Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/161

150 PICTURE WRITING AND GESTURES. with speech and writing, though a nearly useless one after the invention and utilization of graphic symbol- ism; and the study of the art is especially significant since its stages of rise, culmination, and decadence were exemplified among different American tribes. It is for these reasons that the work of pictography and sign language was taken up in the Bureau and the reasons have appeared only stronger and more deSnite as the study progressed. "Eesearches concerning the pictographs and ges- ture speech of the native American tribes were con- tinued by Colonel Garrick Mallery, who spent a part ' of the 5'ear in the field among the survivors of the Alsonquin tribes. The work resulted in substantial addition to the picture writing and gesture speech among these people. During the greater part of the year Colonel Mallery was occupied in the oflce, first in preparing and afterwards in revising and correct- ing the proof sheets of his extended report, entitled, "Picture Writing of the American Indians." Castaneda states, writing of the Comanches and Teyas: "They are faithful friends. They are able to make themselves very well understood by means of signs." As before stated, Ysopete began signal- ing to the natives of the friendship of the party; and finally by the use of the sign language, he got their fears removed, permitting him to come close to them, and when they discovered he could speak their own language and inform them of the tribe to which he belonged, (Kansas), and name the chiefs with whom ho was acquainted, they were immediately paciflcJ. Jaramillo wrote, "The Indian, Ysopete,