The principle of opposition, as between the right and left hands, and
between the thumb and forefinger and the little finger, appears among
Indians in some expressions for "above," "below," "forward," "back,"
but is not so common as among the methodical, distinguished from the
natural, signs of deaf-mutes. It is also connected with the attempt
to express degrees of comparison. _Above_ is sometimes expressed by
holding the left hand horizontal, and in front of the body, fingers
open, but joined together, palm upward. The right hand is then placed
horizontal, fingers open but joined, palm downward, an inch or more
above the left, and raised and lowered a few inches several times, the
left hand being perfectly still. If the thing indicated as "above"
is only a _little_ above, this concludes the sign, but if it be
_considerably_ above, the right hand is raised higher and higher as
the height to be expressed is greater, until, if _enormously_ above,
the Indian will raise his right hand as high as possible, and, fixing
his eyes on the zenith, emit a duplicate grunt, the more prolonged as
he desires to express the greater height. All this time the left hand
is held perfectly motionless. _Below_ is gestured in a corresponding
manner, all movement being made by the left or lower hand, the right
being held motionless, palm downward, and the eyes looking down.
The code of the Cistercian monks was based in large part on a system
of opposition which seems to have been wrought out by an elaborate
process of invention rather than by spontaneous figuration, and is
more of mnemonic than suggestive value. They made two fingers at the
right side of the nose stand for "friend," and the same at the left
side for "enemy," by some fanciful connection with right and wrong,
and placed the little finger on the tip of the nose for "fool" merely
because it had been decided to put the forefinger there for "wise
man."