A Shared Language Across Nations
For centuries, Indigenous nations across North America communicated not only through spoken languages but also through a richly developed sign language system known today as Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), or more commonly, Hand Talk.
Once used across an estimated 2.6 million square kilometers, it served as a lingua franca among over 37 language groups spanning the Great Plains, Great Basin, and Northeast Woodlands. Hand Talk was used for diplomacy, storytelling, ceremony, and daily conversation—especially among deaf members of Indigenous communities.
From Ancient Rock Walls to Modern Study
The earliest documented European encounter with Hand Talk occurred in the 1500s through accounts by Cabeza de Vaca and Coronado. But its history likely stretches back much farther. Petroglyphs, pictographs, and symbolic rock writings provide evidence of its use long before written records.
Each nation had its own dialect and term for the language, such as A’psstówahsin (Blackfoot), Évȯhónestȯtse (Cheyenne), or Wíyutȟapi (Lakota). Scholars like Melanie McKay-Cody and Jeffrey E. Davis have worked to document these variations and revive its presence today.
A Language With Its Own Writing System
Hand Talk is one of the few sign languages with a native written form. Rock carvings often followed the same logic and spatial rules as the language itself—chronologies read from right to left or left to right depending on the community, and signs were drawn as pictographic representations of hand movements.
For example, the sign for “hungry” involves cutting across the stomach with a flat hand, and its glyph depicts a figure with a line across the torso. Plains nations also used scrolls and hides to document Hand Talk through stylized imagery.
Phonology, Structure, and Endurance
Early linguistic analysis by La Mont West in the 20th century described Hand Talk’s structure in great detail. He identified at least 82 phonemes (kinemes), including handshapes, directions, referents, motions, and dynamics. Unlike most deaf sign languages, Hand Talk emphasizes pauses and hand positions between signs.
Historically widespread, its use declined due to forced assimilation in American and Canadian boarding schools. Today, Elders, Deaf users, and revitalization projects continue to preserve and teach the language. The Oneida Nation has worked since 2016 to revive its dialect, and signs of renewed interest are appearing across many communities.
For centuries, Indigenous nations across North America communicated through a complex sign language system known as Hand Talk.
Used for diplomacy, storytelling, and everyday speech, it once spanned millions of square kilometers and dozens of tribes…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/ZfdD8kZkfo
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) July 8, 2025