Fig. 992.—Hard. Red-Cloud’s Census. This is the representation of a stone hammer and coincides with the Dakotan gesture sign for hard as follows:
Same as the sign for stone, which is: With the back of the arched right hand strike repeatedly in the palm of the left, held horizontal, back outward, at the height of the breast and about a foot in front; the ends of the fingers point in opposite directions. Refers to the time when the stone hammer was the hardest pounding instrument the Indians knew.
Fig. 993.—Moon.
Fig. 993.—Little-Sun. Red-Cloud’s Census. The moon is expressed both in gestural and oral language as sun-little.
Fig. 994.—Old-Cloud.
Fig. 994.—Old-Cloud. Red-Cloud’s Census. Cloud is drawn in blue in the original; old is signified by drawing a staff in the hand of the man. The Dakotan gesture for old is described as follows:
With the right hand held in front of right side of body, as though grasping the head of a walking-stick, describe the forward arch movement, as though a person walking was using it for support. “Decrepit age dependent on a staff.”
