| OCR Text |
Show PICTURE WJUTLN0. rUZZLES LEFT BY THE OBLIGING RED MEN. On Grsve-lleeit Sfemnrlat the t Igaree Ar flee l'ielrfe Uewn tn IMniile j Ileal nri eirlur. I. rank - of k ol I I'liailllve ArlUle. j Th study of the sign language of , th red mau Is a fasi Inatlng one. Per- j hap the almpleat form of their picture j writing la thnt on the grave-head memorlala of their chiefs Then re j boards or poets, set up and llihcribed wllh certain symbols. The depicting of figures upside down denotes death and return to earth, and figures thus Inscribed are often seen In Indian epitaphs. epi-taphs. In other ruses the Idea of desth Is Indicated hy a cross with two space filled In. making a figure somewhat some-what of th hourglass shape. On a post set lip almnt luo years ago a unlo.il Inscription Is to be read. A reindeer at the top la lh totem mark of th deceased and his family, and Is depleted upside down for the reason explained. To the left of this figure ar seven transverse marks., meaning that th dead chief had led seven war parties. Three vertical marks below mean three wounds received In battle. A moose's head tells of a despernte struggle with an Infuriated animal of that sort, and a hatchet and pip Indicate Indi-cate great Influence In peace and war. Another post, almply Inscribed wllh th figure of a bear with thre horizontal horizon-tal line below It, show that the do-parted do-parted hunter wn of th Bear clan or family, and that b hnd attended three war parties. An Interesting example ex-ample of Indlnn picture writing n found some time ago In the Comanche country In Texas. The Inscription, which date hack to the time when Bpaln waa still engaged In Amerlcnn conquest, la upon the ehoutder bind of a buffalo. A mounted Indian Is depicted de-picted killing with a p"iir a Spsnlnrd armed with a gun, the tragedy being enacted In the presence of the disputed buffnlo Itself, who, In n pl"bnld or aeml-sklnned condition. Is eonte nplnt-tng nplnt-tng th content from a lower part of the picture. An elegant scroll line by the side of the evidently doomed Pinn-lard Pinn-lard expresses the circuitous route by which the Indian followed his enemy. Tha length of body nnd shortness of leg of th horse would seem to denote that It belonged to a dachshund variety of equine, while, to the unlnltlnted observer tho buffalo somewhat resemble resem-ble a cockroach. Bove al examples of whnt appear to bo the urllstlc efforts of a very Juvenile scholnr In the ab-aence ab-aence of his tencher'a ohaervatlon have been Interpreted by an export. On picture contain two figure remotely In the llkenes of humanity. On holds, or Is supposed to hold for tho momhera of that body capable of that operation are represented by two straight lines something not accurately ac-curately defined. Th purpose of the remaining actor In the scene represented repre-sented la rather rlenror. He Is depicted depict-ed In the art of "letting off" an antique an-tique firelock alined direct at the other, By tho side of the Individual with th firelock ar a bundle and a tree. Tho whole I a trespass notice, and a very strong hint to the passerby of what ho may expect from the property ownor should he attempt to filch any of the latter' goods. The compimltlon may be divided, for the purpose of description, Into two chief rows of figures and objects, whllo at th lower corners ar depicted a bird and a turtle The figure all resemble those juvenile effort to represent rep-resent the human form before tha ar tletio asptraut baa attained a knowledge knowl-edge of anatomy or perspective. A figure fig-ure at tha nd of tha second row represents rep-resents the aubaltern officer In charge of the guard ot United State troop. Tbla military personage la distinguished distinguish-ed by a curly Hue Intended to represent repre-sent bis sword. Next to blm la the secretary of tha expedition, as ahown by th thing In bis band, which Is aald to be a book. Next Is th geologist and th weapon with which ha appear ap-pear to b attacking tha secretary's bead U bla geological, hammer. Two Mau.anta and th Interpreter ar alao graphically depicted. Just above I a row ot Infantry soldiers, tbelr guns b-Ing b-Ing represented In a separata row. By tha aide of each of the principal rowa la aometblng Intended to represent a Are, to show that th soldiers had a separate Bra and ms. Th bird and turtle denot tb results of tb preceding preced-ing day's chase, cooked (aa Indicated by anothar fire) and. eaten. Th guide, wbo ar Indian and represented represent-ed In the cond row, hav their rac designated by tba absanc of bats wblcb ar to b seen on all th other ftgur denoting that they ar white men. It la to be noted that th Indian artist baa drawn tha figure ot himself him-self and his companion at least twice as larg ny ot tb "paleface.'' Washington Times. |
