The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-11-16
FASHIONS or sAvAcEs.
TattOoing Had It's Origin In Natural
Causes.

thropology full of profound signifi-
canoe. He has learned to take it for
granted that the more eccentric of such
fashions at least had their origin in a
need, state of things or of feelings,
which made it reasonable in sense.
Savage men are not more disposed to
put themselves to suffering or incon-
venience just for the fun of the thing
than are any other animals-and the
most of their fashions are more or less
disagreeable. The motive has been
pulls out his teeth, sacrifices his flesh
and tortures his hair: the female
runs things through her lips or nose,
and shapes the head Of her picaninny,
with no conscious purpose. They do 1t
just because their forefathers did the
same. In the course of ages it may
well have happened that some personal
defect of an individual i'll authority, or
his caprice, imposed some fashion
which has endured. We read for ex-
ample, that when the kings of Abys-
sinia were crippled or wounded-lost
limb or tooth, and SO on-every loyal
subject mutilated himself to match.
But growing experiences tempts us to
believe that in the simple pages OF ex-
istence man was governed mostly by
reason in such matters--that is, con-
venience, tempered by superstition. 1t
is a startling theory for those who
have been taught to believe that the
ways of the savage are dictated by
pure fantasy, when not wilfully per-
verse.
The truth is that we begin to see
further in these days, and with the
help of Overwhelming informant
We have learned that all men passed
through the same stages of savagery.
Laws which were regarded as local
universal, and they give us the key to
many mysteries. Take that savage
fashion which is still, probably, the
most widespread-ta ttooing. We,under-
stand at this time why it was prac-
ticed. In the first place. some ready
means for distinguishing friend from
foe at a glance is vitality important
when every person encountered must
needs be one or the other. Life de-
pends on instant recognition.
This obvious explanation was per-
ceived long ago. of course. But there
is another which escaped notice until
the obligation of marrying outside of
certain families-called 'exogamy''-
was seen TO be SO generally recognized
that one may believe it universal once,
over great part of the world at least.
To infringe the prohibited degrees of
marriage carries the penalty of death
among many barbarous races now;
among many others it has only been
modified by compulsion, as in India.
But those degrees are many and CON-
plicated. For example, the Goala tribe
of Bhagulpore will not allow mar
riage if the ancestors of either party
have been allied in seven generations
back. The quarterings of the nOblest
German house s.are a fool" to purity
like this But the most lax of Orissa
aborigines-to so call them roughly
exact four generations of alien blood.
How was it possible to keep the record
in early ages? Astonishing as is the
memory of priests or others who have
this matter in charge, its bounds would
soon be reached in a community, say,
of ten dihs or stocks. Mr.. Risley is
with one of the people
called Pandjiars in the Bais tribe, who
keeps the register of three hundred
families, going back a century. But
he has it in writing; his forerunners,
at best. used some sort of tally,
which must have been highly ingen-
ious if it answered all demands. Furth-
we may be certain that the
Pandjiars chronicle the pedigree of
chiefs and leading families thus care
fully, while the common people are
that is. were-equally in danger if
some enemy discovered flaw in their
records. Tattooing was the simplest
to evade this peril and therefore
reasonabl Authorities agree that our
own forefa theirs were tatooed. and no
one would think of cavilling at Green
or Freeman, though it may be said
that evidence does not abound. Edith,
the swan-decked, identified her lover
by such marks. Hereward was tat
tooed: but both of these were Danish
by descent, and in any case it may have
been personal fancy But if the prac-
tice were general, it may be attributed
to exogamy, long forgotten oubtless.
At later date, of course. tattooing
became simply an ornament. carried
to such a length that the people them
selves invented an explanation some
times. Thus, the Burmese have a
legend shockingly libelious upon their
ancestors. which we can prove false.
1t was in troubled times of the six
teenth century, they say, that tattooing
became a fashion. But Marco Polo
wrote of them three hundred years be-
fore: 'As well the men as the women
use to embroider their faces. neck,
hands, bellies and legs, making the
images of living dragons and birds,
and so firmly imprint them that they
cannot easily be put out, and the more
such images any one has upon his
body. SO much he is esteemed the finer
and the more gallant. And there are
also in this country professors of this
foolish art of flesh embroidery, which
use no other trade bu, this needle
work and dyeing of fools skins The
peril and difficulty of removing tattoo
marks were shown on a great scale
after the massacre of the Janisseries
Each orta had its badge imprinted on
the arm of every soldier. When death
was decreed for the Jauisseries who
escaped massacre, hundreds OF them
sought to efface the mark with aqua
forts: the flesh mortified, and they
perished. But this is bv the way