Deaf-mute signs:
Some of the Indian signs appear to be connected with a pleasant taste in the month, as is the sign of the French and American deaf-mutes, waving thence the hand, either with or without touching the lips, back upward, with fingers straight and joined, in a forward and downward curve. They make nearly the same gesture with hand sidewise for general assent: "Very well!"
The conventional sign forgood, given in the illustration to the report of the Ohio Institution for the education of the deaf and dumb, is: The right hand raised forward and closed, except the thumb, which is extended upward, held vertically, its nail being toward the body; this is in opposition to the sign forbadin the same illustration, the one being merely the exhibition of the thumb toward and the other of the little finger away from the body. They are English signs, the traditional conception being acceptance and rejection respectively.
Italian signs:
The fingers gathered on the mouth, kissed and stretched out and spread, intimate a dainty morsel. The open hand stretched out horizontally, and gently shaken, intimates that a thing is so-so, not good and not bad. (Butler.) Compare also the Neapolitan sign given by De Jorio, see Fig. 62, p.286,supra. Cardinal Wiseman gives as the Italian sign forgood"the hand thrown upwards and the head back with a prolonged ah!"Loc. cit., p. 543.
—— Heart is.
Strike with right hand on the heart and make the sign forGoodfrom the heart outward. (CheyenneII.)
Touch the left breast over the heart two or three times with the ends of the fingers of the right hand; then make the sign forGood. (DakotaIV.)
Place the fingers of the flat right hand over the breast, then make the sign forGood. (DakotaVII.)
Move hand to position in front of breast, fingers extended, palm downward (W), then with quick movement throw hand forward and to the side to a point 12 or 15 inches from body, hand same as in first position. (SahaptinI.)
For further remarks on the signs forgood, see page286.
The hand half open and the forefinger extended and separated; then raise the hand upward and give it a half turn, as if screwing something. (Dunbar.)
Cross the ends of the extended fingers of the two hands, the hands to be nearly at right angle, radial side up, palms inward and backward, thumbs in palms. Represents the logs at the end of a log house. (Creel;DakotaIV.)
Partly fold the hands; the fingers extended in imitation of the corner of an ordinary log house. (ArapahoI.)
Both hands outspread near each other, elevated to front of face; suddenly separated, turned at right angles, palms facing; brought down at right angles, suddenly stopped. Representing square form of a house. (CheyenneII.)
The fingers of both hands extended and slightly separated, then those of the right are placed into the several spaces between those of the left, the tips extending to about the first joints. (AbsarokaI.) "From the arrangement of the logs in a log building."
Both hands extended, fingers spread, place those of the right into the spaces between those of the left, then move the hands in this position a short distance upward. (WyandotI.) "Arrangement of logs and elevation."
Log house. HidatsaFig. 253.
Both hands are held edgewise before the body, palms facing, spread the fingers, and place those of one hand into the spaces between those of the other, so that the tips of each protrude about an inch beyond. (HidatsaI;KaiowaI;ArikaraI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.) "The arrangement of logs in a frontier house." Fig. 253. In connection with this sign compare the pictograph, Fig. 204, page379,supra. In ordinary conversation the sign forwhite man's houseis often dropped, using instead the generic term employed forlodge, and this in turn is often abbreviated, as by the Kaiowas, Comanches, Wichitas, and others, by merely placing the tips of the extended forefingers together, leaving the other fingers and thumbs closed, with the wrists about three or four inches apart.
Both hands held pointing forward, edges down, fingers extended and slightly separated, then place the fingers of one hand into the spacesbetween the fingers of the other, allowing the tips of the fingers of either hand to protrude as far as the first joint, or near it. (Shoshoni and BanakI.) "From the appearance of a corner of a log house—protruding and alternate layers of logs."
Fingers of both hands interlaced at right angles several times; then the sign forLodge. (KutchinI.)
Deaf-mute natural signs:
Draw the outlines of a house in the air with hands tip to tip at a right angle. (Ballard.)
