G
Gallop. Sign Ride, then hold out flat hands, palm to palm, right in advance; work them up and down together, the tips describing vertical curves. Compare Fast and Work.
Fr. galoper; Ger. galoppieren.
Gamble. Hold the hands out level, six inches apart; swing to left and right simultaneously, in easy curves down and up, keeping them near each other as though swinging a tom tom. Compare Drive and Herd.
Fr. jouer; Ger. spielen.
Gap, Gorge, or Mountain Pass. Sign Mountains, then hold out left L hand, thumb pointing to left and upward, pass flat right between, touching at bottom.
Fr. le défilé; Ger. die Kluft, die Schlucht.
Garden. Strike down with right G as in Here, but in several directions, then add Plant and Eat.
Fr. le jardin; Ger. der Garten.
Gather. See Together.
Generous. Sign Heart and Big; or, Heart, Pities.
Fr. généreux; Ger. groszmütig, freigiebig.
Gentle. See Kind.
Gently. See Easy.
Get or Obtain (That is, he gets, or obtains). Reach out left hand, back up; then with right hand, grasp something on top of it; then close and draw back the right. If it is the first person who gets, finish by drawing the hand toward oneself. Sometimes omit left hand.
Fr. obtenir; Ger. erlangen, erhalten.
Get well. See Recover.
Ghost, Soul, or Spirit. Bring right G hand in front of centre of body, pointing down; then draw it upward, as though drawing the forefinger out of the mouth, upward and to the front and at the same time exhale a breath. (Scott.) The Cheyennes sign Big eyes (as in Owl), and shaking the hands at the same time. See Spirit.
Fr. l’esprit; Ger. der Geist.
Gift. Hold left hand, hollow up; with right hand pick an imaginary object out of the left; carry it forward, at the same time turning right hand flat, palm up, and fingers pointing down and forward. Or, sign Give and Free (2nd).
Fr. le cadeau; Ger. das Geschenk.
Girl (Woman sprout). Sign Female, Young.
Fr. la fille; Ger. das Mädchen.
Give. Hold out flat right, back to right, shoulder high; swing it out and down.
Fr. donner; Ger. geben.
Give you. Swing the hand from the person giving toward you. This, with the sign below, shows the beginning of a conjugation.
Give me. Bring the flat right hand well out in front of body, about height of neck, back of hand nearly to left, lower edge nearest to body, pointing upward; draw the hand in toward the body and a little down; at the same time, bend the hand and the wrist so the fingers touch the chest. Compare Tell me and Half-Breed.
Fr. donnez moi; Ger. geben Sie mir.
Give it up. See Abandon.
Give up, Lose hope, or Discouraged. See Sorrow.
Glad, Pleasant, Happy, or Merry (Sunshine in the heart). Sign Heart and Day.
Fr. heureux; Ger. froh, glücklich.
Glitter or Shining (The mirror signal). Hold out the L hand with index pointing forward, back up. Rotate with a flash, or jerk so the thumb is upright and back to its original pose. Do this once or twice. See Courting and Sweetheart.
Fr. étinceler; Ger. glitzern.
Gloomy, Cross, or Sullen (Clouds close). Sign Clouds, then draw them down near head. (C) Or, sign Thinking and Bad. Compare Cross and Angry.
Fr. sombre; Ger. finster, trübe.
Glory or Fame. Sign All, Good, Know. See Famous.
Fr. la gloire; Ger. der Ruhm.
Glow, Splendor, Wonderful (Spread in the sky). Hold up both 5 hands, palms forward, pointing up, at arm’s length, nearly level; raise up very high and at the same time spread widely. A much-used and very plastic sign. May sometimes mean Weather.
Fr. la splendeur; Ger. das Glühen, die Pracht.
Go, Went, or Travel. Hold flat right hand, back to right, breast high, pointing to front and down; swing it up and out till the fingers point forward and upward. Often combined with Arrive there.
Fr. aller; Ger. gehen.
Going. Hold up right G, palm forward; move it forward in short pushes.
Fr. allant; Ger. gehend.
Go away, Go ahead, Go farther (Imperative). Hold flat right hand in front of body, palm forward, fingers upright; move the hand to front in a slight curve to right; repeat once or twice. See Begin.
Fr. allez! Ger. gehen Sie!
Goat. Sign Horns, with the straight G fingers on each side of head, and Beard. Sometimes omit Horns, signing only Beard.
Fr. la chèvre; Ger. die Ziege.
God (The Great Mystery). Sign Medicine and Great.
Fr. Dieu; Ger. Gott.
Gold. Sign Money and Yellow, or Hard and Yellow.
