I
I, Me, Myself, Mine. For I touch the centre of the breast with the right thumb extended, other fingers closed. This and the next are used indiscriminately by the Cheyennes.
Me is touching the breast with point of compressed fingers.
My. Lay the A hand on the forehead, palm to left, thumb pointing up; swing it forward and down level; that is, sign Possession, assuming the first person.
Fr. je, moi, mien; Ger. Ich, mich, mein.
Ice. Sign Water and Hard. Sometimes add Cold.
Fr. la glace; Ger. das Eis.
Icicle. Sign Water and Cold; then hold up right G, pointing downward and dropped a little.
Fr. le glaçon; Ger. der Eiszapfen.
Idea, Thought (Thought expressed). Lay the right G on the forehead, pointing up, palm to left; swing it down to horizontal at mouth level, then push it straight forward and up in a curve. Compare So.
Fr. l’idée; la pensée; Ger. die Idee, der Gedanke.
Idle. Sign Work and Not.
Fr. paresseux; Ger. müszig.
If, Doubt, Undecided, Perhaps, or Maybe so (Heart looking two ways). Lay the right V hand on the heart, pointed down and to left front; rotate the hand on the wrist so the back is alternately up and out. When
many emotions (i.e., perplexity) are to be expressed, use all fingers extended. See Consider.
Fr. si, peut-être; Ger. wenn, ob, vielleicht.
Ignorance (I don’t know). Shrug shoulders and raise one flat hand. (Pop.) Or, sign Know, Not. Compare Forget.
Fr. l’ignorance; Ger. die Unwissenheit.
Imperative Mood. Sign the verb in question, then strike the flat right, palm down, onto the flat left, palm up. Or add Push. (C)
Impossible. Sign Can and Not. See also Cannot. The Cheyennes use True, Not.
Fr. impossible; Ger. unmöglich.
Imprison. See Arrest.
In, Inside, or Within (To put into). Make a semicircle of the left arm held out level; then drop the compressed right hand downward between the left and the body. Outside begins the same, but the right drops outside the left.
Inside, i.e., in a Hole. Make a horizontal ring of the left index and thumb, then drop the right index down into it. For a house, use Enter.
Fr. en, dedans, dans; Ger. in, drin, im Innern.
Incite. Sign Push, Talk, and Go; that is, try to talk into going.
Fr. inciter; Ger. anreizen.
Increase. Hold out the flat hands, palm to palm, well apart at same height; separate them more and more in slight jerks; or, if it is more explicit, do it with the flat hands one above the other. See Add to. Compare Decrease.
Fr. augmenter; Ger. vermehren, vergröszern.
Indian. With the tips of right flat fingers, rub the side of the flat left held out back up, in short strokes; meaning reddish, because all men’s hands out west are red at this place. Compare Smooth.
Indian. Indicate the eagle feather at back of head. (Sheeaka.) Or sign Man and Red. (Scott.)
Fr. l’Indien; Ger. der Indianer.
Indian Tribe or Nation. Give the Tribal sign and add All in each case.
Indian Tribal signs:
Apache. (Probably using the notched-stick fiddle). Draw the right G finger up and down along the left G several times, from near the point to the base, a foot long each stroke. Compare Poor.
Arapahoe. With all fingers of right hand compressed so the points are together, tap the left breast, that is, sign Mother. As Sherman Coolidge tells me, the Arapahoes claim theirs to have been the mother of all tribes. In the south, the sign is rub the side of the nose with the right G, referring to their one-time salutation of nose-rubbing.
Banak. Sign for Lodge and Bad. (C)
Blackfeet. Sign for Moccasin and Black.
Caddo. Draw the right N over the left N from the tips back to the knuckles (because they wore pants). (Father Isadore.)
Cheyennes. (Perhaps meaning “striped tail,” because they used turkey feathers; or, more likely, “finger-choppers,” because they chopped their fingers when in mourning.)
Hold out left G finger and cut it with the edge of the right G finger drawn across it once or twice, each time further up the hand. Compare Often and And all the time.
Chippewa. See Ojibwa.
Comanche. Sign for Snake, pushing the hand forward. Compare Shoshoni. (Seger.)
Cree. Sign Rabbit, People; but usually omit People.
Crow. Sign Bird slowly. Sometimes only one hand. Or hold S hand, palm forward, at brow for “Pompadour Indians.”
Dakota. See Sioux.
Flathead. See Koutenais.
Gros Ventre. Sign Big Belly.
Hopi. Sign Dance and Snake.
Kiowa. With the tips of the flat right, palm up, back to left, describe an upright ellipse near the right ear; because they used to cut their hair on that side to show the ear ornaments or ear painted red.
Koutenai. Sign for White-tailed Deer. (C)
Mandan (Tattooed chin and cheek). With right hand compressed so all tips touch, tap the chin and jaw. (C)
Navaho (Makers of striped blankets). Sign for Work, Blanket, and Striped.
Nez Percé (Pierced nose). Pass index of right G hand level under nose from right to left. Compare Hear.
Ojibwa or Chippewa (Living in the Woods). Sign Tree and People; or sign Paddle, People. (Blackfoot.)
Osage (Shaved heads). Rub the flat right hand, palm out, over the side of the head and down, as though shaving the head; the little finger being the sharp edge.
Paiute. Sign Rabbit, Robe.
Pawnee (Wolf). Hold up the right V hand, palm forward, near right ear; then swing finger-tips forward.
Piegan. Rotate half closed hand, palm in, near right cheek.
Pueblo. Sign Two Quivers; that is, Arrow, Two; then drop compressed left once or twice into C right hand.
Sac (Shaved heads). Same as Osage sign.
Shoshoni or Snake Indians. Sign for Snake and sometimes add Bad, Lodge.
Sioux (Cut throats). Draw the right G finger across the throat.
Uncapapa (From their position in camp). Sign for Sioux and Encamp, then make an incomplete circle with index fingers and thumbs; then, holding left in pose, strike last joint of index with tip of right G and similarly right index with tip of left G. (C)
Ute. Sign Black and Red.
Wichita (Tattooed rings). With right G finger tap the forehead in a circle.
Yankton. Sign for Sioux and Nez Percé. (C)
Indian Agent. See Agent.
Indifference (None of my business). Both hands held down by the thighs; at the same time a shrug of the shoulders. (Pop.)
Fr. l’indifférence; Ger. die Gleichgültigkeit.
Infantry. Sign Soldiers and Walk.
Fr. l’infanterie; Ger. die Fusztruppen, die Infanterie.
Inferior (To one). Hold up both G fingers, the one representing the inferior much lower.
Inferior (To many). For several inferiors use the 5 hand to represent them, while the G of the other hand up high represents the superior.
Fr. inférieur; Ger. untergeordnet.
Inhabit. See Dwell.
Injure, Doing evil to. If with reference to another person, make sign for Work and Bad. If with reference to one’s self, make signs Do, to me, Bad.
Fr. faire du mal; Ger. beschädigen.
Innocent. See Clean-handed.
In order that. See So that.
Inside. See In.
Interrogate. See Question or Query.
Intervene. See Come between.
Invalid. See Sick one.
Investigating. See Searching; also Consider.
Iron. See Metal.
Island (Round thing surrounded by water). Sign Land, then with L hands make a horizontal circle; hold left hand in pose, sign Water with right hand; then compress
it and draw it point down around the circle just made. Compare Lake.
Fr. l’île; Ger. die Insel.
Itching. Scratch the left palm with nail of the right G index; or else the thigh.
Fr. la démangeaison; Ger. das Jucken.