The times., 1901-04-28
ART OF NORTHERN INDIANS.
observations of Pref. Franz Bons. OF
The Jrxmp ENpeditirn

the .ycSup Expedition.
NEW YORK, Aprn 27.-A special double
number Of the American Museum Jour
nal. issued today contains q summary
of the first Of series Of papers by Prof.
Franz Boas. detailing for the first time
some results of the Jesuo North Pacific
expedition of the American Museum of
Natural History. The first paper of the
anthrOpological series treats of the ''Fa-
cial Paintings of the Indians of Northern
British Columbia" In part it is as fol-
lows:
THE peculiar interest that attaches to
this region is founded on the fact that
here the Old World and the New come
into close contact. The geographical con
ditions favor migration along the coast
line and exchange of culture. Have such
migrations. has such an exchange of cul-
ture, taken place? This question is of
great interest theoretically. The Ameri-
can continent is widely separated from
the land area of the Old World. so that
the geographical conditions are in favor
of the presumption that in the New World
culture developed uninfluenced by causes
acting in the OLD World Throughout the
Old World migrations have brought the
peoples of the most distant areas into
hostile or peaceful contact, so that there
is hardly a tribe that might be consid-
cred as uninfiuenced by others. If the
development of culture in the New World
has been quite independent of the ad-
vances made in the Old World its culture
will be of the greatest value for purposes
of comparison.
THE types of man which we find on the
North Pacific Coast of America, while
distinctly American, show great affin-
ity to North Asiatic forms, and the ques-
tion arises whether this affinity is due TO
mixture, to migration, or to gradual diff
ferentiation.
THE art of the Indians of northern
British Columbia shows a peculiar devel-
opment. While among most primitive
people we find tendency to the devel-
opment of geometric designs, the Indians
of northern British Columbia use for dec
orative purposes almost exclusively ami
NAL motives The animal forms are high
ly conyentionalized. and may be recoS-
nzed by number of symbols character
istic of the various animals that the art
lists try to represent The Indians have
adopted a peculiar method of adapting
the animal form to the decorative field.
There is no endeavor TO represent the
form by means of perspective. but the at
" as possible to the decorative field by
means of distortion and dissection.
The more clever an artist is in design
ing methods of distortion and dissection
which fill the decorative field and bring
into view all the important parts of the
animal body. the greater is his success Ii
viii be seen, therefore, that the greater
the difference between the form of the
decorative field and the form of the animal
I. tor will h. no
difficulty of adaptation. When an animal
is to be represented on bracelet, 1t IS
shown as though ii We're cut from mead 10
tail and as though the arm were pushed
through the opening the whole animal
thus surrounding the wrist. The same
method is followed in the decoration OF
dishes, where the sides of the animal are
shown on the sides of the dish, while the
opening of the dish represents the back
Of the animal, it's bottom the lower side of
the animal. When the animal form Is TO
be shown on fiat surfaces; the body Is gen
orally represented as split IN two, ana
spread in both directions, so that 1t ap-
pears like two profiles placed side by side.
The peculiaritieS of the conventional
ism of these tribes appear most clearly
where the difficulty Of adaptation OF the
subject TO the decorative field Is greatest
concluded, therefore that If | could OBJ
tain a series of representations ON very
difficult surfaces, the principles of conven-
tionalism would appear most clearly. NO
surface seems to be more difficult to treat
and to adapt to animal forms, than the
human face. For this reason 1 resolved
to make a collection of facial paintings
such as are used by the Indians when
adorning themselves for festive dances.
These subjects that are used for this
purpose are largely the crestS Of the
various families These are laid on in
black red, blue. and green; the colors
being mixed with grease, and put on with
the fingers, with brushes, or by means OF
wooden stamps cut out for this purpose.
While a considerable series OF facial
are no more cOnventionalized
than the paintings found on other objects, |
the intricacy of the decorative field has
led the Indians to develop geometrical de- |
signs, although no other eases are known
In which such designs are applied by these |
tribes TO symbolic animal forms. 1t IS OF |
Importance to note that the same decora- |
lions may symbolic a variety of objects.
Thus the design for the whales eye and |
hat for the after-image OF the sun are !
IDENTICAL The head of the eagle and the |
painting. The ribs of the bear, the rock |
slide and the stratus cloud are so much /
alike that, without a statement on the |
part of the Indians. it would be impOSSi- |
ole TO know what is meant.
The collection which is discussed in the /
paper was obtained from a Haida chief, |
one of the most famous artists of the |
-ribe.
Frederick A Constable has just presented |
% the American Museum of Natural His !
tory a collection of shells. comprising /
about q, 900 specimens, and about 5000 |
species. mostly small, the univalves be- |
ing especially we'll represented. Owing |
% lack of space and the time needed for |
the collection has not yet |
been put on exhibition. The identifica- |
ions Of the specimens are, however, COM |
)Iete.