642 PICTURE-WRITING OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS. 
° 
blue, the searching being derived from the expression of that idea in 
gesture by passing the extended index of one hand (or both) forward 
from the eye, then from right to left, as if indicating various uncertain 
localities before the person, i. e., searching for something. The lines 
from the eyes are in imitation of this gesture. 
WATER. 
The Chinese character for to give water is a, in Fig. 999, which may 
be compared ae the common Indian 
AWN. gesture to drink, to give water, viz: 
zp BO Reisen held with the tips of fingers 
aC 2 7 brought together and passed to the 
mouth, as if scooping up water” (see 
' Fig. 1000), obviously from primitive 
custom, as with Mojaves, who still 
drink with scooped hands, throwing the water to the mouth. 
Another common Indian gesture sign for water to drink—I want to 
drink—is: ** Hand brought downward past the mouth with loosely ex- 
tended fingers, palm toward the face.” This appears in the Mexican 
character for drink, ), in Fig. 999, taken from Pipart (a). Water, i. e., 
the pouring out of water with the drops falling or about to 
‘fall, is shown in Fig. 999, ¢, taken from the same author 
(b), being the same arrangement of them as in the Indian 
gesture-sign for rain, shown in Fig. 1002, the hand, how- 
ever, being inverted. Rain in the Mexican picture-writing 
is sometimes shown by small circles inclosing a dot, as in 
the last two designs, but not connected together, each 
having a short line upward marking the line of descent. Ee eee 
Several other pictographs for rain are given below. sign for drink. 
With the gesture sign for drink may be compared Fig. 1001, the 
Kegyptian goddess Nu in the sacred syca- 
more tree, pouring out the water of life 
to the Osirian and his soul represented 
as a bird, in Amenti, from a funereal 
stelé in Cooper’s Senpedt Myths (0). 
The common Indian gesture for river 
orstream—water—is made by passing the 
horizontal flat hand, palm down, forward 
and to the left from the right side in a 
Fig. 1001.—Water, Egyptian. serpentine manner, 
The Egyptian character for the same is d in Fig. 999, taken from ~ 
Champollion’s Dictionary (b). The broken line is held to represent the 
movement of the water on the surface of the stream. When made with 
one line less angular and more waving it means water. It is interesting 
to compare with this the identical character in the syllabary invented 
by a West African negro, Mormoru Doalu Bukere, for water, e, in Fig. 
999, mentioned by Dr. Tylor (bd). 
—_~ 
A 
Fig. 999.—Water symbols. 
