The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-05
HERALDRY OF THE INDIANS.
Marks on the Face to Denote Honors
 Ancestry, Tribe and Condition.


 Ancestry, Tribe and Condition. 1 People in general have been content ] to look upon the Indians adornment of his head with eagle feathers and his | face with paint as marks of personal l decoration inspired by vanity and a savage taste, different only in degree from what is sometimes witnessed among highly civilized peoples. But l the fact Is that, in preference to the lat ter custom, for instance, every paint mark on an Indians face has sort of h-aldic meaning, implying not only the honors won by the brave in person, but representing also the claims of his fam fly and race to distinction. Tn other words, what is shown among more cut tured communities by coats of arms, orders and decorations is depicted by the Indian on his face by means of pig ments.
 Scientists are now engaged, among other novel Investigations concerning the North American Indian, in compil- ing a record of the armorial, or rather facial bearings of certain celebrated chiefs, and 1t is said to be fascinating work. One renowned warrior, for in- stance, will have his lip painted a cop per red This Is found tofindicate that his tribe was once in possession of huge mines of copper, Another individual will have his forehead adorned with painting of a certain fish, thus imply ing that he or his people are renowned for prowess in catching fish. The same distinguished person sometimes wears a disk of pearl in addition to his paint mask, This, by it's shimmering radi- ance, and its form in the sense that the goddess of night is one of his ances- tors.
 The fact that the Indian has no con- ception of perspective seriously handi- caps the success of his efforts at picto- rial art. Indeed, the Indian limnar merely aims to show the most charac- teristic portion of the object he at tempts to depict, unless he be a man of great attainment in which case he di- vides or dissects the subject of his pie ture and represents the whole by it's parts, the latter being arranged entire ly irrespective of the natural sequence.
 The features of the Indian are some times incorporated into the representa- ton of the animal which forms his her aldic bearing Should the beaver for example, be the object to be depicted it is not attempted to design the whole form of the animal, but only it's dis tinctive and typical parts, as for in- stance, its peculiar tail, which is paint ed in criss- cross lines extending from the chin to the nose, as though stand ing upright. The chin itself does ser vice as the beavers body.
 The arbitrary methods of the Indian artist render it difficult If not impossi- ble for any but an expert to interpret the meanings of the pictorial represen- tations. Thus, an animals ears are in variaby depicted above the eyes on the human subject, the ears of the beaver being just above the eyebrows. On the cheeks are painted the paws in a posi- tion as though they were raised to the mouth in the manner conventional in Indian carvings.
 The dogfish paited in red on the face deeignates the members of an entire tribe, On the foreheads of the mem 1 bers of this tribe is painted the long. | thin snout: the glls are represented by | two curved lines below the eyes. while | the tail is shown as cut in two and l hanging from each nostril. Only one | pr two parts of an animal painted on an | Indians face indicates that he is of in- ferior position the entire symbol, no | matter in what form presented, is sig nifcant of lofty station and high hon. DTS.
 The facial heraldry of the Indian may be said to be unique, not alone in | the method of representation employed, | put in the subjects selected. These lat ter include fish, flesh and fowl of all l iescriptions-dog salmon, devilfsh, | starfish, woodpeckers, ravens, eagles, pears, wolves, frogs, are comprised in he armorial gallery.
 Every object represented has it's own articularsignificance and one of the most peculiar phases of face painting 'elates to the employment of forms oth- 1T than animals-tools, implements of he chase or of war, denoting the occu- patton of the individual or his tribe Wa shington Times