51 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



is not writing; it is what is eaWed jnctograpM/. Such are those gross 

 representations employed even to-clay by the Indians of Xorth Amer- 

 ica to transmit information (Figs. 1 and 2.) 



Fia. 2. 



Fio. 1. 



Indian Bark-letter. 



Indian Bark-letter. 



Explanation of Fig. 1.— On one occasion a party of explorers, with two Indian guides, saw one 

 morninLT, just as they were about to start, a pole stuck in the direction they were going-, and hold- 

 ing at the top a piece of bark, covered with drawings, which were intended for the information of 

 any other Indians who might pass that way. This is represented in Fl^. 1. No. 1 represents the 

 subaltern officer in command of the party. He is drawn with a sword, to denote his rank. No. 

 2 denotes the secretary. He is represented as holding a book, the Indians having understood 

 him to be an attorney. No. 3 represents the geologist, approj)riate]y indicated by a hammer. 

 Nos. 4 and 5 are attaches ; No. 6 the interpreter. The trroup of figures marked 9 represents seven 

 infantry soldiers, each of whom, as shown in group No. 10. was armed with a musket. No. 15 

 denotes that they had a separate fire, and constituted a separate mess. Nos. 7 and 8 represent 

 the two Chippewa guides. These are the only human figures drawn without the distinguish- 

 ing symbol of a hat. This was the characteristic seized on by them, and generally employed 

 by the Indians, to distinguish the 7'ed from the white race. Nos. 11 and ^2 represent a prairie- 

 hen and a green tortoise, which constituted the sum of the preceding day's chase, and were 

 eaten at the encampment. The inclination of the pole was designed to show the course pur- 

 sued; and there were three hacks in it below the scroll of bark, to indicate the estimated length 

 of this part of the journey, computing from water to water. 



Explanation of Fig. 2.— This figure gives the biography of Wingemund. a noted chief of the 

 Delawares. No. 1 shows that it belonged to the oldest branch of Ihe tribe, which use the tor- 

 toise on their symbol. No. 2 is his totem, or symbol; No. 3 is the sun, and the ten strokes repre 

 sent ten war-paVties in which he was engaged. Those figures on the left represent the captives 

 which he made in each of his excursions, the men being distinguished from the women, and 

 the captives being denoted by having heads, while a man without his head is of course a dead 

 man. The central figures represent three forts which he attacked; No. 8, one on Lake Erie; 

 No. 9, that of Detroit; and No. 10. Fort Pitt, at the junction of the Alleghany and the Monon- 

 gahela. The sloping strokes denote the number of his followers. 



When the object figured has a conventional signification, w^e may 

 say that writing has begun. For example, the idea of j^rudence would 

 be represented by a serpent, that of force by a lion. This manner of 

 translating thought is symbolic, ideographic writing. It presents 

 many stages. The hieroglyphics seen on Egyptian and Mexican 

 monuments belong here. But all these signs do net constitute veri- 

 table writing. 



In reality, this appears only when the signs employed represent 

 the sounds of the language. After reaching this point, writing again 

 presents two very different stages. Each syllable may have its par- 

 ticular character ; or, better still, the elements of the syllable may be 

 represented. This last form constitutes writing, properly speaking. 

 It is this that we employ. The collection of signs we call an alpha- 



