this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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Map of the various sign languages spoken across Turtle Island, excluding Francosign languages. Plains Sign Language is labelled in red as Hand Talk

Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), also known as Hand Talk, Plains Sign Talk, Plains Sign Language, or First Nation Sign Language, is an endangered sign language common to the majority of Indigenous nations of North America, notably those of the Great Plains, Northeast Woodlands, and the Great Basin. It was, and continues to be, used across what is now central Canada, the central and western United States and northern Mexico. This language was used historically as a lingua franca, notably for international relations, trade, and diplomacy; it is still used for story-telling, oratory, various ceremonies, and by deaf people for ordinary daily use.

In 1885, it was estimated that there were over 110,000 "sign-talking Indians", including Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Sioux, Kiowa, and Arapaho. As a result of the European colonization of the Americas, most notably including American boarding and Canadian residential schools, the number of sign talkers has declined sharply. However, growing interest and preservation work on the language has increased its use and visibility in the 21st century. Historically, some have likened its more formal register, used by men, to Church Latin in function. It is primarily used today by Elders and Deaf citizens of Indigenous nations.

History

Hand Talk's history is intimately associated with both ancient and recent petroglyphs of the continent, however, little is known to academia about Plains Sign Talk's historical antecedents. The earliest records of contact between Europeans and Indigenous peoples of the Gulf Coast region in what is now Texas and northern Mexico note a fully-formed sign language already in use by the time of the Europeans' arrival there. These records include the accounts of Cabeza de Vaca in 1527 and Coronado in 1541.

Signing may have started in the south of North America, perhaps in northern Mexico or Texas, and only spread into the Plains in recent times, though this suspicion may be an artifact of European observation. It is known that there is a complex of Maya sign languages called Meemul Chʼaabʼal or Meemul Tziij in the Kʼicheʼ language, but it is unknown to what extent Meemul Tziij has affected Hand Talk.

The Northwest is home to Plateau Sign Language, which is either a single language or a family of sign languages spoken by the local nations. It is also unknown how associated Plateau Sign Language is with Hand Talk, but it is probable that they are related. Although it is still spoken, especially by the Ktunaxa, the Plateau nations historically shifted to using Chinook Jargon instead

In recent years, the Oneida Nation has taken steps to revive their sign language. Historically, the nations of the Northeast Woodlands, like the Haudenosaunee, spoke a variant of Hand Talk. The Oneida Sign Language Project officially began in 2016, and more signs are being added to this day.

Geography

Sign language use has been documented across speakers of at least 37 spoken languages in twelve families, spread across an area of over 2.6 million square kilometres (1 million square miles). In recent history, it was highly developed among the Crow, Cheyenne, Arapaho and Kiowa, among others, and remains strong among the Crow, Cheyenne and Arapaho.

Melanie R. McKay-Cody, a Cherokee Deaf woman and Hand Talk speaker/researcher, motions that "Plains" Sign Language is actually a family of inter-related languages extending beyond the Great Plains. She breaks down the regional languages as: Northeast Hand Talk (including Oneida Sign Language), Plains Sign Language, Great Basin Sign Language (spoken, for example, by the Ute), and Southwest Hand Talk. She also notes a West Coast language spoken by the Chumash, and she advances the idea that Inuit Sign Language has some relation to this complex of manual North American Indigenous languages. Unmentioned is Coast Salish Sign Language. Within each of these languages, she explains that nations will themselves have specific dialects, such as the Blackfoot.

Southwest Hand Talk is spoken by the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, and Pueblo peoples. However, amongst the Navajo and Keres people, there are two unrelated sign languages also spoken: Keresan Sign Language and, by a Navajo clan with a large number of deaf members, Navajo Family Sign. Likewise, Plateau Sign Language may or may not be related to Hand Talk.

The hidden history of “Hand Talk”

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
  • 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

(page 8) 50 comments
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[–] propter_hog@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago

This post sparked a memory for me. I think I was taught a couple signs in Hand Talk when I was really young, like 5 years old, for a play at school. It was almost certainly racist. We had one kid in our class who was Native American, and he mysteriously didn't come back to that school the next year.

[–] SpiderFarmer@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Ah, was too busy staring at my phone to get my stretches in today. Rough.

[–] MF_COOM@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

Well, that phone won't stare at itself

[–] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Being a spy would rule. You get paid to spill the tea about your job for a side hustle.

[–] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

both-sides

I think the most fun would be doing dead drops. It's like geocaching but with money

[–] BanSwitch2Buyers@hexbear.net 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

I began to explain I mostly collect for Playstation and Sega consoles, as those were the systems I had the most interest in.

I don't remember the exact response, but the tone of his voice suggested he was unimpressed with my choice of the first two Ratchet & Clank games. "The real money was in Atlus games. Have you heard of Persona?" Despite answering "yes", he proceeded to give a surface level explanation of it to me as if I said nothing at all.

