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Sign Language Among North American Indians

During the past two years the present writer has devoted the intervals between official duties to collecting and collating materials for the study of sign language. As the few publications on the general subject, possessing more than historic interest, are meager in details and vague in expression, original investigation has been necessary.  Read more

• Introductory

• Divisions of Gesture Speech

• Origin of Sign Language

  • Gestures of Lower Animals

  • Gestures of Young Children

  • Gestures in Mental Disorder

  • Uninstructed Deaf-Mutes

  • Gestures of the Blind

  • Loss of Speech by Isolation

  • Low Tribes of Man

  • Gestures as an Occasional Resource

  • Gestures of Fluent Talkers

  • Involuntary Response to Gestures

  • Natural Pantomime

• Some Theories Upon Primitive Language

  • Conclusions

• History of Gesture Language

• Modern Use of Gesture Speech

  • Use by Other Peoples Than North American Indians

    • Neopolitan Signs

  • Use By Modern Actors and Orators

    • Gestures of Actors

    • Gestures of Our Public Speakers

• Our Indian Conditions Favorable to Sign Language

• Theories Entertained Respecting Indian Signs

  • Not Correlated with Meagerness of Sign Language

  • Its Origin from One Tribe or Region

  • Is the Indian System Special and Peculiar?

    • Comparisons with Foreign Signs

    • Comparison with Deaf-Mute Signs

  • To What Extent Prevalent as a System

    • Once Probably Universal in North America

    • Mistaken Denial That Sign Language Exists

    • Permanence of Signs

    • Survival in Gesture

    • Distinction Between Identity of Signs and Their Use as an Art

    • Forced and Mistaken Signs

    • Abbreviations

  • Are Signs Conventional or Instinctive?

  • Classes of Diversity in Signs

    • Synonyms

    • Symmorphs

• Results Sought in the Study of Sign Language

  • Practical Application

    • Powers of Signs Compared with Speech

  • Relations to Philology

    • Etymology of Words from Gestures

    • Gestures Connected with the Origin of Writing

  • Sign Language with Reference to Grammar

    • Syntax

    • Degrees of Comparison

    • Opposition

    • Proper Names

    • Gender

    • Tense

    • Conjunctions

    • Prepositions

    • Punctuation

  • Gestures Aiding Archæologic Research

    • Signs Connected with Pictographs

    • Signs Connected with Ethnologic Facts

• Notable Points for Further Researches

  • Invention of New Signs

  • Danger of Symbolic Interpretation

  • Signs Used by Women and Children

  • Positive Signs Rendered Negative

  • Details of Positions of Fingers

  • Motions Relative to Parts of the Body

  • Suggestions for Collecting Signs

• Mode in Which Researches Have Been Made

• List of Authorities and Collaborators

  • Algonkian

  • Dakotan

  • Iroquoian

  • Kaiowan

  • Kutinean

  • Panian

  • Piman

  • Sahaptian

  • Shoshonian

  • Tinnean

  • Wichitan

  • Zuñian

  • Foreign Correspondence

• Extracts from Dictionary

• Tribal Signs

  • Proper Names

  • Phrases

  • Analysis

  • Analysis

• Dialogues

  • Tendoy-Huerito Dialogue

  • Omaha Colloquy

  • Brulé Dakota Colloquy

  • Dialogue Between Alaskan Indians

  • Ojibwa Dialogue

• Narratives

  • Nátci's Narrative

  • Patricio's Narrative

    • Continuous Translation of the Above

  • Na-Wa-Gi-Jig's Story

• Discourses

  • Address of Kin Chē­ĕss

  • Tso-Di-A'-Ko's Report

    • Analysis of the Foregoing

  • Lean Wolf's Complaint

• Signals

• Signals Executed by Bodily Action

• Signals in Which Objects Are Used in Connection with Personal Action

• Signals Made When the Person of the Signalist is Not Visible

  • Smoke Signals Generally

  • Smoke Signals of the Apaches

  • Foreign Smoke Signals

  • Fire Arrows

  • Dust Signals

  • Notes on Cheyenne and Arapaho Signals

• Scheme of Illustration

• Outlines for Arm Positions in Sign Language

  • Order of Arrangement

• Types of Hand Positions in Sign Language

• Note Concerning the Foregoing Types

• Examples

• Explanation of Marks

This site includes some historical materials that may imply negative stereotypes reflecting the culture or language of a particular period or place. These items are presented as part of the historical record and should not be interpreted to mean that the WebMasters in any way endorse the stereotypes implied.

Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared with that Among Other Peoples and Deaf-Mutes, 1881

Indian Genealogy

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