Injun Talk (1946)

[Music] this was the America of the Indian nations a land of Crystal flowing streams byet forests and vast plains here the Indian pursued a way of life that changed by little over centuries today there still exists a part of that America caught in our national parks and forests on Indian reservations located in some of these Parks early life is still being followed by descendants of those first Americans but the advantages of the modern world are attractive to these young people just as they are to young people everywhere as a result the old culture already changed is swiftly disappearing the motion picture you are about to see was made to preserve a part of the vanishing culture of the American Indian as Citizens and as oilmen we are particularly interested in all forms of conservation for example in our exploration and drilling operations vital to the expanding power needs of our economy we make sure that the natural beauty of areas surrounding our sites remains undisturbed that fish and wildlife are protected our scientists strive to develop new techniques to avoid waste so that Generations may be assured of the vital natural resource oil to meet their needs thus through conservation the natural resources of Scenic Beauty and abundant power can be used to enrich our lives and those of our [Music] children [Music] these are the mountains of our West where the S God seeks his Slumber where the West Wind goes a wooing and the evil spirits [Music] l before the coming of the white man this was the Indians country there were many tribes speaking different [Music] languages the so-called Plains Indians were a nomadic people always on the move they followed the buffalo on his migrations and as they moved back and forth across the plains meeting different tribes speaking different languages it became necessary for them to have some sort of intertribal means of communication and that is how the Indian sign language came about even today when Indians of different tribes meet in Council or in celebration the olders continue to use this graceful language language where the mountains break away to the rolling plains in the land of the black feat such a powow is in progress here along the Two medicon River Indians from many of the Plains tribes have gathered to discuss their Mutual problems visit old friends and keep alive the customs and traditions of their [Music] forefathers [Applause] one group is playing the ever popular hand game or stick [Applause] game they have two bones one wrapped with colored yarn the trick is to guess which hand holds the decorated [Applause] one the side having the bones tries to confuse the Indian doing the guessing one of the songs is to their friend the rabbit they sing rabbit don't tell him rabbit don't tell [Applause] him the dances go on day and night the grass dance owl dance or sad dance and the rabbit dance [Music] [Music] a [Applause] [Music] [Applause] ah [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Laughter] he [Music] w [Applause] [Music] he [Music] the wise old Chief sit apart smoking the pipe in solemn Council trying to meet the new conditions but mostly lost in Nostalgia for the old days when the Buffalo the elk and the antelope were as thick as the grass on the Prairie while the women as of old take charge of the routine work of the [Music] camp High Eagle is coming High Eagle is [Music] coming we were wondering whether it'd be over for the council you know anytime you have a power I'll come along if I possibly can there many of your old friends here among these missing Indians [Applause] some from Pro agency Sue from Pine rid R from Wind River good I'll be glad to see them [Music] [Applause] all long time no right do you remember how our old friend Chief go in the lodge used to greet someone he was fond of he'd always say long time no see him but today I see you and the sun is in my heart everything is all right remember Jack it's good to see you chief White Camp has asked me to tell these disting indion the story of the big ants how some became known as black Beach some were called blood I'll tell the story in the sign language and you my friend will interpret for these young educated Indians very few of them understand science or know much about our old cust yeah maybe so uncle but we haven't forgotten how to fight you certainly demonstrated that still is too bad to many of the old traditions of slipping away from you young people take the sign language for instance even though some of you may know the meaning of certain signs their origin has been lost sign for courtship among the young people for instance made like that why because whenever a young man wanted to talk confidentially to a girl he put his blanket around her that way and talked to her talk as you know is like that but small talk that's a whisper so while he stood talking to her the people of the village would walk past they respected his privacy that's how that sign came about now you take these visiting Indians for instance over here here's na rapo you make the sign for him like that because years ago the arapo tattooed themselves on the chest and the way they tattooed was to take porcupine quills or Cactus needles bind them together and tattoo in the design on the chest now the arapo haven't tattooed all for many many years but that's still a sign for that fellow and that's Sue like this some people say that means Cutthroats there's one explanation that's even simpler than that when the Su first came out onto the plains he wore a long bead he made a necklace of it so one Indian meeting another said what you call him that new Indian that's come out here well how you speak him says don't know but he wears this thing here a necklace and look at the different way they wear their hair the Sue and the arapo part the hair in the middle and wear it in two long braids but the black foot like the shushan and the crow has two parts in his hair one on either side then he roaches his for loock into a sort of pador but in one respect they're all alike they all braid their scalp lock and wear it in a single braid [Music] behind then take the sign for the different animals the dog for instance made like that because long before the Indians ever had horses the dog dragged the Travoy that's the mark of the two poles of the Travoy then these different animals that have horns and antlers like the Buffalo the elk spread antlers Antelope only has two prongs well then there's a sign