While we know our northern friends may not feel it, in the South, Spring is
here. So we thought we'd share a few of our gardening sites appropriate
for this time of the year. Along with gardening, there's grilling, and getting
ready to diet so that you can fit back into that bathing suit this summer!
The Indians who have been shown over the
civilized East have often succeeded in holding intercourse,
by means of their invention and application of principles in
what may be called the voiceless mother utterance, with
white deaf-mutes, who surely have no semiotic code more
nearly connected with that attributed to the plain-roamers
than is derived from their common humanity. They showed the
greatest pleasure in meeting deaf-mutes, precisely as
travelers in a foreign country are rejoiced to meet persons
speaking their language, with whom they can hold direct
communication without the tiresome and often suspected
medium of an interpreter. When they met together they were
found to pursue the same course as that noticed at the
meeting of deaf-mutes who were either not instructed in any
methodical dialect or who had received such instruction by
different methods. They often disagreed in the signs at
first presented, but soon understood them, and finished by
adopting some in mutual compromise, which proved to be those
most strikingly appropriate, graceful, and convenient; but
there still remained in some cases a plurality of fitting
signs for the same idea or object. On one of the most
interesting of these occasions, at the Pennsylvania
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, in 1873, it was remarked
that the signs of the deaf-mutes were much more readily
understood by the Indians, who were Absaroka or Crows,
Arapahos, and Cheyennes, than were theirs by the deaf-mutes,
and that the latter greatly excelled in pantomimic effect.
This need not be surprising when it is considered that what
is to the Indian a mere adjunct or accomplishment is to the
deaf-mute the natural mode of utterance, and that there is
still greater freedom from the trammel of translating words
into action—instead of acting the ideas themselves—when, the
sound of words being unknown, they remain still as they
originated, but another kind of sign, even after the art of
reading is acquired, and do not become entities as with us.
The "action, action, action," of Demosthenes is their only
oratory, not the mere heightening of it, however valuable.
On March 6, 1880, the writer had an interesting experience
in taking to the National Deaf-Mute College at Washington
seven Utes (which tribe, according to report, is
unacquainted with sign language), among whom were Augustin,
Alejandro, Jakonik, Severio, and Wash. By the kind attention
of President Gallaudet a thorough test was given, an equal
number of deaf-mute pupils being placed in communication
with the Indians, alternating with them both in making
individual signs and in telling narratives in gesture, which
were afterwards interpreted in speech by the Ute interpreter
and the officers of the college. Notes of a few of them were
taken, as follows:
Among the signs was that for squirrel, given by a
deaf-mute. The right hand was placed over and facing the
left, and about four inches above the latter, to show the
height of the animal; then the two hands were held edgewise
and horizontally in front, about eight inches apart (showing
length); then imitating the grasping of a small
object and biting it rapidly with the incisors, the extended
index was pointed upward and forward (in a tree).
This was not understood, as the Utes have no sign for the
tree squirrel, the arboreal animal not being now found in
their region.
Deaf-mute sign for jack-rabbit: The first two fingers
of each hand extended (the remaining fingers and thumbs
closed) were placed on either side of the head, pointing
upward; then arching the hands, palm down, quick,
interrupted, jumping movements forward were made.
This was readily understood.
The signs for the following narrative were given by a
deaf-mute: When he was a boy he mounted a horse without
either bridle or saddle, and as the horse began to go he
grasped him by the neck for support; a dog flew at the
horse, began to bark, when the rider was thrown off and
considerably hurt.
In this the sign for dog was as follows: Pass the
arched hand forward from the lower part of the face, to
illustrate elongated nose and mouth, then with both
forefingers extended, remaining fingers and thumbs closed,
place them upon either side of the lower jaw, pointing
upward, to show lower canines, at the same time accompanying
the gesture with an expression of withdrawing the lips so as
to show the teeth snarling; then, with the fingers of the
right hand extended and separated throw them quickly forward
and slightly upward (voice or talking).
This sign was understood to mean bear, as that for
dog is different among the Utes, i.e., by merely
showing the height of the dog and pushing the flat hand
forward, finger-tips first.
Another deaf-mute gestured to tell that when he was a boy he
went to a melon-field, tapped several melons, finding them
to be green or unripe; finally reaching a good one he took
his knife, cut a slice, and ate it. A man made his
appearance on horseback, entered the patch on foot, found
the cut melon, and detecting the thief, threw the melon
towards him, hitting him in the back, whereupon he ran away
crying. The man mounted and rode off in an opposite
direction.
All of these signs were readily comprehended, although some
of the Indians varied very slightly in their translation.
When the Indians were asked whether, if they (the
deaf-mutes) were to come to the Ute country they would be
scalped, the answer was given, "Nothing would be done to
you; but we would be friends," as follows:
The palm of the right hand was brushed toward the right over
that of the left (nothing), and the right hand made
to grasp the palm of the left, thumbs extended over and
lying upon the back of the opposing hand.
This was readily understood by the deaf-mutes.
Deaf-mute sign of milking a cow and drinking the milk was
fully and quickly understood.
The narrative of a boy going to an apple-tree, hunting for
ripe fruit and filling his pockets, being surprised by the
owner and hit upon the head with a stone, was much
appreciated by the Indians and completely understood.
A deaf-mute asked Alejandro how long it took him to come to
Washington from his country. He replied by placing the index
and second finger of the right hand astride the extended
forefinger (others closed) of the left; then elevating the
fingers of the left hand (except thumb and forefinger) back
forward (three); then extending the fingers of both
hands and bringing them to a point, thumbs resting on palmar
sides and extended, placing the hands in front of the body,
the tips opposite the opposing wrist, and about four inches
apart; then, revolving them in imitation of wheels,
he elevated the extended forefinger of the left hand (one);
then placing the extended flat hands, thumbs touching, the
backs sloping downward towards the respective right and left
sides, like the roof of a house; then repeating the sign of
wheels as in the preceding, after which the left hand was
extended before the body, fingers toward the right,
horizontal, palm down and slightly arched, the right wrist
held under it, the fingers extending upward beyond it, and
quickly and repeatedly snapped upward (smoke); the
last three signs being covered—wagon—smoke, i.e., cars;
then elevating four fingers of the left hand (four).
Translation.—Traveled three days on horseback, one in
a wagon, and four in the cars.
The deaf-mutes understood all but the sign for wheel, which
they make as a large circle, with one hand.
Another example: A deaf-mute pretended to hunt something;
found birds, took his bow and arrows and killed several.
This was fully understood.
A narrative given by Alejandro was also understood by the
deaf-mutes, to the effect that he made search for deer, shot
one with a gun, killed and skinned it, and packed it up.
It will be observed that many of the above signs admitted of
and were expressed by pantomime, yet that was not the case
with all that were made. President Gallaudet made also some
remarks in gesture which were understood by the Indians, yet
were not strictly pantomimic.
The opinion of all present at the test was that two
intelligent mimes would seldom fail of mutual understanding,
their attention being exclusively directed to the expression
of thoughts by the means of comprehension and reply equally
possessed by both, without the mental confusion of
conventional sounds only intelligible to one.
A large collection has been made of natural deaf-mute signs,
and also of those more conventional, which have been
collated with those of the several tribes of Indians. Many
of them show marked similarity, not only in principle but
often in detail.
The result of the studies so far as prosecuted is that what
is called the sign language of Indians is not,
properly speaking, one language, but that it and the gesture
systems of deaf-mutes and of all peoples constitute together
one language—the gesture speech of mankind—of which each
system is a dialect.
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Sign Language
Among North American Indians Compared with
that Among Other Peoples and Deaf-Mutes,
1881
