llicarluni/lliigaaluni—Gesture, Sign Language Aigateng aturtaaqait llicarluteng.—They used to use their hands, gesturing (to talk). The worlds cultures have devised numerous, ingenious, ways to exchange information. Beyond the spoken and written word, societies use movement, expressions, pictures, and many forms of artwork for intentional communication. Gesturing is a particularly common form of non-verbal speech. People in […]
Detail of portrait of Shoshoni Chief Tendoi Demonstrating Sign Language. (Photo by Charles M. Bell, circa 1880, courtesy National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.) In early September 1930, the Blackfeet Nation of Montana hosted a historic Indian Sign Language Grand Council, gathering leaders of a dozen North American Nations and language groups. The three-day […]
