Indian Scout Talks Part 9

_Love_. Cross both arms over bosom.

_Give Me_. Hold right hand well out in front of body, palm upward, close, and bring in toward body.

_Beautiful_. Hold palms up like mirror in front of face; make sign for _Good_.

_Ugly_. Same as above, with sign for _Bad_.

_Peace_. Clasp both hands in front of body.

_Quarrel_. Hold index fingers, pointing upward, opposite and a few inches apart; move sharply toward each other, alternating motion.

_Liar_. (Forked tongue.) Bring separated first and second fingers of right hand close to lips.

_Scout_. (This is also the sign for Wolf.) Hold first and second fingers of right hand, extended and pointing upward, near right shoulder, to indicate pointed ears.

_Trail_. Hold extended hands, palms up, side by side in front of body; move right to rear and left to front a few inches; alternate motion.

_It is finished_. Bring closed hands in front of body, thumbs up, second joints touching; then separate. This sign ends a speech or conversation.

XXII-INDIAN PICTURE-WRITING

The Indian is something of an impressionist in the matter of technique.

Though possessed of great manual dexterity, he does not care, as a rule, to reproduce an object exactly, but rather to suggest his fundamental conception of it. Each drawing stands for an idea, and its symbolic character gives it a certain mystery and dignity in our eyes.

It is usual to represent an animal in action, in order to indicate more clearly its real or imaginary attributes. Thus a horse is shown running, a buffalo or bear fighting, or in a humorous att.i.tude.

Pictorial hieroglyphics are merely crude pictures drawn and painted upon leather or birch-bark, or cut into the trunk of a convenient tree, or perhaps upon a hard clay bank, and sometimes even scratched with a hard stone upon the face of a cliff. In the first place, they represent history and biography, and serve to supplement and authenticate our oral traditions. Others are communications intended for some one who is likely to pa.s.s that way, and give important information. The person or persons whom it is desired to reach need not be addressed, but the sender of the message signs his name first, as in a letter of ceremony.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 21.]

Suppose Charging Eagle is on the war-path and wishes to communicate with his friends. He cuts upon the bark of a conspicuous tree beside the trail the figure of an eagle swooping downward, bearing in its beak a war-club. The news he gives is that his young men brought home a herd of horses taken from the enemy. He draws first a teepee; facing it are several free horses, and immediately behind them two or three riders with war-bonnets on their heads, leading another horse. Last of all are some horses' footprints. The free horses represent force, and the led horse expresses captivity. The fact that the men wear their war-bonnets, indicates a state of war.

The event is dated by drawing the symbol of the month in which it occurred, followed by the outline of the moon in its first, second, third, or fourth quarter, dark or full, as the case may be. The waxing moon opens toward the right, the waning moon toward the left. To be still more exact, the chief may draw the sun with its rays, followed by an open hand with as many fingers extended as days have pa.s.sed since the event.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 22.]

The thirteen moons of the year are named differently by different Indian tribes. I will give the names and symbols commonly used by the Sioux, beginning with nature's new year, the early spring.

1. Ish-tah'-wee-chah'-ya-zan-wee. Moon of Sore Eyes.

2. Mah-gah'-o-kah'-dah-wee. Moon of Ducks' Eggs.

3. Wah-to'-pah-wee. Canoeing Moon.

4. Wee'-pah-zoo-kah-wee. June-Berry Moon.

5. Wah-shoon'-pah-wee. Moon of Moulting Feathers.

6. Chan-pah-sap'-ah-wee. Moon of Black Cherries.

7. Psin-ah'-tee-wee. Wild-Rice Gathering Moon.

8. Wah-soo'-ton-wee'. Moon of Green Corn.

9. Wok'-sah-pee-wee'. Moon of Corn Harvest.

10. Tah-kee'-yoo-hah'-wee'. Moon of Mating Deer.

11. Tah-hay'-chap-shoon'-wee. Moon of Dropping Deer horns.

12. Wee-tay'-ghee. Moon of Severe Cold.

13. We-chah'-tah-wee. Racc.o.o.n's Moon.

In the old days, there were many different bands of the Sioux, who wandered, during the year, over a wide extent of country. Thus news was spread both by signal communication and by pictographs, when it was impossible to communicate by word of mouth. This particular message of Charging Eagle's was not only news, but also a warning to travelers to be on their guard, for the enemy might seek to retaliate, and some innocent persons be surprised and made to pay dearly for another's exploit.

In picture-writing, the head of man or animal is emphasized, with its distinguis.h.i.+ng peculiarity of head-gear, or ears, or horns, while the body is barely outlined. The warrior is represented by a rude figure of a man wearing a war-bonnet, or carrying a coup-staff. Warriors returning successful are shown approaching a group of teepees, carrying scalps on poles. If, on the contrary, the writer's camp has been raided, the figures are seen departing from the teepees. A trail, or journey, is indicated by double wavy lines. If the travelers parted, the trail is branched.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 23.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 24.]