Put the open hands together toward the face, forming a right angle with the arms. (Larson.)
——, Stone; Fort.
Strike the back of the right fist against the palm of the left hand, the left palm backward, the fist upright ("idea of resistance or strength"); then with both hands opened, relaxed, horizontal, and palms backward, place the ends of the right fingers behind and against the ends of the left; then separate them, and moving them backward, each through a semicircle, bring their bases together. The latter sign is also that of the Arapahos forhouse. An inclosure. (DakotaIV.) The first part of this sign is that forstone.
The two hands are reared together in the form of the roof of a house, the ends of the fingers upward. (Long.)
Place the opened thumb and forefinger of each hand opposite each other, as if to make a circle, but leaving between them a small interval; afterward move them from above downward simultaneously (which is the sign forvillage); then elevate the finger to indicate the number—one. (Wied.) Probably he refers to an earthen lodge. I think that the sign I have given you is nearly the same with all the Upper Missouri Indians. (Matthews.)
Place the fingers of both hands ridge-fashion before the breast. (Burton.)
Indicate outlines (an inverted V, thus ^), with the forefingers touching or crossed at the tips, the other fingers closed. (Creel;ArapahoI.)
Both hands open, fingers upward, tips touching, brought downward, and at same time separated to describe outline of a cone, suddenly stopped. (CheyenneII.)
Both hands approximated, held forward horizontally, fingers joined and slightly arched, backs upward, withdraw them in a sideward and downward direction, each hand moving to its corresponding side, thuscombinedly describing a hemisphere. Carry up the right and, with its index pointing downward indicate a spiral line rising upward from the center of the previously formed arch. (OjibwaV.) "From the dome-shaped form of the wigwam, and the smoke rising from the opening in the roof."
Both hands flat and extended, placing the tips of the fingers of one against those of the other, leaving the palms or wrists about four inches apart. (AbsarokaI;WyandotI;Shoshoni and BanakI.) "From its exterior outline."
Both hands carried to the front of the breast and placed V-shaped, inverted, thus ^, with the palms, looking toward each other, edge of fingers outward, thumbs inward. (DakotaI.) "From the outline of the tipi."
With the hands nearly upright, palms inward, cross the ends of the extended forefingers, the right one either in front or behind the left, or lay the ends together; resting the ends of the thumbs together side by side, the other fingers to be nearly closed, and resting against each other, palms inward. Represents the tipi poles and the profile of the tipi. (DakotaIV.)
Lodge. DakotaFig. 254.
Place the tips of the fingers of both hands together in front of the breast, with the wrists some distance apart. (DakotaV.) Fig. 254.
Fingers of both hands extended and separated; then interlace them so that the tips of the fingers of one hand protrude beyond the backs of those of the opposing one; hold the hands in front of the breast, pointing upward, leaving the wrists about six inches apart. (DakotaVII, VIII;HidatsaI;PonkaII;ArikaraI;PaniI.)
The extended hands, with finger tips upward and touching, the palms facing one another, and the wrists about two inches apart, are held before the chest. (Mandan and HidatsaI.)
Place the tip of the index against the tip of the forefinger of the left hand, the remaining fingers and thumbs closed, before the chest, leaving the wrists about six inches apart. (KaiowaI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.) "Outline of lodge." This is an abbreviated sign, and care must be taken to distinguish it fromto meet, in which the fingers are brought from their respective sides instead of upward to form the gesture.
Another: Place the tips of the fingers of the flat extended hands together before the breast, leaving the wrists about six inches apart. (KaiowaI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.)
Lodge. Kaiowa, etc.Fig. 255.
Another: Both hands flat and extended, fingers slightly separated; then place the fingers of the right hand between the fingers of the left as far as the second joints, so that the fingers of one hand protrude about an inch beyond those of the other; the wrists must be held about six inches apart. (KaiowaI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.) "Outline of Indian lodge and crossing of tent-poles above the covering." Fig. 255.
Lodge. SahaptinFig. 256.
