Plateau Sign Language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Plateau Sign Language
Langue des Signes du Plateau (in the Canadian province of Québec)
Native to	Canada, United States
Region	Columbia Plateau
Ethnicity	Various First Nations and Native Americans of the Columbia Plateau region
Extinct	18th century
Language family	contact pidgin
Writing system	none
Attested historical range of Plateau Sign Language among other sign languages in the US and Canada (excl. ASL and LSQ).

Imagine a time when people from different groups needed to talk, but they didn't speak the same language. They found a clever way to communicate using hand gestures and body movements. This is how Plateau Sign Language worked. It was a special sign language used long ago by many First Nations and Native American groups.

This language is now extinct, meaning no one uses it anymore. It was once common across the Columbia Plateau region. This area covers parts of what is now Canada and the United States.

What Was Plateau Sign Language?

Plateau Sign Language was a way for different groups to talk to each other. It was not a spoken language. Instead, people used their hands, arms, and body to share ideas. This type of communication is called a sign language.

It was a "contact pidgin" language. This means it developed when people who spoke different languages needed to communicate. They created a simpler language by mixing parts of their own languages. This allowed them to trade, share news, and interact peacefully.

Where Was It Used?

Plateau Sign Language was used across the Columbia Plateau. This large area is in the Pacific Northwest of North America. It includes parts of modern-day Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana in the United States. It also reached into British Columbia in Canada.

Many different First Nations and Native American groups lived in this region. They included the Coeur d’Alene, Sanpoil, Okanagan, Thompson, Lakes, Shuswap, and Coleville. These groups often spoke their own unique languages. Plateau Sign Language helped them understand each other.

Why Did People Use It?

People used Plateau Sign Language for many important reasons. It helped them communicate during trade. Different groups could exchange goods like furs, tools, and food. It also helped them share stories and traditions.

This sign language was especially useful for hunting parties or during ceremonies. It allowed people to talk without making noise. This could be very important when hunting animals. It also helped different tribes form alliances and avoid conflicts.

How Did It Disappear?

Plateau Sign Language was widely used for a long time. However, it started to disappear in the 18th century. This happened for a few main reasons. As new people and cultures arrived, new ways of communicating became popular.

Replaced by Other Languages

One reason for its decline was the arrival of Plains Sign Talk. This sign language was introduced by the Crow Nation. It became very popular among the eastern groups of the Columbia Plateau. These groups included the Coeur d’Alene and the Sanpoil. They started using Plains Sign Talk instead of Plateau Sign Language.

For the western groups, another language became more common. This was Chinook Jargon. Chinook Jargon was a spoken pidgin language. It was used for trade between Native Americans and European settlers. As more people learned Chinook Jargon, the need for Plateau Sign Language decreased.

Over time, Plateau Sign Language was used less and less. Eventually, it became extinct. This means that no one speaks or signs it anymore. It is now a part of history, showing how people once communicated across different cultures.