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!
Apart from the establishment of a systematic
language of signs under special circumstances which have
occasioned its development, the gestures of the lower tribes
of men may be generally classed under the emotional or
instinctive division, which can be correlated with those of
the lower animals. This may be illustrated by the modes
adopted to show friendship in salutation, taking the place
of our shaking hands. Some Pacific Islanders used to show
their joy at meeting friends by sniffing at them, after the
style of well-disposed dogs. The Fuegians pat and slap each
other, and some Polynesians stroke their own faces with the
hand or foot of the friend. The practice of rubbing or
pressing noses is very common. It has been noticed in the
Lapland Alps, often in Africa, and in Australia the tips of
the noses are pressed a long time, accompanied with grunts
of satisfaction. Patting and stroking different parts of the
body are still more frequent, and prevailed among the North
American Indians, though with the latter the most common
expression was hugging. In general, the civilities exchanged
are similar to those of many animals.
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language of a particular period or place. These items are presented as
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Sign Language
Among North American Indians Compared with
that Among Other Peoples and Deaf-Mutes,
1881
