Sign talk

by Ernest Thompson Seton

W

Wager. See Bet.

Wagon. With index and thumb of each hand make two vertical circles, hands held backs up, a foot apart and shoulder high; by wrist action rotate these circles and move them forward a little.

Fr. la voiture; Ger. der Wagen.

Wait (Stop here). Flat hand up, palm forward; then gently bent forward to nearly level, palm down. Compare Halt.

Fr. attendez!; Ger. warten!

Waken. Sign Sleep and Arise (That is, lay the right G horizontally on breast and swing it out upright a foot away, back to right). Or sign Sleep and Done, i.e., Ended.

Fr. réveiller, s’éveiller; Ger. wecken, erwachen.

Walk or March. (For a person.) (Shape and movement of feet.) Hold out the flat hands, backs up, a few inches apart, pointing to front; swing the right forward, upward, and downward to same height as when starting; then the left ditto; draw the right hand to rear. Repeat these motions.

Walk (For an animal). With the S hands, backs up, go through the same as above.

Fr. marcher; Ger. gehen.

Wall or Fence. Push flat hands straight forward, points up, palms in; then, when well out, turn palms toward you and swing together. Compare Valise and Box.

Fr. le mur; Ger. die Mauer, das Gitter.

Wandering. Hold up right G, palm forward; advance it with excessive sweeping zigzags from side to side, forming loops. These loops are 18 inches across; their plan, seen from above, is in the lower scroll. Compare Alive and White-tail Deer.

Fr. errant; Ger. wandernd.

Want (To), Crave, Desire, Wish, Anxious for, Will (Thirsty for). Hold the right hand, back to right, in front of and near chin; form a vertical incomplete circle with G index and thumb. Swing the hand down past the mouth, outward and upward, turning it at the finish so that the little finger is as high as the index.

Fr. désirer; Ger. wünschen.

Wapiti. See Elk.

War. See Fight.

War-cry. See Battle-cry.

Warm, To (One’s hands). Hold out both flat hands, side by side, breast high, backs up, slightly curved as though over a fire; then rub them together. (Blackfoot.)

Warm, I am warm. Draw the 5 hands down over breast, then hold out together, palms down, pointing forward. See also Hot.

Fr. chaud; Ger. warm.

Warning, Beware, Caution, or Look out. Raise right index, rest closed; turn hand so as to have right eye, index, and the person in line; at the same time, shake the head a little. (Sheeaka.)

Fr. l’avertissement, prenez garde!; Ger. die Warnung, Vorsicht!

Warpath, To go to War (The thumb chasing the index). With its index at a right angle with the palm and pointing toward the left, other fingers closed, its thumb extended

and upright near base of the index, back of hand outward; move the right hand forward with a long downward then upward curve in front of the right shoulder.

Fr. le chemin de guerre; Ger. der Kriegspfad.

Washing Clothes. Rub with both fists as on a rubbing board. Old gesture was to rub the right fist circularly, palm down, on the left, palm up.

Fr. laver; Ger. waschen.

Washington. Sign White Man, All, Chief, High. (Sheeaka.)

Watch (A timepiece). Form a horizontal circle with thumb and index of left hand, others closed; tap around on this with the tip of right G.

Fr. la montre; Ger. die Taschenuhr.

Watch. See Look.

Water, Running. See River.

Water (In general). Bring the slightly cupped right palm from forward nearly level to near the chin. Compare Drink and Speech.

Fr. l’eau; Ger. das Wasser.

Waterfall. See Fall of Water.

Way, Manner, Road, Method, Custom, Plan, Trail, Law, etc. Both hands flat, palms up, but thumb sides higher, side by side, pointing front, breast high, alternately advanced and withdrawn. Much used among

Indians and sometimes equivalent to -ship or -ness, as in Kingship or Goodness. Compare Walk and Road.

Fr. le chemin, la manière; Ger. der Weg, die Art und Weise.

We, Us, and Our (Me all). Touch one’s chest with right thumb, fingers closed, then add All. (Sheeaka.) The Cheyennes sign Me, All, and Together.

Fr. nous, notre; Ger. wir, unser.

Weak. Swing the bent arms slowly from side to side as in walking weakly. Or Strong, and No. See Tired and Lazy.

Fr. faible; Ger. schwach.

Weary. See Tired.

Weasel. With right G curved, back up, imitate bounding; then indicate Tail and Half, Black. (Sheeaka.)

Fr. la belette; Ger. das Wiesel.

Week. See Time and Sun.

Weep. See Cry.

Weigh (Metaphorically). See Consider.

Welcome. Sign Come and Good.

