Brian Maguire
CIS-270WX-03
MAJ Sook Ha
Smoke Signals among Native American Tribes
Before cell phones, emails, and pretty much all modern technology there was a form of
communication that didn’t require electricity or computers. All people needed was a fire and
someone to see the surprisingly informative puff of smoke. Few used this form of
communication; however the few that did mostly resided in North America. Through the
evolution of the Native American cultures, the method of smoke signals became an integral part
of their society. They not only helped them stay safe, but it also helped them communicate over
long distances and overcome their physical surroundings. Without smoke signals, the Native
Americans would have had a much more difficult time surviving.
Smoke signals were one of the main ways the Native Americans communicated over a
long distance. It was an easy way for them to lift a message into the air and spread it very
quickly to other members of their tribe. In order to create a smoke signal, the message sender
would create a “fire bowl” to make a controlled burst of smoke. A fire bowl was a small hole that
contained the fire or embers used to create smoke. To change the size or thickness of the smoke,
the “fire bowl” was modified in depth, shape, and size. The type of fuel used within the fire also
changed the smoke as some woods and plants burn differently (Grandmother Selma).
Archaeologists have found many conical-shaped mounds used for the fires to create smoke
signals on top of hills and mountains (nativeamericannetroots.com). These mounds helped them
get the message out quicker as they were higher up and easier to see.
The majority of the tribes in North America used
this system of spreading information; however, very
rarely were their signals alike in meaning. “There is no
general code or standard meanings for the different
shapes, numbers, and type of smoke puffs
(www.indians.org “Smoke Signals”). In the Apache
http://www.welcomehome.org/rob/s
weat/sweat2.jpg
Indian tribe, one puff of smoke usually meant that there
were strangers approaching their camp. If the smoke puffs became more and more frequent then
the approaching strangers were larger in numbers and armed (Grandmother Selma). Given this,
it can be inferred that the Apache Tribe lived in a dangerous area or they were a very aggressive
tribe to the point where they needed to have people regularly ready to send out the smoke
signals. Also, since they were located in the South-Western part of the modern day United States
and Mexico this means that they covered a very large area (Lockwood 4). As it is widely known,
this section of North America is very flat and dry meaning that the smoke signals could be seen
for miles in a very short amount of time.
Another tribe that used the smoke signal was the Arapaho Indian tribe. As stated earlier,
this tribe had a completely different meaning for their smoke signals when compared to the
Apache Tribe. According to telecomhistory.org, One puff meant "Attention"; two meant "All is
well"; and three puffs of smoke, or three fires in a row, signified "danger, trouble, or need help!"
This tribe had a much different set of physical challenges as they were located in a different part
of North America. Thriving in modern Colorado and Wyoming, the Arapaho Indians were
surrounded by the Rocky Mountain range (Colorado.edu). This would be the reason they had to
initiate a signal calling for attention as the other tribe sites may have been over a mountain. If
this were the case, it would take significantly longer for the puff of smoke to rise to an altitude
that would be visible to another cell of their tribe. As shown between these two tribes, the smoke
signals were completely different. This may have been because of the geographic location where
the Arapaho had mountains and the Apache had the desert. The difference in meaning may have
also been because the two tribes wanted to keep their messages secret and only known by the
members of their respective tribe.
The use of smoke signals was an integral part of Indian culture, so much that it would
lead to many tribes relying on them to survive and thrive. They had many uses, other than for
warnings, that would bring Tribes together in cooperation in both economic and cultural aspects.
In the economic sense, many tribes used smoke signals to communicate while hunting. Scouts
would indicate details about game, or prey, they were hunting that may have been important for
the other members of the tribe to know in order to capture their prey
(nativeamericannetroots.net). In Indian culture, they would often celebrate holidays such as the
beginnings of new seasons and important days in their culture such as solstices and lunar
maximums (nativeamericannetroots.net). Smoke signals became an important way to gather
people among the many tribes to celebrate and coordinate where and when to start.
Eventually, just like all technology, the use of smoke signals began to be fade out as new
technology came along. During the time where smoke signals were the most prominent among
the Native Americans, mirrors were also used just as much. Mirrors could be used to concentrate
light over a long distance of land to communicate much similar and more in depth messages.
Tribes were able to give more details when describing their prey or enemy such as size, amount,
and location. Unlike smoke signals, The different signs were discussed on a case by case basis,
so they were never the same and others could not catch on to the meaning behind the signs
(nativeamericannetroots.net). In the long term, these two types of communication really made
the entire “Hunter-Gather” style of survival a lot easier. It also brought many tribes together in
times of peace for cultural celebrations, and smoke signals became an easy way of keeping safe
from foreign threats. However, given this, both began to fade as imperialism and newer
technology began to wash over the Native American culture. The Spanish conquistadors began to
invade from the South, the French from the North, and the Americans from the East. Many wars
began to commence among the rival empires and eventually the Indians were pushed on to
reserves where they could live freely in a small territory that last to this day. Their technology
began to advance after trading with the Europeans (http://webs.bcp.org/). They adopted new
tools such as guns for protection, as well as farming equipment (public.gettysburg.edu). After
being assimilated into the United States there really wasn’t a need for this type of
communication since the few remaining Native Americans either lived together in their
respective tribes or used the forms of communication used in the United States which included
the Pony Express.
In conclusion, smoke signals were an integral part of Native American culture. Whether
it be for warning others, tracking down the latest prey, or bringing members of their tribe
together, smoke signals were one of the most used form of long distance, non-verbal
communications that the Native Americans used. Even though it was used so much and so well,
like most technology, it was phased by new, more efficient technology as their culture evolved.
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