pointing downward toward the left of his feet and moved it closely in front of them, and with a cutting motion, toward the right, following the movement with the eye--_cut off right before feet_, i.e., _standing on the very edge_.

(48) Still facing the north, he carried the hand, back upward, fingers joined and extended, from left side of body outward and toward the right horizontally, indicating the rippled surface of turbulent water by an appropriate motion, and extending the arm to full length, fingers pointing northeastward (toward the right) at termination of motion, and accompanied the movement with a corresponding turn of the head, eyes gazing far into distance--_water all along the sh.o.r.e_.

(49) Pushed the extended finger, back upward, forward (i.e., northward) in a slightly arched movement--_across_.

(50) Directing it toward an object (tree) at a distance of about one hundred yards the next moment--_a distance of about one hundred yards_.

(51) Repeated No. 49 (_across_) without interrupting the motion--_that distance placed across_.

(52) Motions as follows: Hands naturally relaxed, edges up and down, backs outward, are with a quick movement and simultaneously carried from the epigastrium forward and toward their sides, arms being extended from elbows only. The hands change their position during the movement and are ultimately placed palms upward, thumbs and fingers extended and widely separated, pointing forward. This is the general sign for _doubt_. He also turned the face from one side to the other as though interrogating his companions--_what are we to do_?

(53) Repeated No. 35 (_hatchet_).

(54) Raised up the finger perpendicularly, other fingers closed, thumb resting against second, and emphatically inclined it forward--_only one_.

(55) Elevated the arm from the elbow toward the head, hand naturally relaxed, back obliquely upward, inclining the face sideward with a look of consternation, simultaneously, and again mechanically lowered it, dropping palm of hand heavily upon the knee--"_bad fix_."

(56) Placed the hand to his hip and raised it up, closed to fist, by a rapid and very energetic movement, e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.n.g. _haw!--quick to the work_ (referring to the ax or hatchet).

(57) Turning the body downward, he pa.s.sed the hand, with forefinger directed toward the ground, forward, sideward, and backward, in three movements, each time turning at a right angle--_measuring off a square piece on the ground_, i.e., _on the ice_.

(58) Looked and pointed toward an object some twenty feet off, then opposed palms of hands horizontally, and at a short distance from each other, connecting both movements in such a manner as to clearly ill.u.s.trate their meaning--_about twenty feet wide_.

(59) Moved the hand--fist, thumb upward--several times quickly up and down a few inches, the arm progressing forward at every stroke--_cutting it off_.

(60) Repeated No. 55 (_bad fix_), meaning in this case--_bad job_.

(61) Opposed the palms of both hands, vertically, at a distance of eight inches, holding them thus steady a moment and estimating the thus indicated measure with the eyes--_eight inches thick_.

(62) Then struck the palm of left with the back of arched right forcibly--_solid ice_.

(63) Laid the joined and extended first two fingers, palm up, across side of leg, a foot above heel, accompanying the movement with the eye--_one foot deep_.