Fr. bienvenu; Ger. willkommen.

Well, Good Health (Body strong). Flat hands one on each side of the body; draw them away, clench them and move them down with a jerk. (Sheeaka.) The Cheyennes sign All, Body (as above), Hard. Compare Sick and Lungs.

Fr. bien portant, la bonne sante; Ger. wohl, die Gesundheit.

What? See Question.

When? See Question.

Whence? See Question.

Where? See Question.

Wherever (All places). Hold right G out, back up, pointing toward horizon. Swing slowly in a half-circle up and over to left, then back to right; repeat.

Fr. en quelque lieu que ce soit; Ger. wo auch nur.

Whether. See If.

Whetstone. Sign Hard, then hold out left N hand and rub right N hand on it, with long, sweeping strokes.

Fr. la pierre à aiguiser; Ger. der Wetzstein.

Which? See Question.

Which. See Who.

While, After a. See Bye and bye.

While, Every Little While. Hold out left G, pointing to right; with left G tap on it several times, each time moving the right nearer the base of left G. See, All the time. Compare Peas and Buy.

Fr. à chaque moment; Ger. jeden Augenblick.

While, Meanwhile, or During. Sign Time, slowly moving hands until about six inches apart. Some shake the right hand in drawing it back. Or sign Time, Sit. Compare Time, Sometimes, Soon.

Fr. pendant; Ger. während.

Whirlwind. See Cyclone.

Whiskey. Sign Fire and Water, or Crazy, Water. Although some Cheyennes call beer fire-water, because of the explosion and froth.

Fr. le whiskey, l’eau-de-vie; Ger. der Whisky, der Branntwein.

Whisper, or Speak Privately. Hold up flat right hand, thumb at one side of the mouth, and incline the head. Or sign Hide and Talk.

Fr. chuchoter; Ger. flüstern.

White (Color). See Colors.

White or White Man (Hat or Cap wearers). Hold right G hand, back up and to right, in front of, close to, and a little to left of face, pointing to left; draw the hand to right, index finger passing horizontally in front of eyes. Sometimes add Man.

Fr. l’homme blanc; Ger. der Weisze.

Whither? See Question.

Who or Which (This equals that). Hold the two G fingers side by side on left; then, keeping the relative positions, swing them to the right. (W. C. Roe.) Probably modern. This is the same as As; the context alone shows which is meant.

Why? See Question.

Wicky-up. Swing the curved G fingers together in dome shape, left tip resting on right tip; then change to curved 4 hands and swing down and apart on a curve. (C)

Wide. See Broad.

Wife. Make signs for Female, then Marry. Usually sign My (or His) Woman.

Fr. la femme; Ger. die Frau, die Gattin.

Wild. Sign Bad; then push both 5 hands forward, thumbs up, six inches apart, switching them simultaneously from side to side. Sometimes use Crazy or Free.

Wild (Wild animal). Sign Look backward, then add Go quickly. Sometimes use Free.

Fr. sauvage; Ger. wild.

Will. See Want.

Will or Shall (Futurity). Hold the right open flat hand, palm to left, pointing straight out and elevated near ear. Push it straight forward and upward the length of the arm. Sometimes sign Time Ahead or Far Ahead. Compare Past and Future.

Fr. le futur exprimé par l’inflexion du verbe; Ger. werden, wollen.

Win or Overcome. Make sign for Kill; and indicate in what way. Thus, a person winning at gambling “Kills” the other in that way.

Fr. gagner, vaincre; Ger. gewinnen, siegen.

Wind. Hold up the 5 hands, shoulder high, backs up, a few inches apart, pointed forward and hands moved with a tremulous motion in direction of wind. If

strong wind, preface this with Fire-off or Charge. Or Sign Forward, using both hands. See Rumor and Storm.

Fr. le vent; Ger. der Wind.

Wing. Hold out left arm level, bent; sweep flat right 5 hand over it from shoulder down. Or, sometimes flap one hand as in Bird. Compare Hair.

Fr. l’aile; Ger. der Flügel.

Winter (Cold time). Hold closed hands in front of body, forearms about vertical, hands several inches apart; give a shivering, tremulous motion to hands; Sometimes, and particularly with Northern Indians,

the sign for Snow is made. Add Time, if there is any doubt.

Fr. l’hiver; Ger. der Winter.

Wipe Out, Excuse, or Forgive (To wipe it off). Hold left hand flat, palm up; smartly brush it with finger tips of right flat hand, from wrist to fingers and beyond. Compare Exterminate and Color. For the stronger idea, see Pardon.

Fr. excuser; Ger. verzeihen.

