Sign Language Among North American Indians 27

Sign Language Among North American Indians 27

The code of the Cistercian monks was based in large part on a system

of opposition which seems to have been wrought out by an elaborate

process of invention rather than by spontaneous figuration, and is

more of mnemonic than suggestive value. They made two fingers at the

right side of the nose stand for "friend," and the same at the left

side for "enemy," by some fanciful connection with right and wrong,

and placed the little finger on the tip of the nose for "fool" merely

because it had been decided to put the forefinger there for "wise

man."

 

 

PROPER NAMES.

 

It is well known that the names of Indians are almost always

connotive, and particularly that they generally refer to some animal,

predicating often some attribute or position of that animal. Such

names readily admit of being expressed in sign language, but there may

be sometimes a confusion between the sign expressing the animal which

is taken as a name-totem, and the sign used, not to designate that

animal, but as a proper name. A curious device to differentiate proper

names was observed as resorted to by a Brulé Dakota. After making the

sign of the animal he passed his index forward from the mouth in a

direct line, and explained it orally as "that is his name," i.e., the

name of the person referred to. This approach to a grammatic division

of substantives maybe correlated with the mode in which many tribes,

especially the Dakotas, designate names in their pictographs, i.e.,

by a line from the mouth of the figure drawn representing a man to the

animal, also drawn with proper color or position. Fig. 150 thus

shows the name of Shun-ka Luta, Red Dog, an Ogallalla chief, drawn

by himself. The shading of the dog by vertical lines is designed to

represent red, or _gules_, according to the heraldic scheme of colors,

which is used in other parts of this paper where it seemed useful to

designate particular colors. The writer possesses in painted robes

many examples in which lines are drawn from the mouth to a name-totem.

 

[Illustration: Fig. 150.]

 

It would be interesting to dwell more than is now allowed upon the

peculiar objectiveness of Indian proper names with the result, if not

the intention, that they can all be signified in gesture, whereas the

best sign-talker among deaf-mutes is unable to translate the proper

names occurring in his speech or narrative and, necessarily ceasing

signs, resorts to the dactylic alphabet. Indians are generally named

at first according to a clan or totemic system, but later in life

often acquire a new name or perhaps several names in succession from

some exploit or adventure. Frequently a sobriquet is given by no

means complimentary. All of the subsequently acquired, as well as

the original names, are connected with material objects or with

substantive actions so as to be expressible in a graphic picture, and,

therefore, in a pictorial sign. The determination to use names of this

connotive character is shown by the objective translation, whenever

possible, of those European names which it became necessary to

introduce into their speech. William Penn was called "Onas," that

being the word for feather-quill in the Mohawk dialect. The name

of the second French governor of Canada was "Montmagny" which was

translated by the Iroquois "Onontio"--"Great Mountain," and becoming

associated with the title, has been applied to all successive Canadian

governors, though the origin being generally forgotten, it has been

considered as a metaphorical compliment. It is also said that Governor

Fletcher was not named by the Iroquois "Cajenquiragoe," "the great

swift arrow," because of his speedy arrival at a critical time,

but because they had somehow been informed of the etymology of his

name--"arrow maker" (_Fr. fléchier_).

 

 

GENDER.

 

This is sometimes expressed by different signs to distinguish the sex

of animals, when the difference in appearance allows of such varied

portraiture. An example is in the signs for the male and female

buffalo, given by the Prince of Wied. The former is, "Place the

tightly closed hands on both sides of the head, with the fingers

forward;" the latter is, "Curve the two forefingers, place them on

the sides of the head and move them several times." The short stubby

horns of the bull appear to be indicated, and the cow's ears are seen

moving, not being covered by the bull's shock mane. Tribes in which

the hair of the women is differently arranged from that of men often

denote their females by corresponding gesture. In many cases the sex

of animals is indicated by the addition of a generic sign for male or

female.

 

 

TENSE.

 

While it has been mentioned that there is no inflection of signs to

express tense, yet the conception of present, past, and future is

gestured without difficulty. A common mode of indicating the present

time is by the use of signs for _to-day_, one of which is, "(1) both

hands extended, palms outward; (2) swept slowly forward and to each

side, to convey the idea of openness." (_Cheyenne_ II.) This may

combine the idea of _now_ with _openness_, the first part of it

resembling the general deaf-mute sign for _here_ or _now_.