Fig. 256 represents a Sahaptin sign given to the writer by a gentleman long familiar with the northwestern tribes of Indians. The conception is the same union of the lodge poles at the top, shown in several other signs, differently executed.
Lodge. Pai-UteFig. 258.
Lodge. Pai-UteFig. 257.
Place the tips of the spread fingers of both hands against one another pointing upward before the body, leaving a space of from four to six inches between the wrists. Fig. 257. The fingers are sometimes bent so as to more nearly represent the outline of a house and roof. Fig. 258. This, however, is accidental. (Pai-UteI.) "Represents the boughs and branches used in the construction of a Pai-Ute 'wik-i-up.'"
Place the tips of the two flat hands together before the body, leaving a space of about six inches between the wrists. (UteI.) "Outline of the shape of the lodge."
Lodge. KutchinFig. 259.
Left hand and right hand put together in shape of sloping shelter (KutchinI.) Fig. 259.
—— Great Council House.
Place both flat and extended hands in front of the shoulders, pointing forward, palms facing; then pass them straight upward and slightly inward near the termination of the gesture. This appears to combine the gestures formuch,large, andlodge. (ArikaraI.)
——, Coming or going out of a.
Same as the sign forentering a lodge, only the fingers of the right hand point obliquely upward after passing under the left hand. (DakotaI.) "Coming out from under cover."
Hold the open left hand a foot or eighteen inches in front of the breast, palm downward or backward, fingers pointing toward the rightand pass the right, back upward, with index extended, or all of the fingers extended, and pointing forward, about eighteen inches forward underneath the left through an arc from near the mouth. Some at the same time move the left hand toward the breast. (DakotaIV.)
——, Entering a.
The left hand is held with the back upward, and the right hand also with the back up is passed in a curvilinear direction down under the other, so as to rub against its palm, then up on the other side of it. The left hand here represents the low door of the skin lodge and the right the man stooping down to pass in, (Long.)
Pass the flat right hand in short curves under the left, which is held a short distance forward. (Wied.) I have described the same sign. It is not necessary to pass the hand more than once. By saying curves, he seems to imply many passes. If the hand is passed more than once it means repetition of the act. (Matthews; McChesney.) The conception is of the stooping to pass through the low entrance, which is often covered by a flap of skin, sometimes stretched on a frame, and which must be shoved aside, and the subsequent rising when the entrance has been accomplished. A distinction is reported by a correspondent as follows: "If the intention is to speak of a person entering the gesturer's own lodge, the right hand is passed under the left and toward the body, near which the left hand is held; if of a person entering the lodge of another, the left hand is held further from the body and the right is passed under it and outward. In both cases both hands are slightly curved and compressed." As no such distinction is reported by others it may be an individual invention or peculiarity.
A gliding movement of the extended hand, fingers joined, backs up, downward, then ascending, indicative of the stooping and resumption of the upright position in entering the same. (ArapahoI.)
(1) Sign forLodge, the left hand being still in position used in making sign forLodge; (2) forefinger and thumb of right hand brought to a point and thrust through the outline of an imaginary lodge represented by the left hand. (CheyenneII.)
First make the sign forLodge, then place the left hand, horizontal and slightly arched, before the body, and pass the right hand with extended index underneath the left—forward and slightly upward beyond it. (AbsarokaI;DakotaV;Shoshoni and BanakI;WyandotI.)
Left hand (W), ends of fingers toward the right, stationary in front of the left breast; pass the right hand directly and quickly out from the breast under the stationary left hand, ending with the extended fingers of the right hand pointing outward and slightly downward, joined, palm downward flat, horizontal (W). (DakotaI.) "Gone under; covered."
Hold the open left hand a foot or eighteen inches in front of the breast, palm downward or backward, fingers pointing toward the right, and pass the right hand, palm upward, fingers bent sidewise and pointing backward, from before backward underneath it, through a curve until near the mouth. Some at the same time move the left hand a little forward. (DakotaIV.)
