158 



more particularly applicable to convey the idea of death produced by 

 a blow of the tomahawk or war-club. [Long.) 



Clinch the hand and strike from above downward. ( Wied.) I do not 

 remember this. I have given yon the sign for killing with ai stroke. 

 {Matthews.) There is an evident similarity in conception and execution 

 between the [Oto and Missouri I) sign and ir/ef/'s. {Boteler.) This mo- 

 tion, which may be more cleaily e.\i)ressed as the downward thrust of a 

 knife held in the clinched hand, is still used by many tribes for the gen- 

 eral idea of " kill," and illustrates the antiquity of the knife as a weapon. 

 The actual employment of arrow, gun, or club in taking life, is, however, 

 often specitied by appropriate gesture. 



Smite the sinister palm earthward with the dexter tist shari)ly, in 

 sign of "Going down"; or strike out with the dexter tist toward the 

 ground, meaning to "shut down; "or ])ass the dexter under the left fore- 

 finger, meaning to " go under." {Burton.) 



Right hand cast down. {Macijowan.) 



Right hand clinched, thumb lying along finger tips, elevated to near 

 the shoulder, strike downward and outward vaguely in the direction of 

 the object to be killed. The abstract sign for Kill is simply to clinch 

 the right baud in the manner described and strike it down and out from 

 the right side. {Cheyenne I.) 



Both hands clinched, with the thumbs resting against the middle joints 

 of the forefingers, hold the left transversely in front of and as high as the 

 breast, then push the right, palm down, quickly over and down in front 

 of the left. {Absarolial; Shoshoni and Banak I.) "To force under — 

 literally." 



With the dexter fist brought in front of the body at the right side, 

 strike downward and outward, with back of hand upward, thumb to- 

 ward the left, several times. {Dal-ota I.) "Strike down." 



With the first and second joints of the fingers of the right hand bent, 

 end of thumb against the middle of the index, palm downward, move 

 the hand energetically forward and downward from a foot in front of 

 the right breast. {Dal^ota IW .) " Striking with a stone" — man's first 

 weapon. 



Hold the right fist palm down, knuckles forward, and make a thrust 

 forward and downward. {Dakota \ I .,\l\; Jlidutsal; Arikaral.) 



The left hand, thumb up, back forwanl, not very signally extended, 

 is held before the chest and struck in the palm with the outer edge of 

 the right hand. {Mandan and Eidatsa I.) "To kill with a blow; to 

 deal the death blow." 