As the man continued to yap at me, my guard started to lower and the realization of what I was dealing with struck me to core. What stood before me was a Type of Guy(tm) that those of us who collect and play retro games have heard stories of but have never personally seen. Like a serial killer that was never caught and walks amoung us.
. . .
When I see Nintendo Quest, I see that same Kind of Guy: the vapid collector with too much time and money on his hands, scooping up games not for play but to keep in their suburban dungeons for years until they're ripe enough again to resell. I see a bunch of nerds who want respect but deserve nothing but contempt.

https://letterboxd.com/vonis/film/nintendo-quest/

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"two drakes" lmao

roflmfao

[–] videogame@hexbear.net 8 points 4 days ago

missed all that trump elon shit because of deltarune. wish the worst for both of them obv but i think this will go worse for elon which is awesome

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 8 points 4 days ago (1 children)

2AM and I'm still fucking at the vet

Have to work tomorrow too it's gonna rule

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Procedure went well, now I'm on cat pee watch for 24h but at least we get to go home

[–] boiledfrog@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

Good luck to you and your Kitty sleepi

[–] Carl@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago

fuck me this boss is hard i-spil-my-jice

[–] MF_COOM@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

Beans for breakfast maduro-coffee (no anglo)

[–] Cowbee@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)
[–] AernaLingus@hexbear.net 4 points 3 days ago

Mega mega THREAD THREAD spongebob-party

[–] homhom9000@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I'm dehydrated for dummy reasons. I like drinking out of sport bottles but sport bottles don't have even water to hydrate me so I just don't drink water.

[–] hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

You could refill often? Only drinking out of sports bottles is understandable tho, it’s fun to squeeze the bottle and waterfall into your mouth.

[–] HarryLime@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago
[–] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Just started Gundam Stardust Memory I'm at episode 4 and having a swell time. I really like the lesbian military contractor couple. Edit: I haven't seen Jaburo pronounced the same in any dub. 79 it's jabuh-ro, in zeta it's Ja-bore-o and in this it's Job-Uro

[–] HarryLime@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I think in 08th MS Team they call it JAHB-roh

[–] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

You're totally right! I got past the scene when typing and got mixed up.

[–] BanSwitch2Buyers@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Dyed my jeans, some underwear, and a raycon undershirt tonight with some royal blue dye. The jeans were already lightened a little with bleach so now they're kind of a golf pant blue, if literally anyone can understand what I mean by that. The stitching didn't get dyed so the bright gold/brown against the blue looks pretty nice to me. Underwear got a little darker than I wanted. I should have pulled them earlier but they were bleach-stained anyway so maybe it's better this way since the bleach stain's almost totally invisible (I deep-clean the house in my underwear usually). The undershirt didn't dye that evenly because it balled up pretty hard and I kept trying to unball it but I guess I didn't do it well enough. It's OK since it's just a light tie-dye affect on the back and it's an undershirt. Trying to diversify the colours of underwear/undershirts I have to match my outer-clothes a bit more. Also as a man I can't really think of many ways to diversify my clothes that isn't like: colours, patterns, maaaaaybe some bracelets or a necklace (not keen), and I don't know what else. When I was more skinny and scene I'd have a bandana sometimes, but no idea if I looked good or not.

Gunna' try to hem another pair of jeans I have that are way too long because I'm all torso and short in the leg. Zora-esque, perhaps.

[–] BanSwitch2Buyers@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago (1 children)

All that said. I look fuckin' good right now. I'm blued the fuck out.

[–] KuroXppi@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

New mega already? Damb how time flies

[–] BanSwitch2Buyers@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Locked the megathread on one of my posts once again. I see what you're doin' mods.

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[–] EstraDoll@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

she open my tanyao until i 1 han 30 fu hand

[–] BattleshipPokemon@hexbear.net 4 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

::: spoiler wordle

Wordle 1,448 4/6*

⬛⬛🟨🟨⬛
⬛⬛🟩🟨🟨
🟨🟨🟩⬛🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

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[–] Carl@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Deltarune keep crashing on me. Sucks cuz I got past the part that's crashing earlier today, but I went back to try and get some stuff I missed, and now I can't get past it a second time.

[–] Carl@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (2 children)

lmao went on the steam forum (unforced error I know) to see if there's info about the crash and the top post is a troll calling everyone who likes the game "a part of possibly the weakest generation of men to walk the earth"

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[–] Comrade_Mushroom@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (4 children)

Can anyone recommend some good longform youtubers specifically on dinosaurs and paleontology? Other than Lindsay Nikole.

[–] GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

How does every Gundam opening theme manage to go so fucking hard? Thought Zeta's slapped until I heard 0083

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