H
Habit (Thought bound). With G forefinger draw a small circle on forehead, then sign Prisoner. (D)
Habit (Road smoothed by repeated strokes). Sweep the flat hands, palms down, back and forth; then strike three times down with the right G. (Sheeaka.) Or sign Way and Keep. (Seger.)
Habit (Long time the same). Hold out left G, draw right G back from left knuckles to shoulder; add Same.
Fr. l’habitude; Ger. die Gewohnheit.
Hail. Sign Rain, Cold, and with curved right index on thumb indicate size of stones.
Fr. la grêle; Ger. der Hagel.
Hair (Of animal). Hold out left forearm horizontally in front of body and sweep the curved right 5 hand, palm up, along it from elbow to wrist. For Human hair, touch one’s own hair. Compare Wing.
Fr. le poil; Ger. der Pelz.
Half. Hold left flat hand in front of breast, back out. Lay the lower edge of right flat hand on upper edge of left index, in middle, and jerk it toward the tips of left. Sometimes the right hand alone is used edge downward, drawn back and down as though its under side were cutting something. Compare Part.
Fr. le demi, la moitié; Ger. die Hälfte.
Half-breed. With flat right hand pointing up, little finger next middle of the breast, palm to right, halve the body down breast, swing it far to left, return to centre, then swing far to right and give the tribal sign for each half. Or, give the first sign only; that is, the hand cutting in the middle.
Fr. le métis; Ger. der Mischling.
Halt or Stop. Hold the right flat hand, palm outward and downward, in front of the body, pointing upward and to front, hand about height of shoulders; move the hand sharply to front and downward, stopping it suddenly. Sometimes merely raise the hand flat forward.
This means also Keep quiet, Wait a moment, etc., when made gently. “This sign is world wide. In a journey around the world, I have used it in every country visited and found it instantly recognized. I saw a train stopped by it in the Himalayas, also jinrikishas stopped in Java, Singapore, Saigon, Canton, Hong Kong, Nagasaki, and Manila.” (Scott.)
Fr. Halte! Ger. Halt!
Halve. Same as Half; but jerk one part to right and one to left. (C)
Fr. couper ou diviser en deux; Ger. halbieren.
For One-Quarter, lay the “knife hand” at last joint of left index; for Three-Quarters, near base; see also Quarter.
Fr. le quart; Ger. das Viertel.
Handsome. See Beautiful.
Hang (To be executed). Swing the right L hand over the head down to the neck, palm in; close the thumb and
index, then draw it up to height of head, index pointing down. This is done in two graceful sweeps.
Fr. pendre; Ger. hängen.
Hang. Hang right G index like a hook on straight left G index.
Fr. accrocher; Ger. aufhängen.
Hanker. See Want.
Happen. See Luck.
Happy. See Glad.
Happy Hunting Ground. Sign Die, Beyond, and Dwell.
Fr. les Champs Elysées des Indiens; Ger. die seligen Jagdgefilde.
Hard (Like rock). Hold out the left hand flat, edge down, and strike the palm with the knuckles of the right two or three times.
Fr. dur; Ger. hart.
Hat (Head cover). Bring the L right hand, back outward, in front, close to, and a little above the head; lower the hand until thumb and index are about opposite the eyes; spread thumb and index, passing down close to forehead.
Fr. le chapeau; Ger. der Hut.
Hatchet. See Axe.
Hate. Hold up both hands opposite left side of face in pose for Fire-off, back of each to its side; spring both out as in Fire-off, to left side, turning the left very little, so that it shoots forward; the right shoots to the left. Compare Abandon and Scorn; also Defiance. Sheeaka used only Defiance sign.
Fr. détester; Ger. hassen.
Have (To possess). See Possession.
Have to, Bound to, Must, Obliged to, Compelled to (Bound down). Sign Prisoner and Work. Or, That, Work, Strong.
Fr. être obligé; Ger. müssen.
Hawk. First make Bird sign, then imitate the seizing of the prey with both feet hawk-fashion, by means of both hands placed in front of body opposite neck, palms outward, make grasping motion forward. (Scott.) Or sign Bird and with curved G indicate bill. See Eagle.
Fr. le faucon; Ger. der Habicht.
He. Make the sign Male; or point with the thumb, other fingers closed.
Fr. il; Ger. er.