The left hand, palm downward, finger-tips forward, either quite extended or with the fingers slightly bent, is held before the body. Then the right hand nearly or quite extended, palm downward, finger-tips near the left thumb, and pointing toward it, is passed transversely under the left hand and one to four inches below it. The fingers of the right hand point slightly upward when the motion is completed. This sign usually, but not invariably, refers to entering a house. (Mandan and HidatsaI.)
Place the slightly curved left hand, palm down, before the breast, pointing to the right, then pass the flat right hand, palm down, in a short curve forward, under and upward beyond the left. (UteI.) "Evidently from the manner in which a person is obliged to stoop in entering an ordinary Indian lodge."
The right hand with the edge downward, the fingers joined, the thumb recumbent, extended forward. (Dunbar.)
Place the index and middle finger of the right hand astraddle the index finger of the left. [In the original the expression "third" finger is used, but it is ascertained in another connection that the author counts the thumb as the first finger and always means what is generally styled middle finger when he says third. The alteration is made to prevent confusion.] (Wied.) I have described this sign in words to the same effect. (Matthews.) The right arm is raised, and the hand, opened edgewise, with fingers parallel and approximated, is drawn from left to right before the body at the supposed height of the animal. There is no conceivable identity in the execution of this sign andWied's, but his sign forhorseis nearly identical with the sign forride a horseamong the Otos. (Boteler.) This sign is still used by the Cheyennes. (Dodge.)
A hand passed across the forehead. (Macgowan.)
Left-hand thumb and forefinger straightened out, held to the level of and in front of the breast; right-hand forefinger separated from the middle finger and thrown across the left hand to imitate the act of bestriding. They appear to have no other conception of a horse, and have thus indicated that they have known it only as an animal to be ridden. (Creel;CheyenneII.)
Draw the right hand from left to right across the body about the heart, the fingers all closed except the index. This is abbreviated by making a circular sweep of the right open hand from about the left elbow to the front of the body, probably indicating the mane. A Pani sign. (CheyenneIV.)
Place the first two fingers of the right hand, thumb extended (N 1), downward, astraddle the first two joined and straight fingers of the left hand (T 1), sidewise to the right. Many Sioux Indians use only the forefinger straightened. (DakotaI.) "Horse mounted."
The first and second fingers extended and separated, remaining fingers and thumb closed; left forefinger extended, horizontal, remaining fingers and thumb closed; place the right-hand fingers astride of the forefinger of the left, and both hands jerked together, up and down, to represent the motion of a horse. (DakotaIII.)
The two hands being clinched and near together, palms downward, thumbs against the forefingers, throw them, each alternately, forward and backward about a foot, through an ellipsis two or three times, from about six inches in front of the chest, to imitate the galloping of a horse, or the hands may be held forward and not moved. (DakotaIV.)
Horse. N.A. IndianFig. 260.
Place the extended and separated index and second fingers of the right hand astraddle of the extended forefinger of the left. Fig. 260. Sometimes all the fingers of the left hand are extended in making this sign, as in Fig. 261, though this may be the result of carelessness. (DakotaVI, VII, VIII;HidatsaI;PonkaII;ArikaraI;PaniI.)
Horse. DakotaFig. 261.
The left hand is before the chest, back upward in the position of an index-hand pointing forward; then the first and second fingers of the right hand only being extended, separated and pointing downward, are set one on each side of the left forefinger, the interdigital space resting on the forefinger. The palm faces downward and backward. This represents a rider astride of a horse. (Mandan and HidatsaI.)
Close hands, except forefingers, which are curved downward; move them forward in rotation, imitating the fore feet of the horse, and make puffing sound of "Uh, uh"! (OmahaI.) "This sign represents the horse racing off to a safe distance, and puffing as he tosses his head."
The arm is flexed and the hand extended is brought on a level with the mouth. The hand then assumes the position (W 1), modified by being held edges up and down, palm toward the chest, instead offlat. The arm and hand being held thus about the usual height of a horse are made to pass in an undulating manner across the face or body about one foot distant from contact. The latter movements are to resemble the animal's gait. (OtoI.) "Height of animal and movement of same."
