Indians used smoke signals to call the other Indians in their tribe to come for a meeting. They would send out a warning to them that danger is coming. If there was a wedding, a war, or a death, they used smoke signals. That is how they called one another -with just by smoke clouds in the air. They even used it if they needed help. But now we use smoke signals in the military, boats, police departments, etc.

In the olden times, it was easier for the Indians to live off the land because they did everything by the nature of the world. Some Indians were peaceful people, and they did not hurt you unless they had to. For example, if the soldier killed one of them, if you messed with their buffalo, or if they were destroying their lands, they would seek revenge. Then they would send up a smoke signal and then they will attack. There were two types of signals: light and heavy. One was meant as a good call and the other was meant as a bad call.

In our time of day, it is used on a boat to warn others of trouble. If the boat was sinking into the water and they needed help, it was for the other boats to find them. The smoke that they will see is red, and it can be seen either in the air or in the boat. It is for their protection, and they always have them on board. The department had them for an accident in the daytime or at night. They use the smoke signals for big areas to warn off people to stay away. It was also used in their training so if they get hit with a smoke bomb, they can get out of it. They also used them for plane racks, so if there was a small plane they can find it.

Now in the military, they have smoke signals that are red, white, green, orange, yellow, and blue. They all mean something. They were used to help them find one another, to tell them that the area is cleared, to get away for the enemy, etc. The military is very trained on these types of things and what to do when it happens. But they have to be careful on what they are doing because they can get caught by the enemy. They even use them so they can find the base or when they are in a cave or under water.