The Indian Sign Language

I bought the book since I read about it in "Wooden Leg" biography. The old Cheyenne describes the author as a very knowledgeable "sign speaker". Actually the book is much more than a dictionary since the author has collected a huge number of stories and information about different indian tribes. Definitely a precious information source on the life of American indians as seen from a white soldier who spent lots of time with them during the last years of their freedom.

One language connected all tribes of Americans not long ago. This book is filled with translations from English to Native American Sign Language as well the historical facts related to the period that this book was written. Even tribal accents are noted as certain tribes expressed the same words using their own habitual pronunciations in sign. This book not only clearly explains the language but paints a picture alphabetically of the subjects, abstract and tangible, that Native Americans talked about in 1877.