The index and second fingers of the right hand are placed astraddle the extended forefinger of the left. (WyandotI.)
Horse. Kaiowa, etc.Fig. 262.
Place the flat right hand, thumb down, edgewise before the right side of the shoulder, pointing toward the right. (KaiowaI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.) Fig. 262.
Horse. CaddoFig. 263.
Another: Hold the right hand flat, extended, with fingers joined, the thumb extended upward, then pass the hand at arm's length before the face from left to right. This is said by the authorities cited below to be also the Caddo sign, and that the other tribes mentioned originally obtained it from that tribe. (KaiowaI;ComancheI, III;ApacheII;WichitaII.) Fig. 263.
Another: Place the extended and separated index and second fingers astraddle the extended and horizontal forefinger of the left hand. This sign is only used when communicating with uninstructed white men, or with other Indians whose sign for horse is specifically distinct. (KaiowaI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.).
Horse. Pima and PapagoFig. 264.
Place the extended index and second fingers of the right hand across the extended first two fingers of the left. Fig. 264. Size of the animal is indicated by passing the right hand, palm down, with fingers loosely separated, forward from the right side, at any height as the case may necessitate, after which the sign forHorsemay be made. (Pima and PapagoI.)
Horse. UteFig. 265.
Horse. UteFig. 266.
Place the right hand, palm down, before the right side of the chest; place the tips of the second and third fingers against the ball of the thumb, allowing the index and little fingers to project to represent the ears. Fig. 265. Frequently the middle fingers extend equally with and against the thumb, forming the head of the animal, the ears always being represented by the two outer fingers, viz, the index and little finger. Fig. 266. (UteI.) A similar sign is reported by Colonel Dodge as used by the Utes.
Elevate the right hand, extended, with fingers joined, outer edge toward the ground, in front of the body or right shoulder, and pointingforward, resting the curved thumb against the palmar side of the index. This sign appears also to signifyanimalgenerically, being frequently employed as a preliminary sign when denoting other species. (ApacheI.)
Deaf-mute natural signs:
Imitate the motion of the elbows of a man on horseback. (Ballard.)
Act in the manner of a driver, holding the lines in his hands and shouting to the horse. (Cross.)
Move the hands several times as if to hold the reins. (Larson.)
Deaf-mute signs:
The French deaf-mutes add to the straddling of the index the motion of a trot. American deaf-mutes indicate the ears by placing two fingers of each hand on each side of the head and moving them backward and forward. This is sometimes followed by straddling the left hand by the fore and middle fingers of the right.
——, A man on a.
Same sign as forHorse, with the addition of erecting the thumb while making the gesture. (Dodge.)
——, Bay.
Make the sign forHorse, and then rub the lower part of the cheek back and forth. (DakotaIV.)
——, Black.
Make the sign forHorse, and then, point to a black object or rub the back of the left hand with the palmar side of the fingers of the right. (DakotaIV.)
——, Bronco. An untamed horse.
Make the signTo Rideby placing the extended and separated index and second fingers of the right hand astraddle the extended forefinger of the left hand, then with both hands retained in their relative positions move them forward in high arches to show the bucking of the animal. (UteI.)
——, Grazing of a.
Make the sign forHorse, then lower the hand and pass it from side to side as if dipping it upon the surface. (UteI.)
——, Packing a.
Hold the left hand, pointing forward, palm inward, a foot in front of the chest and lay the opened right hand, pointing forward, first obliquely along the right side of the upper edge of the left hand, then on top, and then obliquely along the left side. (DakotaIV.)
——, Racing, Fast horse.
The right arm is elevated and bent at right angle before the face; the hand, in position (S 1) modified by being horizontal, palm to the face,is drawn across edgewise in front of the face. The hand is then closed and in position (B) approaches the mouth from which it is opened and closed successively forward several times, finally it is suddenly thrust out in position (W 1) back concave. (Oto and MissouriI.) "Is expressed in the (OtoI) sign forHorse, then the motion for quick running."
