Smoke Signal, a means of communication used by North American Indians, especially in the plains and southwest. On an elevation the signaler built a fire of material that would make heavy smoke, such as damp grass. By passing a blanket across the fire, he created separate puffs of smoke that conveyed information by their number and spacing. Many camps had signal outposts to warn of an approaching enemy or to announce the sighting of buffalo.

Smoke signalsSmoke signals can be seen many miles away.