For Gold coin sign, Chief, Money.
Fr. l’or; Ger. das Gold.
Gone. See Absent.
Good, All right, Level, Fair, Just (Level with the heart). Hold the flat extended right hand, back up, level, touching the left breast; swing the hand briskly out to front and slightly up in a curve.
Fr. bon; Ger. gut.
Good-bye. Hold right hand flat, palm down, pointing forward horizontally at height of head and shake the hand up and down by wrist action. A whiteman’s sign recently adopted by Indians.
Fr. adieu, au revoir; Ger. lebe wohl!
Good-morning. Sign Day and Good.
Fr. bonjour; Ger. guten Morgen.
Goose. Sign Bird, moving the wing hands slowly; hold both flat hands low, side by side, a little apart, backs up; push them down sharply a few inches, for flat feet. Sometimes also make the honk sound.
Fr. l’oie; Ger. die Gans.
Gorge. See Gap.
Gossip. See Telltale.
Grain, of any kind. Hold both hands hollow together, as in Bowl; shake, then point to the hollow of the left with right G. (Sheeaka.) The exact kind must be
specified. In Cheyenne, Wheat is Bread and Sow; Oats is Horse, Eat, Sow.
Fr. le grain; Ger. das Getreide.
Grandchild. With the flat right, pat one’s own back where the baby is carried. Among the Cheyennes, only the grandmother uses this.
Grand Coup. See Count Coup.
Grandfather. Sign Old and Father.
Grandfather (Father once removed). Sign Father, then hold curved left hand in front of body, palm in; and on outer side make the sign Father again. For Great grandfather, repeat the sign for Father once more. For Ancestors, many times. (Crow signs given me by La Forge.)
Fr. le grandpère; Ger. der Groszvater.
Grandmother. As above, but use Mother sign. (LaF.)
Grandmother. Sign Old, Mother.
Fr. la grand-mère; Ger. die Groszmutter.
Grasp. See Keep.
Grass. Hold both hands low, palms up; turn all fingers upward straight and swing hands slightly apart. For Grass growing, raise the hands a little. Compare Children.
Fr. l’herbe, le gazon; Ger. das Gras, der Rasen.
Gratitude. Use Thank you sign. Or else raise the flat right hand, palm forward and face high; draw it downward in a sweep several times as though stroking the other person’s breast. For emphasis use both hands.
Fr. la reconnaissance; Ger. die Dankbarkeit.
Grave. Hold out both flat hands, thumbs up, six inches apart, pointing level forward; draw them back level to you, sign Die; then hold out left flat hand as before and slap on it two or three times with the flat right, for cover up.
Fr. le tombeau; Ger. das Grab.
Great. Hold out the slightly curved 5 hands in front of breast, few inches apart, palms toward each other, pointing to front; separate hands the right to the right and up a little and near the body; the left to the left and down a little and farther away. Compare Big and Wide. Sometimes use Much or High.
Fr. grand; Ger. grosz.
Greater than. Sign Ahead, Great. So also Less than would be Behind, Small.
Fr. plus grand que; Ger. gröszer als.
Grief. See Sorrow.
Grieve. Sign Heart, Down. See Give up and Mourn.
Fr. se chagriner, pleurer; Ger. trauern.
Ground. See Land.
Grouse or Prairie Chicken. Sign Bird and show size; then with right hand low, palm up, fingers closed except first curved up like neck, imitate forward walking. (Sioux.) Sign Bird then indicate fast wing beats and whirring. (Blackfoot.) Sign Bird and Tail cut off. (Cheyenne.)
Fr. la gelinotte; Ger. das Waldhuhn.
Grow, Become, or Turn into. Hold right G hand low, back down, index finger pointing upward, in front of body; raise the hand by gentle jerks.
Fr. pousser, croître, devenir; Ger. wachsen, werden.
Guide (Verb). (Show trail and Lead.) Point with right index forward and downward; then add Lead. (Sheeaka.)
Fr. conduire; Ger. führen, leiten.
Guide (Noun). Hold up left 5 hand, little finger forward, and ahead of the right G, all moved forward in easy swings.
Fr. le guide; Ger. der Führer.
Gun. Make the motion of holding and aiming a gun; then add Fire-off. For Rifle, add the working of the lever.
Fr. le fusil, la carabine; Ger. das Gewehr.
Gun, i.e., Shot-gun, sign Gun, then clasp the hands twice and hold up two fingers. See Revolver.
Fr. le fusil de chasse; Ger. die Flinte.
Gun-fire. See Fire.
Gun-powder. Sign Gun and Powder.
Fr. la poudre à canon; Ger. das Schiesspulver.