—— Racing.
Extend the two forefingers and after placing them parallel near together in front of the chest, backs upward, push them rapidly forward about a foot. (DakotaIV.)
Place both hands, with the forefingers only extended and pointing forward side by side with the palms down, before the body; then push them alternately backward and forward, in imitation of the movement of horses who are running "neck and neck." (UteI;ApacheI, II.)
——, Saddling a.
Hold the left hand as in the sign forHorse,Packing a, and lay the semiflexed right hand across its upper edge two or three times, the ends of the right fingers toward the left. (DakotaIV.)
Saddling a horse. UteFig. 267.
Place the extended and separated fingers rapidly with a slapping sound astraddle the extended fore and second fingers of the left hand. The sound is produced by the palm of the right hand which comes in contact with the upper surface of the left. (UteI.) Fig. 267.
——, Spotted; pied.
Make the sign forHorse, then the sign forSpotted, see page345. (DakotaIV.)
The hands are held with the edge upward, and the right hand strikes the other transversely, as in the act of chopping. This sign seems to be more particularly applicable to convey the idea of death produced by a blow of the tomahawk or war-club. (Long.)
Clinch the hand and strike from above downward. (Wied.) I do not remember this. I have given you the sign for killing with a stroke. (Matthews.) There is an evident similarity in conception and execution between the (Oto and MissouriI) sign andWied's. (Boteler.) I have frequently seen this sign made by the Arikara, Gros Ventre, and Mandan Indians at Fort Berthold Agency. (McChesney.) This motion, which maybe more clearly expressed as the downward thrust of a knife held in the clinched hand, is still used by many tribes for the general idea of "kill," and illustrates the antiquity of the knife as a weapon.Wieddoes not say whether the clinched hand is thrust downward withthe edge or the knuckles forward. The latter is now the almost universal usage among the same tribes from which he is supposed to have taken his list of signs, and indicates the thrust of a knife more decisively than if the fist were moved with the edge in advance. The actual employment of arrow, gun, or club in taking life, is, however, often specified by appropriate gesture.
Smite the sinister palm earthward with the dexter fist sharply, in sign of "going down"; or strike out with the dexter fist toward the ground, meaning to "shut down"; or pass the dexter under the left forefinger, meaning to "go under." (Burton.)
Right hand cast down. (Macgowan.)
Hold the right fist, palm down, knuckles forward, and make a thrust forward and downward. (ArapahoII;CheyenneV;DakotaVI, VII, VIII;HidatsaI;PonkaII;ArikaraI;PaniI.) Fig. 268.
Kill. N.A. IndianFig. 268.
Right hand clinched, thumb lying along the finger tips, elevated to near the shoulder, strike downward and out vaguely in the direction of the object to be killed. The abstract sign forkillis simply to clinch the right hand in the manner described and strike it down and out from the right side. (CheyenneII.)
Close the right hand, extending the forefinger alone; point toward the breast, then throw from you forward, bringing the hand toward the ground. (OjibwaV;OmahaI.)
Both hands clinched, with the thumbs resting against the middle joints of the forefingers, hold the left transversely in front of and as high as the breast, then push the right, palm down, quickly over and down in front of the left. (AbsarokaI;Shoshoni and BanakI.) "To force under—literally."
With the dexter fist carried to the front of the body at the right side, strike downward and outward several times, with back of hand upward, thumb toward the left, several times. (DakotaI.) "Strike down."
With the first and second joints of the fingers of the right hand bent, end of thumb against the middle of the index, palm downward, move the hand energetically forward and downward from a foot in front of the right breast. Striking with a stone—man's first weapon. (Dakota, IV.)
The left hand, thumb up, back forward, not very rigidly extended, is held before the chest and struck in the palm with the outer edge of theright hand. (Mandan and HidatsaI.) "To kill with a blow; to deal the death blow." Fig. 269.
Right hand, fingers open but slightly curved, palm to the left; move downward, describing a curve. (OmahaI.)
