326 SIGN LANGUAGE AMONG NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 
The studies thus far pursued lead to the conclusion that at the time 
of the discovery of North America all its inhabitants practiced sign 
language, though with different degrees of expertness, and that while 
under changed circumstances it was disused by some, others, in especial 
those who after the acquisition of horses became nomads of the Great 
Plains, retained and cultivated it to the high development now attained, 
from which it will surely and speedily decay. 
MISTAKEN DENIAL THAT SIGN LANGUAGE EXISTS. 
The most useful suggestion to persons interested in the collection 
of signs is that they shall not too readily abandon the attempt to dis- 
cover recollections of them even among tribes long exposed to European 
influence and officially segregated from others. The instances where 
their existence, at first denied, has been ascertained are important with 
reference to the theories advanced. 
Rey. J. Owen Dorsey has furnished a considerable vocabulary of signs 
finally procured from the Poncas, although, after residing among them 
for years, with thorough familiarity with their language, and after special 
and intelligent exertion to obtain some of their disused gesture language, 
he had before reported it to be entirely forgotten. A similar report was 
made by two missionaries among the Ojibwas, though other trustworthy 
authorities have furnished a copious list of signs obtained from that 
tribe. This is no imputation against the missionaries, as in October, 
1880, five intelligent Ojibwas from Petoskey, Mich., told the writer that 
they had never heard of gesture language. An interesting letter from 
Mr. B. O. Williams; sr., of Owasso, Mich., explains the gradual decad- 
ence of signs used by the Ojibwasin his recollection, embracing sixty years, 
as chiefly arising from general acquaintance with the English language. 
Further discouragement came from an Indian agent giving the decided 
statement, after four years of intercourse with the Pai-Utes, that no 
such thing as a communication by signs was known or even remembered 
by them, which, however, was less difficult to bear because on the day of 
the receipt of that well-intentioned missive some officers of the Bureau 
of Ethnology were actually talking in signs with a delegation of that 
very tribe of Indians then in Washington, from one of whom, Natci, a 
narrative printed in this paper (page 500), was received. 
The report from missionaries, army officers, and travelers in Alaska 
was unanimous against the existence of a sign language there until Mr. 
Ivan Petroff, whose explorations had been more extensive, gave the 
excellent exposition and dialogue now produced (see page 492). Collee- 
tions were also obtained from the Apaches and Zuii,-Pimas, Papagos, 
and Maricopas, after agents and travelers had denied them to be pos- 
sessed of any knowledge on the subject. 
For the reasons mentioned under the last heading, little hope was en- 
tertained of procuring a collection from any of the Iroquoian stock, but 
