efore the Corps arrived on the Columbia River, they had communicated primarily by sign language. Plains Indian sign language was a way of communicating between tribes speaking different languages. There were many variations for signs, and complex ideas could be expressed.

Click on the image
to open the activity

Use this primer to gather a few useful signs, and see if you can communicate some simple concepts. After learning some basic signs by exploring the quiz activities, visit the Reference page for a refresher course on what you’ve learned.

Sign Language Reference Guide

This activity requires the Macromedia Flash browser plug-in, which can be downloaded for free.