 

Two signs nearly related together are also reported as expressing the

meaning _now, at once_, viz.: "Forefinger of the right hand extended,

upright, &c. (J), is carried upward in front of the right side of the

body and above the head so that the extended finger points toward

the center of the heavens, and then carried downward in front of the

right breast, forefinger still pointing upright." (_Dakota_ I.) "Place

the extended index, pointing upward, palm to the left, as high as

and before the top of the head; push the hand up and down a slight

distance several times, the eyes being directed upward at the time."

(_Hidatsa_ I; _Kaiowa_ I; _Arikara_ I; _Comanche_ III; _Apache_ II;

_Wichita_ II.)

 

Time past is not only expressed, but some tribes give a distinct

modification to show a short or long time past. The following are

examples:

 

_Lately, recently_.--Hold the left hand at arm's length, closed, with

forefinger only extended and pointing in the direction of the place

where the event occurred; then hold the right hand against the

right shoulder, closed, but with index extended and pointing in

the direction of the left. The hands may be exchanged, the right

extended and the left retained, as the case may require for ease in

description. (_Absaroka I; Shoshoni and Banak_ I.)

 

_Long ago_.--Both hands closed, forefingers extended and straight;

pass one hand slowly at arm's length, pointing horizontally, the other

against the shoulder or near it, pointing in the same direction as

the opposite one. Frequently the tips of the forefingers are placed

together, and the hands drawn apart, until they reach the positions

described. (_Absaroka_ I; _Shoshoni and Banak_ I.)

 

The Comanche, Wichita, and other Indians designate a _short time

ago_ by placing the tips of the forefinger and thumb of the left hand

together, the remaining fingers closed, and holding the hand before

the body with forefinger and thumb pointing toward the right shoulder;

the index and thumb of the right hand are then similarly held and

placed against those of the left, when the hands are slowly drawn

apart a short distance. For a _long time ago_ the hands are similarly

held, but drawn farther apart. Either of these signs may be and

frequently is preceded by those for _day, month_, or _year_, when it

is desired to convey a definite idea of the time past.

 

A sign is reported with the abstract idea of _future_, as follows:

"The arms are flexed and hands brought together in front of the body

as in type-position (W). The hands are made to move in wave-like

motions up and down together and from side to side." (_Oto_ I.) The

authority gives the poetical conception of "Floating on the tide of

time."

 

The ordinary mode of expressing future time is, however, by some

figurative reference, as the following: Count off fingers, then shut

all the fingers of both hands several times, and touch the hair and

tent or other white object. (_Apache_ III.) "Many years; when I am old

(whitehaired)."

 

 

CONJUNCTIONS.

 

An interesting instance where the rapid connection of signs has

the effect of the conjunction _and_ is shown in NÁTCI'S NARRATIVE,

_infra_.

 

 

PREPOSITIONS.

 

In the TENDOY-HUERITO DIALOGUE (page 489) the combination of gestures

supplies the want of the proposition _to_.

 

 

PUNCTUATION.

 

While this is generally accompanied by facial __EXPRESSION__, manner of

action, or pause, instances have been noticed suggesting the device of

interrogation points and periods.

 

_MARK OF INTERROGATION._

 

The Shoshoni, Absaroka, Dakota, Comanche, and other Indians, when

desiring to ask a question, precede the gestures constituting the

information desired by a sign intended to attract attention and

"asking for," viz., by holding the flat right hand, with the palm

down, directed, to the individual interrogated, with or without

lateral oscillating motion; the gestural sentence, when completed,

being closed by the same sign and a look of inquiry. This recalls the

Spanish use of the interrogation points before and after the question.

 

_PERIOD_.

 

A Hidatsa, after concluding a short statement, indicated its

conclusion by placing the inner edges of the clinched hands together

before the breast, and passing them outward and downward to their

respective sides in an emphatic manner, Fig. 334, page 528. This sign

is also used in other connections to express _done_.

 

The same mode of indicating the close of a narrative or statement is

made by the Wichitas, by holding the extended left hand horizontally

before the body, fingers pointing to the right, palm either toward the

body or downward, and cutting edgewise downward past the tips of the

left with the extended right hand. This is the same sign given in the

ADDRESS OF KIN CHĒ-ĔSS as _cut off_, and is illustrated in Fig.

324, page 522. This is more ideographic and convenient than the device

of the Abyssinian Galla, reported by M.A. d'Abbadie, who denoted a

comma by a slight stroke of a leather whip, a semicolon by a harder one, and a full stop by one still harder.