pointing, not with finger

[Margaret Noori]

Ahhh . . . Hap McCue-ba . . . gii maajaan 3-3-2008 and this semester the
Ojibwe language courses have been reduced to only 2 with no
definite guarantee they will resume in Fall.

Revitalization is endless unforgiving work.  I'm so glad this group exists
as a way for academics and community members to exchange info each year.

Margaret Noodin
Univ of Michigan

On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 1:00 PM, Richard Rhodes <rrhodes at berkeley.edu> wrote:

> On the question of other gestural uses of the finger. Hap McCue would
> point upwards with his finger sometimes when he said "ni" -- the
> interjection that means "Shh. Pay attention."
>
> Richard A. Rhodes
> Department of Linguistics
> University of California
> Berkeley, CA 94720-2650
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Mar 6, 2013, at 9:48, David Lessard <david.lessard2 at mail.mcgill.ca>
> wrote:
>
>  Another question is whether raising a finger does not mean something
> else. Pointing with the lips definitely meant something else a few years
> ago.
>
> As a French Canadian, I was always told that it is a lack of education to
> point someone with a finger, but not to a thing or to an animal. However,
> it is not so much of a taboo and you see people pointing at each other in
> Montreal everyday. However, when not using the hand to point, people will
> seldom use their chin. They will use their chin or more commonly their feet
> if they got their hands full, and their eyes and manners of speech (the guy
> on the right, the lady sitting with the glasses...) to refer to someone
> they don't want to be seen pointing to. This is all I can say from my
> unformal observations.
>
> Envoyé à partir de mon Windows Phone
>  ------------------------------
> De : Jennifer Brown
> Envoyé : 2013-03-06 12:23
> À : ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> Objet : Re: pointing, not with finger
>
>  Google Crazy Horse monument; Wikipedia has some discussion of that
> sculpture being designed with Crazy Horse pointing. When I first saw that
> design I thought this might surely be an issue, and it is in some quarters.
>
>
>
> I think, from what I’ve read and heard, that Cree and Ojibwe people have
> seen the gesture as invasive and possibly as connoting a play for power.
>
> But I also recall, as a child of parents of British/ Canadian background,
> being told that it was rude to point at people.
>
>
>
> Jennifer Brown
>
>
>
> *From:* ALGONQUIANA [mailto:ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG<ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>]
> *On Behalf Of *David Lessard
> *Sent:* Wednesday, March 06, 2013 8:44 AM
> *To:* ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> *Subject:* Re: pointing, not with finger
>
>
>
> I have seen this among the James Bay Cree. I asked why and they told me it
> was more efficient when they had their hands full. I did not investigate
> further though.
>
> I have been told that it is an habit in Ecuador too.
>
> David
>
> Envoyé à partir de mon Windows Phone
>   ------------------------------
>
> *De : *Conor Quinn
> *Envoyé : *2013-03-06 10:29
> *À : *ALGONQUIANA at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> *Objet : *Re: pointing, not with finger
>
> Dia dhaoibh, a chairde!
>
> Definitely had this pointed out to me by Penobscots; not sure how it may
> be among the Passamaquoddies, but it rings a bell there, too.  No clue as
> to why, though pointing with the lips (= the acceptable and common
> strategy) is also common in Australia, I'm told.  I might imagine that,
> other society/culture/belief-system factors aside, being well trained not
> to point with your hands helps in hunting, since the game-spooking motion
> is far less salient.  But that's just pure speculation on my part.
>
> Till later, keep safe and sane.
>
> Slán,
> bhur gcara
>
> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 8:54 AM, Amy Dahlstrom <a-dahlstrom at uchicago.edu>
> wrote:
>
> Hello Algonquianists,
>
> I'm a discussant at an upcoming conference on gesture, and one thing I
> thought I would mention to the (extremely diverse) audience is the practice
> among at least some of the Algonquian peoples of pointing with the lips or
> with the chin, rather than pointing with the finger.
>
> I would like to ask you all how widespread this practice is.  And for
> native speakers (native pointers? :-) ), do you have any intuitions about
> why pointing with the finger is avoided?  Would it seem rude to point with
> the finger?  Or inappropriate in some other way?
>
> thanks in advance for any thoughts you can share!
>
> Amy
>
> P.S.  if you hit "reply" remember that you are replying to the whole list!
> :-)
>
>
>
>


-- 

Margaret Noori



Director, Comprehensive Studies Program

University of Michigan

1111 Angell Hall

435 S. State St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003

www.lsa.umich.edu/csp/


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