# How useful were smoke signals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166 "2005-02-27T18:58:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/1 "2005-02-27T18:58:12Z")
Did all Indian tribes use them? Could they convey very many different messages? Or were they just used to convey: “Hey, over here! I found dry firewood.” ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/2 "2005-02-27T19:58:52Z")
Also “bring cake”. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/3 "2005-02-27T20:42:47Z")
Cecil: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_158.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_158.html) > [@](#): > > First let’s kiss off Indian smoke signals. Some Native American tribes did use smoke signals, particularly on the plains or in the southwest, where the sky was usually clear and the view unobstructed. But the message was pretty basic. An army captain in the 1860s writes: “Apache smoke signals are of various kinds, each one significant of a particular object. A sudden puff, rising from the mountain heights . . . indicates the presence of a strange party upon the plain below. If these puffs are rapidly repeated they are a warning that the strangers are well armed and numerous. If a steady smoke is maintained for some time, the object is to collect the scattered bands of savages at some designated point, with hostile intention, should it be practicable.” Other means of signaling included fires (at night), gesticulating with blankets, or reflecting the sun off mirrors. They might have been used more flexibly than Cecil indicates, but were definitely not a generalized message system. They were prearranged signals with various meanings agreed upon by the group using them, and probably varied from situation to situation, not just tribe to tribe. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/4 "2005-02-27T20:43:15Z")
**Gabe**. Take this as a friendly suggestion, not a warning. You have a tendency to post single-line funnies in GQ. I do that too, sometimes. But, don’t overdo it. It gets stale. You also contribute good things to GQ, but drive-by gratuitous comments are welcome in VERY limited doses. Your friend, **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/5 "2005-02-27T20:46:27Z")
> [@According to Pliny](#): > > Did all Indian tribes use them? > > …" I’m certainly not an expert but I’m going to guess that [all the tribes on this list](http://www.native-languages.org/languages.htm) did NOT use them. For one thing it would seem that smoke signals would be of little use in, say, the Eastern woodlands. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/6 "2005-02-27T22:50:25Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Also “bring cake”. I like it! I’ll bet that was the primary use for signals. Not often was there an enemy around, but usually a buffalo down that made for an instant need to gather a hungry tribe and start cooking. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/7 "2005-02-28T00:25:21Z")
> [@According to Pliny](#): > > I like it! > I’ll bet that was the primary use for signals. > Not often was there an enemy around, but usually a buffalo down that made for an instant need to gather a hungry tribe and start cooking. See my above post. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/8 "2005-02-28T01:22:01Z")
Saw the post above. That’s why I chimed in to stick up for **CynicalGabe**. I know you think everyone agrees with you, but this time I agreed with him. Win some, lose some. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/9 "2005-02-28T01:34:20Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Also “bring cake”. No-no-no. “Bring pie.” Rinse, lather & repeat. 😃🆒 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/10 "2005-02-28T02:46:48Z")
> [@According to Pliny](#): > > Saw the post above. That’s why I chimed in to stick up for **CynicalGabe**. > I know you think everyone agrees with you, but this time I agreed with him. Win some, lose some. 😉 Let me spell it out for you, in no uncertain terms. The name of this forum is **General Questions**. Generally, we want people to post questions here that probably have a factual answer. We welcome posts that add to the search for an answer to the OP. We are not adverse to people injecting humor into their posts. But, when you post repeated one-liners to GQ, and add nothing to the OP, the board is not well-served. > [@According to Pliny](#): > > I like it! > I’ll bet that was the primary use for signals. > Not often was there an enemy around, but usually a buffalo down that made for an instant need to gather a hungry tribe and start cooking. If you can find any evidence that smoke signals were originally meant to indicate a call to dinner, post it. ---
**Author:** ![According\_to\_Pliny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2005, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-were-smoke-signals/292166/11 "2005-02-28T06:45:46Z")
What?? I don’t have any information to submit! It was my question, remember. I came here to _get_ information. The words “I’ll bet” _mean_ “I don’t know for sure, but it makes sense to me”. And it seems to me that the only person spoiling this thread and filling it with off-topic stuff is you. Scolding CynicalGabe is something that makes no sense in the middle of a thread. What on earth makes you think he will even come back here to see your scold? I came back because I want to see if anyone adds anything about smoke signals, but why would he come back to check on his joke?? It’s not even vaguely logical.