Headache. Touch head; then hold curved flat hand near and flirt the fingers from behind the thumb two or three times to show the throbbing.
Fr. le mal de tête; Ger. das Kopfweh.
Healthy. See Well.
Heap or Very Much. With curved hands show shape, beginning at the lowest points. Compare Many, Mound, and Much.
Fr. l’amas, le tas; Ger. der Haufe(n).
Hear. Move the right G hand (pointed forward) from behind the right ear, past the ear and forward. Compare Listen and Indian Nez Percé.
Fr. entendre; Ger. hören.
Heart. Bring the compressed right hand against the left breast, over heart and pointing downward.
Fr. le coeur; Ger. das Herz.
Heat. See Hot.
Heaven. Simply point up with right G, back to right and head high. Compare Heavens and Happy Hunting Ground; also, Tall.
Fr. le paradis; Ger. der Himmel, das Paradies.
Heavens, Skies, or Sky. Hold both flat hands palms down, tips touching, over and in front of the head; sweep them down sidewise in outline of the dome. Compare Clouds, Carriage, Hot Weather.
Fr. le ciel; Ger. der Himmel.
Heavy (Cannot hold up). Hold flat hands, a few inches apart, at same level, backs down, in front of body and pointing to front. Raise them slightly and let them drop several inches, finishing low. Compare Light.
Fr. lourd; Ger. schwer.
Help. Hold left forearm horizontally in front of body, hand A, and place flat right hand under left forearm and lift it slightly. (Sheeaka; borrowed from the Deaf.) Or, sign Work and With.
Fr. aider; Ger. helfen.
Her. See Possession.
Herd of Animals. Hold out left 5 fingers a little curved, level, far advanced, shoulder high, backs up and out; moved forward and a little down together. For Herd grazing hold right 5 over left 5 wrist; draw right back toward body in a slight arc up and down.
Fr. le troupeau; Ger. die Herde.
Herd (Verb). See Drive.
Here (This spot). Swing the right G, back up, from pointing up, to forward and down; then stab toward the ground two or three times. Compare Down, Earth, Place.
Fr. ici; Ger. hier.
He who. See Doer.
Hide, To Cache, Conceal, or Lose. Swing the flat or else compressed right hand, palm down, under the flat left hand held in front, palm down; the left hand rests on the right at end of sign. (Sheeaka.) Sometimes add Hush. Compare Enter and Night.
Fr. cacher; Ger. verstecken.
Hide (Skin). Hold extended left hand, back up, in front of body, and with the right thumb and forefinger
gather up, with a pinch, the loose skin on the back of left hand. Sometimes sign Robe.
Fr. la peau; Ger. das Fell.
High or Height. Hold the flat right hand, back nearly up, pointing to front, in front of right shoulder; raise the hand according to the height intended. If it refers to humans, hold the right hand (compressed or G) vertically pointing upward. (C) To show height of small objects or animals, hold the flat left, palm up, under right. See Tall.
Fr. haut; Ger. hoch.
Higher. See Superior.
Hill, Bluff, or Butte. Push right A fist, back out, straight up, face high. For plural use both hands moved alternately up and down at different places. Compare Ridge, Lump, and Mountain.
Fr. la colline; Ger. der Hügel.
His. See Possession.
History or Story (Pictures of the past). Hold up flat left, palm forward, and sketch on palm with right G; then sign Past. (C) Or, Sign Long, Past, Tell me.
Fr. l’histoire; Ger. die Geschichte.
Hit (To make a hit). See Count Coup.
Hoax (To wolf or beguile). Sign I, Make, Him, Wolf. (Seger.)
Fr. mystifier; Ger. jemandem etwas aufbinden.
Hog or Pig. Indicate size, then with a circle of two thumbs and two index fingers in front of mouth show muzzle; last, with flat right hand, or flat fist back up, make a snout and root. Usually give only the last sign.
Fr. le cochon; Ger. das Schwein.
Hold (to hold a prisoner). Arms in a level circle, flat right hand inside flat left and overlapping, both palms toward you; swing to right and left. Compare Defend, Keep, and Corral.
Fr. tenir prisonnier; Ger. gefangen halten.
Hole. Form a circle with thumbs and fingers of L hands. If need be, for clearness, hold left hand in position and pass the compressed right through the imaginary hole. Compare Cook and Boil.
