Smoke signals is an early form of the optical telegraph, developed by the Native Americans and in China. (The towers of the Great Wall of China are an example.) By covering an open fire with a blanket, and suddenly removing it for a short time, a puff of smoke can be generated. With some training, the sizes, shapes of, and intervals between these puffs can be controlled. The puffs can then be observed from a long distance, and used to carry information. The optical telegraph preceded the electrical telegraph. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... A large bonfire Fire is a form of combustion. ... Smoke is a suspension in air of small particles resulting from incomplete combustion of a fuel. ...

Apparent to anyone within its visual range, the smoke signal is not a standardized code that can be easily translated. Like other forms of communication, the signals are often of a predetermined pattern discerned by sender and receiver. Still, the smoke signal can abide by other universal patterns of communication. For example, as in other distress calls, a pattern of three would indicate a call for help.