There can be no attempt in the present limits to trace the etymology
of any large number of words in the several Indian languages to a
gestural origin, nor, if the space allowed, would it be satisfactory.
The signs have scarcely yet been collected, verified, and collated
in sufficient numbers for such comparison, even with the few of
the Indian languages the radicals of which have been scientifically
studied. The signs will, in a future work, be frequently presented in
connection with the corresponding words of the gesturers, as is done
now in a few instances in another part of this paper. For the present
the subject is only indicated by the following examples, introduced to
suggest the character of the study in which the students of American
linguistics are urgently requested to assist:
The Dakota word _Sha[n]te-suta_--from _sha[n]te_, heart, and _suta_,
strong--_brave_, not cowardly, literally strong-hearted, is made by
several tribes of that stock, and particularly by the Brule Sioux, in
gestures by collecting the tips of the fingers and thumb of the right
hand to a point, and then placing the radial side of the hand over
the heart, finger tips pointing downward--_heart_; then place the
left fist, palm inward, horizontally before the lower portion of the
breast, the right fist back of the left, then raise the right and
throw it forcibly over and downward in front of the left--_brave_,
_strong_. See Fig. 242, page 415.
The Arikaras make the sign for _brave_ by striking the clinched fist
forcibly toward the ground in front of and near the breast.
Brave, or "strong-hearted," is made by the Absaroka, Shoshoni, and
Banak Indians by merely placing the clinched fist to the breast, the
latter having allusion to the heart, the clinching of the hand to
strength, vigor, or force.
An Ojibwa sign for _death, to die_, is as follows:
Place the palm of the hand at a short distance from the side of
the head, then withdraw it gently in an oblique downward direction,
inclining the head and upper part of the body in the same direction.
The same authority, The Very Rev. E. Jacker, who contributes it,
notes that there is an apparent connection between this conception and
execution and the etymology of the corresponding terms in Ojibwa. "He
dies," is _nibo_; "he sleeps," is _niba_. The common idea expressed
by the gesture is a sinking to rest. The original significance of
the root _nib_ seems to be "leaning;" _anibeia_, "it is leaning";
_anibekweni_, "he inclines the head sidewards." The word _niba_ or
_nibe_ (only in compounds) conveys the idea of "night," perhaps as the
falling over, the going to rest, or the death of the day.
_Ogima_, the Ojibwa term for _chief_, is derived from a root which
signifies "above" (_Ogidjaii_, upon; _ogidjina_, above; _ogidaki_,
on a hill or mountain, etc.). _Ogitchida_, a brave, a hero (Otawa,
_ogida_), is probably from the same root.
_Sagima_, the Ojibwa form of sachem, is from the root _sag_, which
implies a coming forth, or stretching out. These roots are to be
considered in connection with several gestures described under the
head of _Chief_, in EXTRACTS FROM DICTIONARY, _infra_.
_Onijishin_, it is _good_ (_Ojibwa_), originally signifies "it
lies level." This may be compared with the sign for _good_, in
the Tendoy-Huerito Dialogue, Fig. 309, page 487, and also that for
_happy_, _contentment_, in the Speech of Kin Ch[=e]-[)e]ss, page 523.
In Klamath the radix _lam_ designates a whirling motion, and appears
in the word _lama_, "to be crazy, mad," readily correlated with the
common gesture for _madman_ and _fool_, in which the hand is rotated
above and near the head.
_Evening_, in Klamath, is _litkhi_, from _luta_, to hang down, meaning
the time when the sun hangs down, the gesture for which, described
elsewhere in this paper (see Natci's Narrative, page 503), is
executive of the same conception, which is allied to the etymology
usually given for _eve_, _even_, "the decline of the day." These
Klamath etymologies have been kindly contributed by Mr. A.S. Gatschet.
The Very Rev. E. Jacker also communicates a suggestive _excursus
exegeticus_ upon the probable gestural origin of the Ojibwa word
_tibishko_, "opposite in space; just so; likewise:"
"The adverb _tibishko_ (or _dibishko_) is an offshoot of the root
_tib_ (or _dib_), which in most cases conveys the idea of measuring
or weighing, as appears from the following samples: _dibaige_, he
measures; _dibowe_, he settles matters by his speech or word, e.g.,
as a juryman; _dibaamage_, he pays out; _dibakonige_, he judges;
_dibabishkodjige_, he weighs; _dibamenimo_, he restricts himself,
e.g., to a certain quantity of food; _dibissitchige_, he fulfills a
promise; _dibijigan_, a pattern for cutting clothes.
"The original, meaning of _tib_, however, must be supposed to
have been more comprehensive, if we would explain other (apparent)
derivatives, such as: _tibi_, 'I don't know where, where to, where
from,' &c.; _tibik_, night; _dibendjige_, he is master or
owner; _titibisse_, it rolls (as a ball), it turns (as a wheel);
_dibaboweigan_, the cover of a kettle. The notion of measuring does
not very naturally enter into the ideas expressed by these terms.
"The difficulty disappears if we assume the root _tib_ or _dib_ to
have been originally the phonetic equivalent of a _gesture_ expressive
of the notion of covering as well as of that of measuring. This
gesture would seem to be the holding of one hand above the other,
horizontally, at some distance, palms opposite or both downwards.
This, or some similar gesture would most naturally accompany the above
terms. As for _tibik_, night, compare (_Dunbar_): 'The two hands open
and extended, crossing one another horizontally.' The idea of covering
evidently enters into this conception. The strange adverb _tibi_ ('I
don't know where,' &c., or 'in a place unknown to me'), if
derived from the same root, would originally signify 'covered.' In
_titibisse_, or _didibisse_ (it rolls, it turns), the reduplication
of the radical syllable indicates the repetition of the gesture, by
holding the hands alternately above one another, palms downwards, and
thus producing a rotary motion.
"In German, the clasping of the hands in a horizontal position,
expressive of a promise or the conclusion of a bargain, is frequently
accompanied by the interjection _top!_ the same radical consonants
as in _tib_. Compare also the English _tap_, the French _tape_, the
Greek, [Greek: tupto] the Sanscrit _tup_ and _tub_, &c."