The Siouan Indians | Page 6

Nearly all of the
known dialects are eminently vocalic, and the tongues of the plains,
which have been most extensively studied, are notably melodious; thus
the leading languages of the group display moderately high phonetic
development. In grammatic structure the better-known dialects are not
so well developed; the structure is complex, chiefly through the large
use of inflection, though agglutination sometimes occurs. In some cases
the germ of organization is found in fairly definite juxtaposition or
placement. The vocabulary is moderately rich, and of course represents
the daily needs of a primitive people, their surroundings, their
avocations, and their thoughts, while expressing little of the richer
ideation of cultured cosmopolites. On the whole, the speech of the
Siouan stock may be said to have been fairly developed, and may, with
the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Shoshonean, be regarded as typical for
the portion of North America lying north of Mexico. Fortunately it has
been extensively studied by Riggs, Hale, Dorsey, and several others,
including distinguished representatives of some of the tribes, and is
thus accessible to students. The high phonetic development of the
Siouan tongues reflects the needs and records the history of the hunter
and warrior tribes, whose phonetic symbols were necessarily so
differentiated as to be intelligible in whisper, oratory, and war cry, as
well as in ordinary converse, while the complex structure is in harmony
with the elaborate social organization and ritual of the Siouan people.
Many of the Siouan Indians were adepts in the sign language; indeed,
this mode of conveying intelligence attained perhaps its highest

development among some of the tribes of this stock, who, with other
plains Indians, developed pantomime and gesture into a surprisingly
perfect art of expression adapted to the needs of huntsmen and
warriors.
Most of the tribes were fairly proficient in pictography; totemic and
other designs were inscribed on bark and wood, painted on skins,
wrought into domestic wares, and sometimes carved on rocks. Jonathan
Carver gives an example of picture-writing on a tree, in charcoal mixed
with bear's grease, designed to convey information from the
"Chipe'ways" (Algonquian) to the "Naudowessies,"(22) and other
instances of intertribal communication by means of pictography are on
record. Personal decoration was common, and was largely symbolic;
the face and body were painted in distinctive ways when going on the
warpath, in organizing the hunt, in mourning the dead, in celebrating
the victory, and in performing various ceremonials. Scarification and
maiming were practiced by some of the tribes, always in a symbolic
way. Among the Mandan and Hidatsa scars were produced in cruel
ceremonials originally connected with war and hunting, and served as
enduring witnesses of courage and fortitude. Symbolic tattooing was
fairly common among the westernmost tribes. Eagle and other feathers
were worn as insignia of rank and for other symbolic purposes, while
bear claws and the scalps of enemies were worn as symbols of the
chase and battle. Some of the tribes recorded current history by means
of "winter counts" or calendaric inscriptions, though their arithmetic
was meager and crude, and their calendar proper was limited to
recognition of the year, lunation, and day--or, as among so many
primitive people, the "snow," "dead moon," and "night,"--with no
definite system of fitting lunations to the annual seasons. Most of the
graphic records were perishable, and have long ago disappeared; but
during recent decades several untutored tribesmen have executed
vigorous drawings representing hunting scenes and conflicts with white
soldiery, which have been preserved or reproduced. These crude essays
in graphic art were the germ of writing, and indicate that, at the time of
discovery, several Siouan tribes were near the gateway opening into the
broader field of scriptorial culture. So far as it extends, the crude
graphic symbolism betokens warlike habit and militant organization,

which were doubtless measurably inimical to further progress.
It would appear that, in connection with their proficiency in gesture
speech and their meager graphic art, the Siouan Indians had become
masters in a vaguely understood system of dramaturgy or symbolized
conduct. Among them the use of the peace-pipe was general; among
several and perhaps all of the tribes the definite use of insignia was
common; among them the customary hierarchic organization of the
aborigines was remarkably developed and was maintained by an
elaborate and strict code of etiquette whose observance was exacted
and yielded by every tribesman. Thus the warriors, habituated to
expressing and recognizing tribal affiliation and status in address and
deportment, were notably observant of social minutiæ, and this habit
extended into every activity of their lives. They were ceremonious
among themselves and crafty toward enemies, tactful diplomatists as
well as brave soldiers, shrewd strategists as well as fierce fighters; ever
they were skillful readers of human nature, even when ruthless takers
of human life. Among some of the tribes every movement