D
Dam. Sign for Stream or River and Hold. (Blackfoot.)
Fr. la digue, l’écluse; Ger. der Damm.
Dance (People jumping together). Bring the flat (or “5”) hands in front of body about height of breast, with fingers pointing nearly up, palms toward each other
about six inches apart. Move the hands briskly upward and downward a few inches several times, simultaneously, mostly by elbow action. Compare People.
Dance (Drumming). Hold up one flat hand face high, back to side, thumb raised and up: jerk up and down. (C)
Fr. danser; la danse; Ger. tanzen, der Tanz.
Danger (The Scout or Wolf going ahead and coming back to report danger). Right V hand, back upward, moved directly and slowly forward in front of the right shoulder and then suddenly and quickly drawn back at the same time the body is thrown back a little. (Sheeaka.)
Danger. Sign Look, Little, Afraid (No. 2).
Fr. le danger; Ger. die Gefahr.
Dangerous (Of a man). Sign Strong and Bad.
Fr. dangereux; Ger. gefährlich.
Dare you. See Challenge.
Dark, Unknown, Obscure. Bring the flat hands, back outward, in front of face, right hand nearest face, left a little ahead, hands crossed, tips of fingers about opposite centre of forehead; bring the hands very slightly toward face. Compare Ashamed and Blind.
Fr. obscur; Ger. dunkel.
Daughter. Sign Born and Female.
Fr. la fille; Ger. die Tochter.
Day. See Time.
Daybreak. Sign Little, Sunrise.
Daybreak (A peep through darkness). Hold right flat hand above left flat hand and in same plane; right little finger on left index then raise the right hand a few inches higher. (C)
Fr. l’aube; Ger. der Tagesanbruch.
Dead, Death. Make the sign for Die and Sleep. (C) The Cheyennes use Die.
Fr. mort; Ger. tot.
Deaf (Hearing ground out). Press the palm of extended right hand slightly against right ear, and move the hand in small circle parallel to and close to the ear. Sometimes add Not.
Fr. sourd; Ger. taub.
Debt. See Owe.
Deceive. Sign Give and Lie.
Fr. tromper; Ger. betrügen.
Decide, Determine, Make up one’s mind (Think, then act or settle it). Lower the head and raise right fist to chin; then raise the head and cut down with the little finger edge of the flat right hand. (Sheeaka.)
Decide. This is a sentence rather than a sign. With 4 hand over heart, sign Consider; point slowly in two or three directions for Ways; sign That by vigorously swinging the right G index out, pointing down; then
add So by raising it slightly up and then down. (Blackfoot.)
Fr. décider; Ger. sich entscheiden.
Decrease, Reduce, or Make smaller. Hold flat right hand, palm down, high above, a little to the side of flat left hand, palm up; move them together in succession of little jerks. Sometimes for emphasis finish by compressing all right fingers to a point in the left palm. Compare Increase and Heap.
Fr. diminuer; Ger. verringern.
Decrepit, Old, or Broken down (Bent with disease or age). Hold up G hand, back to right, higher than shoulder; lower the hand several inches, at same time bend the index. (C)
Decrepit. Hold up the right G, shoulder high, with index bent in a hook; rotate as in Old.
Fr. décrépit; Ger. altersschwach, gebrechlich.
Deed. See Act.
Deep. Hold the left flat hand horizontal, chin high, back up, fingers pointing to right; then drop right arm to full length down with flat right hand palm up, under left, fingers pointing forward.
Fr. profond; Ger. tief.
Deer. Both hands fully spread, palms in and held up to the side of the head to represent the horns of a deer. (Sheeaka.) This is generic for Deer. Compare Elk.
Fr. le cerf; Ger. der Hirsch.
Deer, Mule or Rocky Mountain Blacktail. Sign Deer then set compressed hand at each ear pointing up and forward to indicate the large ears, as in a mule. (Scott.) Compare Bear.
Fr. le cerf mulet; Ger. der langohrige Hirsch.
Deer, Whitetailed or Virginian. Raise the right G hand, pointing up and shoulder high; switch it from nearly horizontal right to nearly horizontal left and back, several times, pausing at the low point each time. Sign Deer if need for clearness.
Fr. le cerf de la Virginie; Ger. der Hirsch aus Virginien.
Defame. See Abuse.
Defend, Protect, Defense, Forbid, or Protection. Sign the same as the first part of Corral, but swing the joined hands to left and right. So also to separate the hands means to Loose or Remove protection. See Hold or Protect.
Fr. défendre; Ger. verteidigen.
Defiance, Defy, Dare, Challenge, or I defy you. Point the T hand toward the person. This is an extremely insulting challenge implying also the extreme of hatred and contempt. See Challenge.
Fr. le défi, défier; Ger. die Herausforderung, trotzen.
Defiance, Insolent. See Mockery.
Delight. See Excite.
Depart. See Go.
Describe, Explain, or Tell about (Tell all about it). Sign Talk and All—that is, swing the curved flat right hand, palm down, and to left, in a horizontal circle in front of the right cheek.
Fr. décrire; Ger. beschreiben.
Desire. See Want.
