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Indian Scout Talks: A Guide for Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls, a non-fiction book by Charles Alexander Eastman |
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Chapter 22. Indian Picture-Writing |
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_ CHAPTER XXII. INDIAN PICTURE-WRITING The Indian is something of an impressionist in the matter of technique. Though possessed of great manual dexterity, he does not care, as a rule, to reproduce an object exactly, but rather to suggest his fundamental conception of it. Each drawing stands for an idea, and its symbolic character gives it a certain mystery and dignity in our eyes. It is usual to represent an animal in action, in order to indicate more clearly its real or imaginary attributes. Thus a horse is shown running, a buffalo or bear fighting, or in a humorous attitude. Pictorial hieroglyphics are merely crude pictures drawn and painted upon leather or birch-bark, or cut into the trunk of a convenient tree, or perhaps upon a hard clay bank, and sometimes even scratched with a hard stone upon the face of a cliff. In the first place, they represent history and biography, and serve to supplement and authenticate our oral traditions. Others are communications intended for some one who is likely to pass that way, and give important information. The person or persons whom it is desired to reach need not be addressed, but the sender of the message signs his name first, as in a letter of ceremony. [Illustration: Fig. 21.] Suppose Charging Eagle is on the war-path and wishes to communicate with his friends. He cuts upon the bark of a conspicuous tree beside the trail the figure of an eagle swooping downward, bearing in its beak a war-club. The news he gives is that his young men brought home a herd of horses taken from the enemy. He draws first a teepee; facing it are several free horses, and immediately behind them two or three riders with war-bonnets on their heads, leading another horse. Last of all are some horses’ footprints. The free horses represent force, and the led horse expresses captivity. The fact that the men wear their war-bonnets, indicates a state of war. The event is dated by drawing the symbol of the month in which it occurred, followed by the outline of the moon in its first, second, third, or fourth quarter, dark or full, as the case may be. The waxing moon opens toward the right, the waning moon toward the left. To be still more exact, the chief may draw the sun with its rays, followed by an open hand with as many fingers extended as days have passed since the event. [Illustration: Fig. 22.] The thirteen moons of the year are named differently by different Indian tribes. I will give the names and symbols commonly used by the Sioux, beginning with nature’s new year, the early spring.
In the old days, there were many different bands of the Sioux, who wandered, during the year, over a wide extent of country. Thus news was spread both by signal communication and by pictographs, when it was impossible to communicate by word of mouth. This particular message of Charging Eagle’s was not only news, but also a warning to travelers to be on their guard, for the enemy might seek to retaliate, and some innocent persons be surprised and made to pay dearly for another’s exploit. In picture-writing, the head of man or animal is emphasized, with its distinguishing peculiarity of head-gear, or ears, or horns, while the body is barely outlined. The warrior is represented by a rude figure of a man wearing a war-bonnet, or carrying a coup-staff. Warriors returning successful are shown approaching a group of teepees, carrying scalps on poles. If, on the contrary, the writer’s camp has been raided, the figures are seen departing from the teepees. A trail, or journey, is indicated by double wavy lines. If the travelers parted, the trail is branched. [Illustration: Fig. 23.] [Illustration: Fig. 24.] Lightning is represented by zig-zag lines with a suggestion of flames at the points, or by a large bird with zig-zag flashes issuing from his beak. Wind is indicated by tossed clouds; but for the four winds, or four points of the compass, draw a mere cross, or a pair of crossed arrows. For rain, make dots and dashes; for snow, falling stars; for night, stars above a black line, sometimes adding a crescent moon. [Illustration: Fig. 25.] Every Indian has his pictographic signature, and this idea may appropriately be copied by Boy Scouts, who will also enjoy communicating by Indian signs and keeping the record book or “winter count” in the same manner. The name “Sitting Bull,” for example, is drawn as a buffalo bull sitting upon its haunches, with front feet in the air and tossing head. Spotted Tail is a charger with luxuriant flowing tail, streaked and spotted with white. Hawk Eagle signs his name by drawing a hawk wearing an eagle feather war-bonnet. Big Tent draws a large teepee, with a buffalo tail dangling from the projecting poles, to show dignity and importance. The autograph of Chief Bullhead is the figure of a man with the head of a bull buffalo, perhaps surmounted by a war-bonnet. [Illustration: Fig. 26.] The “ghost,” or spirit, is represented by a pair of eyes looking from the sky, or by the outline of a bird with great eyes. Prayer, or the “Great Mystery,” is symbolized by the figure of a man in the Indian’s prayer attitude—standing erect, with head uplifted and the tips of his fingers meeting in a sharp angle in front of his chest, gazing at the figure of the sun. _ |
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