The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-07-09
HAIR OF SAVAGES.
HOW IT is KEPT WITHIN BOUNDS
BY THE PROPRIETORs.
Coif!ires 81 the American Indisns-Ethi-
opimns and their Kinky Locks-The
As.atics Head Dressing Of the South Sea
I.Iandcr--New ZeaIanders.


Aslatios Head Dressing Of the South Sea
I.Jandcr--New ZeaIanders.
Why should savages care for their HART
The question is not easily answered, for saw
ages. apparently, care for so little-according
TO our notions-in the way Of personal ap.
pcarance that regard for their locks would
seem 10 bc the last matter 10 which they
would give attention. But nevertheless,
there Is reason 10 believe that savages have
much more concern for their locks than we
are apt 20 believe; and, indeed, no pages Of
trayccrs' books are more interesting than
thos, which give ACCOUNTS of the manners
and dress Of tho bafbarous races; for, by
means Of the hints impaired by travellers
notes. We are able tc gather that vanity is as
prevalent among savage as among the civil
lied. md fashion as jmperious in her man
dates
Among the American Indians great atten-
ton has always been paid 10 the hair, and
well ii deserves IL, for although coarse,
harsh and straight, the hair Of the American
Indian is OF o deep lustrous black, and when
properly arranged, is capable OF making II
very beautiful couture The works on Amer
lean antiquities give great number oil
STYLES Of hair dressing in vogue among the
Indians. Among the Shawnees the fayorite
STYLE was 10 closely clip the sides of the head
in front, above and behind the ears, and allow
straight ridge Of hair 10 grow from the
forehead 10 the napo of the neck, adjoining
this with feathers, and sometimes plating
the top into a long cue behind. The Indians
Of the North Atlantic coast had a habit of
clipping She entire head, with tie exception
Of n scalp lock Just at the top, though not
infreauentiv the savage beau, instead OF
clipping, would permanently destroy the
growth OF hair on all portions Of the head,
except the apex OF the Uranium. hy pulling
out the hairs by the roots aud rubbing ashes
or some other strong alkah on the skin TO
destroy the growth. The Indians OF the
Pacific coast frequently clip off or pull out
the hair on the top and back Of the head,
leaving lock over each ear while in the
south 10 was practice among tina Indians to
extirpato tho hair on all portions of the head
save the back, and leave that for scalp
lock. In all cases, wherever the lock or locks
were left they were always adorned in the
highest STYLE OF Indian art, sometimes with
feathers. occasionally with wampum or
beads. and not inirequently their size was
increased and their length EXTENDED by the
use of horse hair
ETHiOPiANS AND ASiATICs
The Philippians have no hair, properly
speaking, but what answers them for hair Is
really different from the hair Of the white
races Ii hair from the head Of a Caucasian
lie examined through a microscope, 1T Is
found 10 be hollow and composed of sections
or FONTS somewhat resembling those of q
cane. or in some cases like a ladder with its
rounds The hair Of an African is entirely
different in this respect, being SOLID and
round, this constituting the difference be
tween wool aud hair; but nevertheless, the
fact that his wsol Is solid appears only to en-
dear il 10 the African, who gives it all the
more attention, perhaps because be has so
little of it, and divides his scalp into patches,
gathering up the hair from each into cir
cular knot and tying 1t with string as care
fully as though 1t were a treasure. In the
interior of the Dark Continent the wool OF
the negroes is frequently long, though never
straight. but so difficult is the task OF Olsen
tangling their locks that not much attempt
at ornateness is made in the African head
dresses Livingstone says that when au
African chief makes his toilet, the most he
ever attempts in the way Of arranging Il
bend dress is TO comb his wool up into a
pyramida shape. stick a few feathers In 1t,
and hang one or more strings Of beads along
the facade. 50 to speak, Of this unique edliice.
The Asiatics have always been famous for
decorating their heads. The Mohammedans
Of old shaved their heads, except single
knot of hair at the exact top of the head,
which was left for a practical purpose, the
Mohammedan doctrine being that at the res
direction of the dead the Angel Gabriel was
specially detailed TO attend to the Mohamme
dams and he raised them by the top knot
Accordingly. the top knot was left full and
strong in order that the hold might not
break, a hole being left in the top OF the cot
fin in order 10 facilitate the angels work
The Chinese method of hair dressing is too
well known to need description, while in
India the STYLES are both numerous and di
versified. many on the tribes of the Punjaub
being distinguished from each other by their
methods of dressing their hair
THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS.
According to Lubbock, Darwin and other
authorities, the head dressing of the South
Sea islanders is ornate In the last degree
while not infrequently their styles of dress
ing their hair are so ingeniously grotesque as
to create tho impression that the arrange
ment was solely for the purpose of exciting
laughter. Sometimes most OF the hair on
the head is clipped away, leaving number
Of short, round tufts, as though the scalp
were planted with short paint brushes. DC
casionally the hair is cut away from the
forehead and temples, leaving it at the top
and back OF the head; sometimes the back OF
the head is shaved leaving the hair on the
top and sides, but generally the entire growth
Of hair is left upon the head and as the capil-
larry adornments Of the New Zealanders are
very long and bushy, the couture OF a chief
generally assumes enormous proportions.
One traveller mentions the fact of seeing Il
chief in New Zealand whose head dress was
over three feet in diameter and arranged in |
long cones, the surface OF the scalp being di |
vided into great number of small circles, |
and the hair growing in each twisted up and |
80 curled as 10 form inverted cones, the point |
being towards the scalp.
But not content with these extraordinary
IL.