Lightning is represented by zig-zag lines with a suggestion of flames at the points, or by a large bird with zig-zag flashes issuing from his beak. Wind is indicated by tossed clouds; but for the four winds, or four points of the compa.s.s, draw a mere cross, or a pair of crossed arrows. For rain, make dots and dashes; for snow, falling stars; for night, stars above a black line, sometimes adding a crescent moon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 25.]

Every Indian has his pictographic signature, and this idea may appropriately be copied by Boy Scouts, who will also enjoy communicating by Indian signs and keeping the record book or "winter count" in the same manner.

The name "Sitting Bull," for example, is drawn as a buffalo bull sitting upon its haunches, with front feet in the air and tossing head. Spotted Tail is a charger with luxuriant flowing tail, streaked and spotted with white. Hawk Eagle signs his name by drawing a hawk wearing an eagle feather war-bonnet. Big Tent draws a large teepee, with a buffalo tail dangling from the projecting poles, to show dignity and importance. The autograph of Chief Bullhead is the figure of a man with the head of a bull buffalo, perhaps surmounted by a war-bonnet.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 26.]

The "ghost," or spirit, is represented by a pair of eyes looking from the sky, or by the outline of a bird with great eyes. Prayer, or the "Great Mystery," is symbolized by the figure of a man in the Indian's prayer att.i.tude-standing erect, with head uplifted and the tips of his fingers meeting in a sharp angle in front of his chest, gazing at the figure of the sun.

XXIII-WOOD-CRAFT AND WEATHER WISDOM

Since the life of the Indian is one of travel and exploration, not for the benefit of science, but for his own convenience and pleasure, he is accustomed to find himself in pathless regions-now in the deep woods, now upon the vast, s.h.i.+mmering prairie, or again among the tangled water-ways of a mighty lake studded with hundreds, even thousands, of wooded islands.

How does he find his way so successfully in the pathless jungle without the aid of a compa.s.s? you ask. Well, it is no secret. In the first place, his vision is correct; and he is not merely conscious of what he sees, but also sub-consciously he observes the presence of any and all things within the range of his senses.

If you would learn his system, you must note the relative position of all objects, and especially the location of your camp in relation to river, lake, or mountain. The Indian is a close student of the topography of the country, and every landmark-hill, grove, or unusual tree-is noted and remembered. It is customary with the hunters and warriors to tell their stories of adventure most minutely, omitting no geographical and topographical details, so that the boy who has listened to such stories from babyhood can readily identify places he has never before seen.

This kind of knowledge is simple, and, like the every-day meal, it is properly digested and a.s.similated, and becomes a part of one's self. It is this instant, intelligent recognition of every object within his vision in his daily roving, which fixes the primitive woodsman's reckoning of time, distance, and direction.

Time is measured simply by the height of the sun. Shadow is the wild man's dial; his own shadow is best. Hunger is a good guide when the sun is behind the clouds. Again, the distance traveled is an indicator, when one travels over known distances. In other words, he keeps his soul at one with the world about him, while the over-civilized man is trained to depend upon artificial means. He winds his watch, pins his thought to a chronometer, and disconnects himself from the world-current; then starts off on the well-beaten road. If he is compelled to cut across, he calls for a guide; in other words, he borrows or buys the mind of another.

Neither can he trust his memory, but must needs have a notebook!

The wild man has no chronometer, no yardstick, no unit of weight, no field-gla.s.s. He is himself a natural being in touch with nature. Some things he does, he scarcely knows why; certainly he could not explain them. His calculations are swift as a flash of lightning; best of all, they come out right! This may seem incredible to one who is born an old man; but there are still some boys who hark back to their great-great-grandfathers; they were not born and nursed within six walls!

The colors of tree, gra.s.s, and rock tell the points of the compa.s.s to the initiated. On the north side, the bark is of a darker color, smoother, and more solid looking; while on the southern exposure it is of a lighter hue, because of more suns.h.i.+ne, and rougher, because it has not been polished off by the heavy beating of snow and rain in the cold season. An Indian will pa.s.s his hand over the trunk of a tree in the dark and tell you which way is north; some will tell you the kind of tree, also.

The branches of the tree tell the same story; on the south side they grow thicker and longer, while the leaves lie more horizontal on the sunny side, and more vertical on the north. Again, the dry leaves on the ground corroborate them; on the north side of the trees the leaves are well-packed and overlay each other almost like s.h.i.+ngles. The color and thickness of the moss on rock or tree also tells the secret.