Wire. Hold right G back nearly up, pointing to left, about face high, near left shoulder; draw it across level to right shoulder. Compare Creek and Rope.

Fr. le fil de métal; Ger. der Draht.

Wise, Wisdom (Heart and head good). Sign Heart, then touch forehead and sign Good. (C) Or, Heap, Understand. Sometimes use Cunning.

Fr. sage, la sagesse; Ger. klug, die Weisheit.

Wish. See Want.

Witch. Cross the upright thumb of right hand on the middle of the index, which is a little bent, other fingers straight, held so one can sight over the thumb at the person meant. (Ruggles.) Also used for Distrust and Discredited. Widely established in the mountains.

Fr. la sorcière; Ger. die Hexe.

With or Together. Hold out the flat left, fingers forward, level, back to left; and lay the side of the right G finger, pointed forward, against the centre of the left palm. Sometimes means Add. See Together and Beside.

Fr. avec, ensemble; Ger. mit, zusammen.

Within or Inside. See In.

Wolf. Hold the right V hand, palm forward, near right shoulder, pointing straight upward; move it a little forward and up. See Scout.

Fr. le loup; Ger. der Wolf.

Wolverine. Sign Bear, Small, and indicate bushy tail. This is merely a description, not an established sign.

Fr. le carcajou, le volverenne; Ger. der braune Vielfrasz.

Woman. Make the sign for Female; sometimes also indicate height. Compare Comb.

Fr. la femme; Ger. die Frau.

Wonderful. See Glow.

Wood or Timber. Sign Tree, then indicate size and shape. Add Chop and throw forward (i.e., onto fire).

Fr. le bois; Ger. das Holz.

Woodchuck or Groundhog. With compressed right, back up, pushed forward, rolling from side to side, indicate the animal, its Size; then, with left H hand near upper lip and right H hand near lower, show the action of the front teeth, which differ from those of other rodents its equal in size in being White. This is not an established sign, but suggested as a description.

Fr. la grande marmotte d’Amérique; Ger. das virginische Murmeltier.

Woodcraft Boy. The Y hand; this denotes the Horned Shield, the symbol of the Order. (Not Indian.)

Woodcraft Girl. Make the sign of Sun on the heart and then raise it to the zenith. (Not Indian.)

Woodpecker. Sign Bird, then hold left arm upright for Tree and on this place the partly compressed right; make it hop up and tap the left palm with curved right G.

Fr. le pic, le pivert, l’èpeiche; Ger. der Specht.

Word (One piece of talk). Make C and lay it on the mouth, then swing it forward and a little down. (A very doubtful sign given by Sheeaka.)

Fr. le mot; Ger. das Wort.

Word of Honor. See Cross the heart. (Pop.)

Work, Doing, Make, or Act. Hold the flat hands four inches apart, palm to palm, level, left a little ahead; push them forward a little, simultaneously, and, at the same time, swing the points upward and downward briskly by wrist action, so that the finger points follow

the lines shown in the cut. To complete the sign, the action should be repeated at the left side with the hands reversed with regard to each other; but usually the first only is given. Possibly refers to fleshing a hide, which was about the hardest work in an Indian camp. For Work hard, use both A fists instead of flat hands.

Fr. travailler; Ger. arbeiten.

World. See Earth.

Wound (The course of arrow or bullet). Swing the right G hand toward the body, point first, back of hand to left and front, so that the tip just grazes the surface of the body and passes on, as though glancing off. Compare Ache.

Fr. la blessure; Ger. verwunden.

Wrap. Bring the slightly compressed hands, backs outward, in front of body, backs of fingers of right hand resting against inner surface of left, index fingers about horizontal; rotate the hands around each other.

Fr. envelopper; Ger. einwickeln.

Wrestle. Cross the wrists about two feet in front of the face, hands clenched as in Prisoner; then wriggle them from side to side.

Fr. lutter; Ger. ringen, kämpfen.

Wring. Hold the left A hand palm up and the right A hand back up, index of each touching thumb of the other as though holding a rope; then twist by wrist action till the position of each hand is reversed.

Fr. tordre; Ger. ringen.

Wrinkle. Wrinkle the skin of forehead and pinch same; also draw lines on face with finger tip. Sometimes omit last.

Fr. la ride, le pli; Ger. die Runzel, die Falte.

Write or Writing. With an imaginary pencil in right fingers, write on left palm; or in the air simply.

This last preceded by Come is commonly used in European hotels for “Give me my bill.”

Fr. écrire; Ger. schreiben.

Wrong. Sign Honest and Not; or else Bad. Sometimes use Different and Bad. See Crooked.

Fr. tort; Ger. unrecht.