Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1878 — Indian Sign-Language. [ARTICLE]

Indian Sign-Language.

It is not generally known that the Indians of our plains have a common language of signs—one perfectly understood by all. Such, however, is the curious fact. It undoubtedly grows out of the necessity arising from their distinct dialects, which arc as many and different as there are tribes. So unintelligible is a member of one tribe to a member of another that they can no more understand each other orally than a Sandwich-Islander can understand a liussian. There seems to be cot even words in their languages which have common roots. This is singular when it is remembered that there are no natural barriers between the tribes. War is the only thing which has prevented a common intercourse, and yet, up to within a few years, they have kept to their species like other animals, particularly preserving their dialects. Out of this has grown their sign-language. Not only can they convey ' the usual questions and answers of travelers who chance to meet —queries such as “Who are you?” “Where are you going?” “ How is the wood, water and grass?” but thoughts, opinions and declarations with shades of meaning. An incident, to illustrate this, occurred last winter, when the delegations went to Washington from the Red-Cloud and SpottedTail Agencies. There were representations from several tribes, ana among them one of Arapahces. This language, it is said, no white man or halfpreed has ever learned. Friday, an old Arapahoe Chief, was their interpreter. He had been sent to St. Louis when a boy, but ultimately made his way back to his tribe. Old Friday, overcome by civilized hospitality, was drunk, and not to be found when it came Little Wound’s turn to talk to the Great Father for his people. Of course, here was a dilemma. It was overcome, however, by Lieut. Clarke, who was charge of the entire delegation. The Lieutenant, placing himself in front of the Chief, signed for him to go ahead. He did, antk by means of this sign-lan-guage, which Lieut. Clarke understands perfectly, Little Wound made an eloquent appeal for justice to his tribe. Sentence by sentence the Lieutenant gave the President this Indian’s really eloquent address. The Indian sign-language is not a spelling-out of words, of course, as they have no alphabet. It is partly arbitrary, but mostly consists of signs which naturally indicate the desired meaning. For instance, the verb to see; this is made by closing the fingers of the hand (right generally) excepting the first and second; these extended are placed before the face and the hand moved outward. This, with other signs, is used positively or interrogatively, and in the past, present and future tenses. Being of the simplest forms, it can readily be seen how easily such a language could be learned, and how useful if practiced by civilized nationa amongst those-who _ have neither the time nor ability to learn to speak a foreign tongue. — Cor. Chicago Tribune.