Kill. Mandan and HidatsaFig. 269.
Another: Similar to the last, but the index finger is extended, pointing in front of you, the other fingers but half open. (OmahaI.)
Place the flat right hand, palm down, at arm's length to the right, bring it quickly, horizontally, to the side of the head, then make the sign forDead. (OjibwaV;WyandotI.) "To strike with a club, dead."
Both hands, in positions (AA), with arms semiflexed toward the body, make the forward rotary sign with the clinched fists as in fighting; the right hand is then raised from the left outward, as clutching a knife with the blade pointing downward and inward toward the left fist; the left fist, being heldin situ, is struck now by the right, edgewise as above described, and both suddenly fall together. (Oto and MissouriI.) "To strike down in battle with a knife. Indians seldom disagree or kill another in times of tribal peace."
Deaf-mute natural signs:
Strike a blow in the air with the clinched fist, and then incline the head to one side, and lower the open hand, palm upward. (Ballard.)
Strike the other hand with the fist, or point a gun, and, having shot, suddenly point to your breast with the finger, and hold your head sidewise on the hand. (Cross.)
Use the closed hand as if to strike, and then move back the head with the eyes shut and the mouth opened. (Hasenstab.)
Put the head down over the breast, and then move down the stretched hand along the neck. (Larson.)
Turkish sign:
Draw finger across the throat like cutting with a knife. (Barnum.)
—— In battle, To.
Make the sign forBattleby placing both hands at the height of the breast, palms facing, the left forward from the left shoulder, the right outward and forward from the right, fingers pointing up and spread, move them alternately toward and from one another; then strike theback of the fingers of the right hand into the slightly curved palm of the left, immediately afterward throwing the right outward and downward toward the right. (UteI.) "Killed and falling over."
—— You; I will kill you.
Direct the right hand toward the offender and spring the finger from the thumb, as in the act of sprinkling water. (Long.) The conception is perhaps "causing blood to flow," or, perhaps, "sputtering away the life," though there is a strong similarity to the motion used for thedischarge of a gun or arrow.
Remarks and illustrations connected with the signs forkillappear on pages377and378,supra.
——, to, with a knife.
Clinch the right hand and strike forcibly toward the ground before the breast from the height of the face. (UteI.) "Appears to have originated when flint knives were still used."
The hand held up before the face, with the palm outward and vibrated to and fro. (Dunbar.)
The right hand waved outward to the right with the thumb upward. (Long;Creel.)
Wave the right hand quickly by and in front of the face toward the right. (Wied.) Refusing to accept the idea or statement presented.
Move the hand from right to left, as if motioning away. This sign also means "I'll have nothing to do with you." (Burton.)
A deprecatory wave of the right hand from front to right, fingers extended and joined. (ArapahoI;CheyenneV.)
Right-hand fingers extended together, side of hand in front of and facing the face, in front of the mouth and waved suddenly to the right. (CheyenneII.)
Place the right hand extended before the body, fingers pointing upward, palm to the front, then throw the hand outward to the right, and slightly downward. (AbsarokaI;HidatsaI;ArikaraI.) See Fig. 65, page290.
The right hand, horizontal, palm toward the left, is pushed sidewise outward and toward the right from in front of the left breast.No, none, I have none, etc., are all expressed by this sign. Often these Indians fornowill simply shake the head to the right and left. This sign, although it may have originally been introduced from the whitepeople's habit of shaking the head to express "no," has been in use among them for as long as the oldest people can remember, yet they do not use the variant to express "yes." (DakotaI.) "Dismissing the idea, etc."
Place the opened relaxed right hand, pointing toward the left, back forward, in front of the nose or as low as the breast, and throw it forward and outward about eighteen inches. Some at the same time turn the palm upward. Or make the sign at the height of the breast with both hands. Represents the shaking of the head. (DakotaIV.) The shaking of the head in negation is not so universal or "natural" as is popularly supposed, for the ancient Greeks, followed by the modern Turks and rustic Italians, threw the head back, instead of shaking it, for "no." Rabelais makes Pantagruel (Book 3) show by many quotations from the ancients how the shaking of the head was a frequent if not universal concomitant of oracular utterance—not connected with negation.