Fr. le trou; Ger. das Loch.
Holler. See Yell.
Home. Sign My, Teepee.
Fr. la demeure, le foyer, le chez-soi; Ger. das Heim.
Home-sickness. Sign Heart, Want, and Teepee.
Fr. le mal du pays; Ger. das Heimweh.
Honest (Straight walk). Point right G straight forward from near throat; push it down and up in a slight curve till it is upright, then push it forward in two or three little jerks. See also True.
Fr. honnête, intègre; Ger. ehrlich.
Honor (Upon my honor). With right index draw a small cross on the heart. (Pop.)
Fr. parole d’ honneur! Ger. auf Ehre! bei meiner Ehre!
Hope. Sign Heart, Want.
Fr. l’espoir; Ger. die Hoffnung.
Horse. Hold the flat left hand, back to front, before face, fingers level; move it to right; and then, for a moment, place the first and second fingers of right astride it, as in Ride. Some omit the last gesture. The movements of the hand indicate the height, action, and speed of the horse.
Fr. le cheval; Ger. das Pferd.
Horseman. Sign Man and Ride. Or, place the V right astride of the flat left and push both to right.
Fr. le cavalier; Ger. der Reiter.
Hot or Heat (As water or iron). Hold the hand as in Feel; touch the middle right finger tip to tongue; reach it forward and down, as though touching a hot iron, quickly jerking it back. (A northern sign understood by Cheyennes.) The use of the middle finger is general, no doubt because it is longest.
Fr. chaud; Ger. heisz.
Hot weather (Rays of sun beating down). Hold the 5 hands a few inches apart, backs up, above and in front of head, pointing toward each other. Lower the hands to level of face.
Fr. les grandes chaleurs; Ger. das heisze Wetter.
Hot or Sweating (Personally). Draw right index crooked across the brow, left to right, as though to run off the sweat, others and thumb closed.
Hotel. See Restaurant.
Hour. See Time.
House. Indicate the double slope of the roof by flat hands, pointing nearly up and joined together at the tips. Some use only the next sign for House.
Fr. la maison; Ger. das Haus.
House of logs (Corners of a log house). Bring the hands in front of body and interlock the fingers near tips, fingers at nearly right angles and horizontal. Some add Roof by joining tips of flat hands as in House. Compare Basket.
Fr. la cabane en bois, la hutte; Ger. das Blockhaus.
How! or Ho! The Indian salutation is sometimes used with hand salute; that is, all fingers closed except index and middle, as in Friend.
Fr. Ho! Ger. Grüsz Gott!
How? See Question.
How many? See Question.
How much? See Question.
Hundred (Whole circle of tens). Hold up both 5 hands, palms forward, opposite right shoulder; thumbs nearly touching; swing to left and down. Precede this with one for one hundred, two for two hundred, etc.
Fr. cent; Ger. hundert.
Hungry or Hunger (Cuts one in two). Draw the lower edge of flat right hand, back down, across the stomach; emphasize by drawing back and forth.
Fr. avoir faim, la faim; Ger. hungrig sein, der Hunger.
Hunt or Searching for (In the sense of seeking for). The fingers of the right V hand brought near the eye, but pointing forward; then swing horizontally from side to side, the eye looking wherever they point. Compare Choose, Find, and Look. Or, shade the right eye with the right hand and swing the head. (Pop.)
Fr. chercher; Ger. suchen.
Hunting (With gun or bow). Hold out both G hands, one behind the other; swing in up-curves forward and sidewise, but always one behind the other.
Fr. chasser; Ger. jagen.
Hurry, to Come or to Go quickly. Make the sign for Come (or Go) three or four times, very quickly and emphatically. (Sheeaka.)
Hurry (Ride fast). Jump the flat hands up and down before you, quickly, palms up. Compare Light, which is similar, but slower.
Fr. se dépêcher; Ger. eilen.
Husband. Make sign Male and Marry.
Fr. le mari; Ger. der Mann; der Gatte.
Hush. See Silence and Halt.
Hypocrite. Sign Wolf and Like. Or Face and Two. According to Ruggles, the Paiutes sometimes use this second combination for Liar; the Cheyennes understand it but do not use it.
Fr. le hypocrite; Ger. der Heuchler.