MALLERY.] NO—NOT. 44] 
people’s habit of shaking the head to express “no,” has been in use among 
them for as long as the oldest people can remember, yet they do not use 
the variant to express ‘“‘yes.” “(Dakota I.) “Dismissing the idea, ete.” 
Place the opened relaxed right hand, pointing toward the left, back 
forward, in front of the nose or as low as the breast, and throw it for- 
ward and outward about eighteen inches. Some at the same time turn 
the palm upward. Or make the sign at the height of the breast with 
both hands. Represents the shaking of the head. (Dakota 1V.) The 
shaking of the head in negation is not so universal or “natural” as is 
popularly supposed, for the ancient Greeks, followed by the modern ~ 
Turks and rustic Italians, threw the head back, instead of shaking it, 
for “no.” Rabelais makes Pantagruel (Book 3) show by many quotations 
from the ancients how the shaking of the head was a frequent if not 
universal concomitant of oracular utterance—not connected with nega- 
tion. 
Hold the flat hand edgewise, pointing upward before the right side of 
the chest, then throw it outward and 
downward to theright. (Dakota VI, 
VIL.) Fig. 270. 
The hand, extended or slightly 
curved, is held in front of the body a 
little to the right of the median line; 
it is then carried with a rapid sweep 
a foot or more farther to the right. — / 
(Mandan and Hidatsa 1.) Fé 
Place the hand as in yes, as fol- 
lows: The hand open, palm down- 
ward, at the level of the breast, is 
moved forward with a quick down- 
ward motion from the wrist, imitat- 
ing a bow of the head; then move it from side to side. (Iroquois L.) 
“A shake of the head.” 
Throw the flat right hand forward and outward to the right, palm to 
the front. (Aaiowa 1; Comanche 11; Apache 11; Wichita 11.) 
Quick motion of open hand from the mouth forward, palm toward the 
mouth. (Sahaptin 1.) 
Place hand in front of body, fingers relaxed, palin toward body (Y 1), 
then with easy motion move to a point, say, a foot from the body, a little 
to right, fingers same, but palm upward. (Sahaptin I.) “We don’t 
agree.” To express All gone, use @ Similar motion with both hands. 
“ Empty.” 
