The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is celebrated yearly on August 9th. This excerpt from Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey highlights a small piece of indigenous culture.
In addition to many spoken languages, Indigenous nations also communicated using sign language. Plains Indian Sign Language (PISL), sometimes called “Hand Talk,” is a system of communication used by nations such as the Shoshone. It was often used for cross-cultural communication and would even go on to influence American Sign Language (ASL). Assimilation policies, such as the boarding school system, nearly wiped out PISL, but some Indigenous people are working to preserve and revitalize its use in Indigenous cultures.
Watch the video: “The hidden history of ‘Hand Talk’” and/or read “The Cultural Relevance of Hand Talk: Native American Sign Language” with your students. Learn some of the PISL signs and practice with your class.