for the white man he always wore a hat a bread because the Mexicans taught the southern Indians to make bread then they passed it along to the northern tribes and the Mexican the signed for him he was the first man they saw wearing a beard as you know many treaties is a pretty good sign talker you watch his signs carefully and I'll interpret for you as he tells his story right [Applause] here now start long time [Music] ago my people had all this [Music] country they were great in numbers there were many lodges in our village we were strong people Vigor we were [Music] happy [Music] then one year now year is indicated by winter winter conal the snow piles up one winter one year the game was scarce just here and there scattered the elf and the antelope and the Buffalo gone away so the head chief chief he's over Big Chief he had the head men called summed into [Applause] [Music] Council [Music] [Music] [Applause] foree and he told them he called them here because the game was scarce his people were hungry and unless some decision was made they might starve to death now hunger this means to kill but to kill in the direction of oneself means that they got to be killed by hunger so that unless they arrived the decision they might [Music] start and so bearchild got up bearchild you see the sign of the paws now the bear rars up bearchild he got up he [Music] said all the pagans that be the sign of the pagans are [Music] hungry my children do not sleep at night now night covers over and day opens out is your negative no to sleep at night they sleep no but they [Music] cry I'm a mighty Hunter I and mighty in this sense meaning I'm foremost I'm a Hunter to look to look about so he said I hunt away ahead of all the others every little while often I get on my horse and I go hunting but I see no Buffalo I see him now so I give up meaning that he has struck an object through which he cannot penetrate and he falls back I give up and return to my [Music] T my squa meaning the woman who sits beside me and my children and grandchildren because the grandparents carry the children on their shoulders very often the back they weep when I come back to the T and food I have not to give them buffalo meat I give them no so they [Music] weep I say that we should move meaning tearing down the Pees loading up the Cowboys and moving camp well then Wes and water got up water he's a fell who walks in it waves and water he said my children are hungry in the past we've been hungry we possessed it we've had hunger but we've survived we've lived we've come up now maybe so ahead when the snow falls and gets deep in the mountains in those mountain peaks the elk will'll be driven down so I say we stay here the idea being that he plants his Lance in the ground and that's where he [Music] stay then Black Eagle got up the eagle that eagle black and he told him he [Music] said [Music] I've listened to my brother that sign meaning that you you nurse together I've listened to my brothers they've spoken straight straight from their hearts I'm an old man I'm worried my heart's all all sort of disturbed now our chief he's pretty wise fellow see that means smart because a wolf or a kyot is the smartest animal they know so our chief is like a wolf he's smart so let him make that big decision that's the thing that has to be done so the chief said I have listened to my brothers my heart is heavy down the ground the game meaning the Buffalo your meet is scarce the people are hungry so I have made the decision I have definitely decided that we will [Music] separate Fair child you take your V and move toward the Rising Sun see the sun comes up wait in water you will take your band and move toward the Setting Sun Black Eagle your band will remain [Music] here you all hunt for buffalo so that our women and children will eat and [Music] [Music] survive [Music] oh [Music] o and so they [Music] separate the following spring they reunited now spring means winter is over winter it's cold over cold is finished snow has been piling up and now it's all gone the grass is coming up all indicating spring they came back they [Music] met they' eaten well just as though they were filled up for there they were strong now this band returning from the East they came across the country they' been all burned over fire and their moccasins and their legs were all they were all black with suot and Ashes [Music] [Applause] so the chief gave them the name that is he spoke to them and they had it he gave it to them the name black [Music] feet this other band when they returned they came through a country that had Berry patches in it [Music] you see bushes are here grass is down here trees up here so these bushes had little berries all over them so there were Berry patches they'd eaten them and their faces were all smeared [Music] it looked like blood blood of course coming from the nose the same parallel so blood the same it looked [Music] like though the pig Chief gave to that band the name [Music] blood today the blood they live in that country the other side of the Canadian border now the Canadian border is indicated by a line that has monuments La they live on the other side while they sit down [Music] there with the black feet they live this side of the two Medicine River now medicine two and a river is water in line but in this case it's water that ripples over Stones so it's the two Medicine River this side of they sit down they occupy that [Music] country but they are all Pagan they're all the same people how [Music] going oh he just asked me if I couldn't stay here tonight he said tonight A Night covers over you see day opens out tonight we're having a dance a big one we'll have a wolf dance squad dance as they all dance in the circle beay dance you stay here everybody have a good time we all mingle around together so I told him no I couldn't do it I was sorry my heart was heavy so heavy that it's on the ground I've got to get on my horse go way off Mountain the other side of long right in the morning when the sun comes up I'll get on the train I'm going away off to a far country but when the winter is finished and the snow is all gone the grass is coming up and spring again I'll come back and we'll meet we'll shake hands we'll eat till we're filled up to there and we'll sit down we'll load the pipe and we'll smoke and we'll have a good visit our hearts will be big we'll be happy everything will be all [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] right