K
Keep, Grasp, or Remember. Hold out flat right hand, back to right, fingers level; hold up left G hand, back to left; swing them together; grasp left index in closed
right hand and move the hands slightly to right and left. Compare Hold and Remember.
Fr. tenir, retenir; Ger. halten, behalten.
Keep close. Sign Good and Near. (C)
Keep quiet. Sign Stop and Sit down, or simply Stop. See Hush.
Fr. taisez vous, tenez vous tranquille! Ger. ruhig sein! schweigen!
Kettle. Indicate the shape of the mouth with both L hands; then, holding left unchanged, pass the right G into it; then, with right, lift as if by a handle. Some omit the “handle.” Compare Basket and Cook.
Fr. le chaudron, la chaudière; Ger. der Kessel.
Kidney. Hold up the two compressed hands, then swing them back against the kidneys.
Fr. le rein, (d’animal) le rognon; Ger. die Niere.
Kill, Overcome, Win, or Be victor (Striking with a club). Hold the right A hand, back nearly up, in front of shoulder, back of hand making a slight angle with wrist; strike to the front, downward and little to left, stopping hand suddenly and giving it slight rebound. For Kill me or Beat me, make the sign toward one’s self.
Fr. tuer, vaincre; Ger. tot schlagen, siegen.
Kin, Kinsman, or Kinship. Sign Brother and Distant or Near, as the case may be.
Fr. le parent; Ger. der Verwandte.
Kind or Gentle. Sign Heart and Good.
Fr. aimable; Ger. freundlich, sanft.
King’s X. See Fins.
Knife (Penknife or Jack-knife). (Whittling a stick.) With right A hand make motion of whittling the index finger of the left G hand. (Blackfoot and Pop.) The Cheyennes sign Cut and Bend.
Fr. le canif, le couteau; Ger. das Messer, das Taschenmesser.
Knife or Dagger. Thumb up straight, rest of fingers closed, hand at side. (Pop.) Compare He, Turn down, and Opossum.
Knife. Hold left hand near mouth, then with lower edge of flat right make as though cutting off a piece of meat held between the left hand and the teeth. Understood but not used by Cheyennes. They indicate length with right G on flat left back and add Cut.
Fr. le couteau, le poignard; Ger. das Messer, der Dolch.
Know or Be acquainted with. Sign Know, as below.
Fr. connaître; Ger. kennen.
Know or Understand (See, it is in my heart). Lay the right L hand, back up, on heart; swing it out, up in a slight curve, and down a little, palm up.
Fr. comprendre, savoir; Ger. wissen, verstehen.
Know, I don’t. Shrug the shoulders and shake the head and raise the right hand open, palm up, to level of shoulder, inclining the head to the side. (Pop.) Compare Don’t care.
Know, I know what I’m doing (Perhaps “I smell a rat” is the verbal form of the sign). Lay the right index on right side of nose. (Pop.)
Fr. je ne suis pas aveugle; Ger. ich weiss was ich mache.
Knowledge or Intelligence. Tap the forehead and add Big. Compare Conceit.
Fr. le savoir, l’intelligence; Ger. die Kenntnis, das Wissen.