To the casual observer the costume and character of the Indian all look
alike. The mind is confused amid a riotous and fantastic display of
colours. The fact is that the minor details of Indian dress are an index
to Indian character and often tell the story of his position in the tribe,
and surely tell the story of his individual conception of the life here,
and what he hopes for in the life hereafter, and like the laurel wreath on
the brow of the Grecian runner, they spell out for us his exploits and
achievements. To the white man all these decorations are construed as a
few silly ornaments, the indulgence of a feverish vanity, but they open
like a book the life of the Indian. His motive in adornment is to mark
individual, tribal, or ceremonial distinction. The use of paint on the
face, hair, and body, both in colour and design, generally has reference
to individual or clan beliefs, or it indicates relationship, or personal
bereavement, or is an act of courtesy. It is always employed in
ceremonies, religious and secular, and is an accompaniment of gala dress
for the purpose of honouring a guest or to celebrate an occasion. The
face of the dead was frequently painted in accordance with tribal or
religious symbolism. Paint is also used on the faces of children and
adults as a protection from wind and sun. Plucking the hair from the face
and body is a part of the daily program. The male Indian never shaves and
the beard is a disgrace. A pair of tweezers becomes his razor. Sweet
grasses and seeds serve as a perfume. Ear ornaments are a mark of family
thrift, wealth or distinction, and indicate honour shown to the wearer by
his kindred.
Among the Plains Indians the milk teeth of the elk were the most costly
adornments. They were fastened in rows on a woman’s tunic and represented
the climax of Indian fashion, the garment possessing a value of several
hundred dollars. Head bands, armlets, bracelets, belts, necklaces, and
garters of metal and seeds and embroidered buckskin were in constant use.
They were not only decorative but often symbolic. Archaeological
testimony tells of the almost general use of sea shells as necklace
ornaments, which found their way into the interior by barter or as
ceremonial gifts. The chiefs of the tribe were fond of wearing a disk cut
from a conch-shell, and these were also prominent in religious rites,
ranking among the modern tribes as did the turquoise among the people of
the Southwest. A necklace of bear claws marks the man of distinction, and
sometimes was worn as an armlet. In the buffalo country the women seldom
ornamented their own robes, but embroidered those worn by the men.
Sometimes a man painted his robe in accordance with a dream or pictured
upon it a yearly record of his own deeds, or the prominent events of the
tribe. Among the southern tribes a prayer rug was made on deer skin, both
the buffalo and deer skins having been tanned and softened by the use of
the brains taken from the skull of the animal. The skins were painted
with intricate ornamentation, symbols and prayer thoughts adorning the
skin in ceremonial colours; white clouds and white flowers, the sun god,
and the curve of the moon with its germ of life, the morning star, and
also a symbol of the messengers from the gods. Above it all zigzag lines
ran through the blue of the sky to denote the lightning by which the
children above sent their decrees to the earth children who roamed the
plains.
[An Imperial Warrior]