Destroy. See Exterminate.
Determine. See Decide.
Devil. Sign Medicine, Horns, and Tail. A purely modern sign.
Fr. le diable; Ger. der Teufel.
Dew. Sign Night, Grass, and the Shimmer; i.e., pass curved right 5 hand, palm down, with a tremulous motion just above the grass and add Water. (C)
Fr. la rosée; Ger. der Tau.
Die (To go under; i.e., underground). Hold left hand flat, fingers horizontal, palm to you, breast high, pointing to right. Hold right G hand pointing to left above and within; pass it down, under and up beyond, still pointing to left.
This is capable of modification. Thus passing the right hand under and drawing it back means to be near death but to Recover. To make the sign Little after this means to Faint.
Fr. mourir; Ger. sterben.
Die out. See Melt.
Different or Wrong (Push aside). Hold up the flat right, pointing forward and a little up, back to right. Swing the whole arm a foot to right, forward and upward, without bending the wrist, then back to first pose and repeat; a much-used and very plastic sign. Compare Bad and No.
Fr. différent; Ger. anders.
Difficulty. See Trouble.
Dig. Use flat right hand as a spade.
Fr. creuser; Ger. graben.
Dime. Sign White, Little, Money.
Dinner. Sign Noon or Night, as may be, and Eat.
Fr. le dîner; Ger.
das Mittagessen, die Haupmahlzeit.
Direction. Point the G finger forward and down, swing it forward in a curve till it is about horizontal and pointing in the line intended.
Fr. la direction; Ger. die Richtung.
Dirt or Soil. See Earth.
Dirty. Rub the tips of the 1st and 2nd fingers with the tip of the thumb, exactly as in Powder, and add Bad.
Fr. sal; Ger. schmutzig.
Disappear. Hold out the flat left, palm in, then shoot compressed right, points first, over and down; then rub upper edge of left with palm tips of right to mean wiped out.
Disappear. Look around and sign See, Not. Sometimes use Hide.
Fr. disparaître; Ger. verschwinden.
Disbelief. Sign That, True, I think, No.
Fr. l’incrédulité; Ger. der Unglaube.
Disciple. See Learner.
Discouraged. See Sorrow.
Discovery. Found out.
Discussion, Conversation, or Debate (In a general sense). Hold out both flat hands, palms
up, level, six inches apart, breast high; swing both to left, then back to right several times, to signify the handing of words back and forth.
Discussion or Conversation (Between two). Make the sign for Talk alternately right at left and left at right.
Fr. la conversation; Ger. das Gespräch.
Disgust or Dislike. Push both flat hands forward palms out, fingers up, and turn away head. Or Heart, Tired. (C) Sometimes use Scorn.
Fr. le dégoût; Ger. der Ekel.
Dismount. Sign Horseman, then separate and lower right V hand, points up. If the points of the A hand were down, it would mean “looking on the ground.” See Mount.
Fr. descendre de cheval; Ger. absteigen.
Disobey. Sign Hear, Not. Compare Obey.
Fr. désobéir; Ger. nicht gehorchen.
Distant. See Far.
Distress. See Sorrow.
Fr. la misère; Ger. die Not.
Dissolve. See Melt.
Dive (To plunge into water). Place flat hands palm to palm and make the action of diving.
Fr. plonger; Ger. tauchen.
Dive or Swoop (Like a bird in air). Hold out flat left hand, back outward, bring flat right hand, back out, some inches in rear of and higher than left hand, pointing downward and forward; then shoot the right hand downward and outward, back of hand grazing under the left hand and up beyond. Compare Born.
Fr. s’élancer; Ger. niederschiessen au.
Divorce. Sign Marry, then swing the fingers apart horizontally. This is a legal divorce. When Abandon is used it means leaving one’s mate without legal divorce.
Do. See Work.
Doctor. Sign Chief and Medicine. (C) The Cheyennes omit Chief.
Fr. le médecin, le docteur; Ger. der Arzt.
Doer or The one who does or Man who (of all, that one). Sign Man, then swing right G on the level a foot, and
back six inches; then raise and strike with same G down on middle of the line. (Sheeaka. Apparently no other Indian knew it.) The Cheyennes sign Man and Work, or Man and Knows.
Fr. l’auteur, celui qui fait; Ger. der Täter.
Dog (Drawing lodge poles). With V hand back up in front of body draw the double trail down and backward. Compare Wolf. Seger maintains that the idea here is the dog’s ears point backward as he runs. See Bark.
Fr. le chien; Ger. der Hund.
Dollar. Sign Money and One. This would vary with the country, the sign stands for the unit of currency.
Fr. le dollar; Ger. der Dollar.
Done, Ended, Finished, Complete, Period, or Full Stop (Chopped off). Hold left hand flat, fingers touching, point forward, thumb up and with edge of right similarly held, chop down close past the tips of the fingers.
Also used as an auxiliary past tense, as I done eat.
Done (2) Finish, Quit, Break off. Hold up both fists at level of chin, palms down, middle knuckles of left touching ditto of right; jerk them a foot apart as though breaking a cord; swing them apart, down, along and up. This is also used as a Period at the end of sentence and I have seen it used for Bankrupt. It is a northern sign recently established among the Cheyennes. Compare Fat and Break.