Hold the flat hand edgewise, pointing upward before the right side of the chest, then throw it outward and downward to the right. (DakotaVI, VII.) Fig. 270.
Negation. No. DakotaFig. 270.
The hand, extended or slightly curved, is held in front of the body a little to the right of the median line; it is then carried with a rapid sweep a foot or more farther to the right. (Mandan and HidatsaI.)
Place the hand as inyes, as follows: The hand open, palm downward, at the level of the breast, is moved forward with a quick downward motion from the wrist, imitating a bow of the head; then move it from side to side. (IroquoisI.) "A shake of the head."
Throw the flat right hand forward and outward to the right, palm to the front. (KaiowaI;ComancheIII;ApacheII;WichitaII.)
Quick motion of open hand from the mouth forward, palm toward the mouth. (SahaptinI.)
Place hand in front of body, fingers relaxed, palm toward body (Y 1), then with easy motion move to a point, say, a foot from the body, a little to right, fingers same, but palm upward. (SahaptinI.) "We don't agree." To expressAll gone, use a similar motion with both hands. "Empty."
The hand waved outward with the thumb upward in a semi-curve. (ComancheI;WichitaI.)
Elevate the extended index and wave it quickly from side to side before the face. This is sometimes accompanied by shaking the head. (Pai-UteI.) Fig. 271.
Negation. No. Pai-UteFig. 271.
Extend the index, holding it vertically before the face, remaining fingers and thumb closed; pass the finger quickly from side to side a foot or so before the face. (ApacheI.) This sign, as also that of (Pai-UteI), is substantially the same as that with the same significance reported from Naples by De Jorio.
Another: The right hand, naturally relaxed, is thrown outward and forward toward the right. (ApacheI.)
Wave extended index before the face from side to side. (ApacheIII.)
Another: Wave the index briskly before the right shoulder. This appears to be more common than the preceding. (ApacheIII.)
Right hand extended at the height of the eye, palm outward, then moved outward a little toward the right. (KutchinI.)
Extend the palm of the right hand horizontally a foot from the waist, palm downward, then suddenly throw it half over from the body, as if tossing a chip from the back of the hand. (WichitaI.)
Deaf-mute natural signs:
Shake the head. (Ballard.)
Move both hands from each other, and, at the same time, shake the head. (Hasenstab.)
Deaf-mute signs:
French deaf-mutes wave the hand to the right and downward, with the first and second fingers joined and extended, the other fingers closed. This position of the fingers is that for the letter N in the finger alphabet, the initial for the wordnon. American deaf-mutes for emphatic negative wave the right hand before the face.
Turkish sign:
Throwing head back or elevating the chin and partly shutting the eyes. This also means, "Be silent." (Barnum.)
Japanese sign:
Move the right hand rapidly back and forth before the face. Communicated in a letter from Prof.E.S. Morse, late of the University of Tokio, Japan. The same correspondent mentions that the AdmiraltyIslanders pass the forefinger across the face, striking the nose in passing, for negation. If thenois a doubtful one theyrubthe nose in passing, a gesture common elsewhere.
For further illustrations and comparisons see pp.290,298,299,304,355, and356,supra.
Motion of rubbing out. (Macgowan.)
Littleornothingis signified by passing one hand over the other. (Creel;OjibwaI.)
May be signified by smartly brushing the right hand across the left from the wrist toward the fingers, both hands extended, palms toward each other and fingers joined. (ArapahoI.)
Is included ingone, destroyed. (DakotaI.)
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. (DakotaIV.)
Another: Pass the ulnar side of the right index along the left index several times from tip to base, while pronating 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. (DakotaIV.)
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. (DakotaIV.)
Pass the palm of the flat right hand over the left from the wrist toward and off of the tips of the fingers. (DakotaVI, VII, VIII;PonkaII;PaniI.) Fig. 272.