Fr. fini; Ger. fertig.
Don’t Care (I am defiant). Tap chest with tips of right flat hand, then swing the hand briskly and high to right, keeping palm facing the left. (Sheeaka.) Merely shrug the shoulders. (Blackfoot.) The Cheyennes sign Go ahead.
Fr. cela m’est égal; Ger. ich mache mir nichts daraus.
Do not or Don’t. Hold up flat right hand, palm out, and forward at an angle; sharply shake the hand by wrist action back and forward (not sidewise), also sometimes the head. Compare Easy and Rub it out. Sometimes use Stop.
Fr. ne faites pas; Ger. tun Sie das nicht.
Don’t want. See under Want.
Door. Sign Teepee or House, then hold flat left hand, thumb up, and lay flat right across the palm with little finger of the right as the hinge; swing it till it lies flat on left palm. (C) The Cheyennes sign House, then pull and swing an imaginary door.
Fr. la porte; Ger. die Tür.
Doubt, I am doubtful. Very slowly shake the head. (Pop.) Cheyennes and other Indians add—right hand held out palm forward and down, open and shaken; really a slow, slight Question sign. See If.
Fr. le doute, j’en doute; Ger. der Zweifel, ich bezweifle.
Down, Downward, or Below. Point straight down with right G, lowering the same. (Blackfoot.) Some use flat hand for this. Compare Here.
Fr. en bas; Ger. unten.
Down-hearted. See Sorrow.
Dream (See while sleeping). Sign Sleep and See; keeping the eyes closed.
Fr. le rêve; Ger. der Traum.
Dress. Pass the palm of the L hand over the part of the body to be covered. Compare Hat, Moccasin, Robe, etc.
Fr. la robe; Ger. das Kleid.
Drink or Drinking (From a cup). The O hand to the mouth as in drinking. Compare Want.
Drinking in the abstract would be: Draw the hollow hand level to the mouth from slightly above and down past chin, fingers pointing nearly forward. This combines Water and Swallow. See Water. Compare Speech.
Fr. buvant; Ger. trinkend.
Drinking liquor (Half a finger). Hold up right G hand back to you, then lay left G across back to indicate liquor, then add Drink. (Sheeaka.)
Fr. buvant une boisson alcoolique; Ger. Schnaps trinkend.
Drive (Sense of driving a herd, or running off a herd). With L hands horizontal, opposite each other and same height, about an inch between tips of thumbs; move the hands simultaneously in the direction of the drive.
Fr. mener; Ger. treiben.
Driving (A team). Hold both hands, backs out, as though holding reins, thumbs straight, with index of each around its point. See-saw the hands on the same level.
Fr. conduisant; Ger. lenkend, fahrend.
Drouth. Sign, Long time, Rain, No.
Fr. la sécheresse; Ger. die Dürre.
Drown. Sign Water and Die.
Fr. noyer; Ger. ertrinken.
Drum. With G fingers draw a large circle, beginning together well forward, each making half-circle, ending near body; then strike on it several times with right A.
Fr. le tambour; Ger. die Trommel.
Drunk or Drunkard. Sign Crazy, Drink, and Much.
Fr. ivre; Ger. betrunken.
Dry (Of a stream or spring). Sign Stream, Water, All gone.
Fr. sec; Ger. trocken.
Dry. See Thirsty.
Duck. Sign for Bird and make the broad bill with flat hand held under the nose, back up, pointing forward; push it forward a few inches, or else with thumb below and first and second fingers above.
Fr. le canard; Ger. die Ente.
Dull (Of a tool). Sign Cut and Not or Bad. Compare Saw.
Fr. émoussé; Ger. stumpf.
Dull. See Dunce.
Dumb. Press the finger tips of the flat hand on the mouth; add Talk and No.
Fr. muet; Ger. stumm.
Dunce or Dull (Blockhead). Strike forehead with right fist knuckles. (D) A Cheyenne signed it Behind, Book, Know, Not.
Fr. le benêt, l’imbécile; Ger. der Dummkopf.
During. See While.
Dust. Rub tips of right fingers with tip of right thumb, as in Powder; then with flat right hand horizontal, palm down, pat several times toward the earth. (Scott.) See Earth and Land.
If the dust is in the air, pat down with one flat hand, then wave both 5 hands, points up, near the eyes; sometimes blink and draw back to make it more expressive.
Fr. la poussière; Ger. der Staub.
Duty (That, me, sends). Sign for That, Me, and Go (emphatically).
Fr. le devoir; Ger. die Pflicht.
Dwell or Inhabit (Alive and moving about in). Right flat hand, face high, pointing up, twisted slowly from left to right two or three times. Compare Appear, Alive, and Doubt.
Dwell (2) (Sitting, emphatic). One fist above the other in front as though grasping a stake, then with both hands
push it down and slightly forward. (Blackfoot.) Compare Sit.
Fr. demeurer; Ger. bewohnen, wohnen.
Dwindle. See Decrease.