Evening star., 1924-09-07
Indians With Powder Puffs
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

When feminine America has its
and it's face massaged' and-still
speaking colectively-when it waves
a powder puff over its nose, 1t prob
ably has no idea that these self
same rites are practiced by women
of a Northwestern Indian tribe.
These Indians have not obtained
their beauty hints from the news
papers and the movies, nor from OBJ
serving white women. The fact is,
the Makah Indians were pursuing
beauty by modern methods in the
days when the American woman who
powdered her nose was considered
daring.
We may think that we have become
broadminded regarding beauty stand
of beauty which would appear some
what radical even to the most
progressive flapper. If you doubt
this, consider that the Mahaks think
it quite proper to laugh at wrinkles
in the face Of man or woman, be-
cause wrinkles mean a careless lack
of attention to ones personal ap-
pearance. One of their songs says:
Everybody is laughing at you be-
cause you are so wrinkled.'
The remarkable beauty cult Of the
Makahs has been noted in a scientific
paper by Frances Densmore, the well
known authority on Indian music.
She went to Neah Bay, in the far
northwestern corner of the State of
Washington, last Summer to record
by phonograph the songs of this
isolated tribe. She was struck by
the frequent illusions to strength
and beauty in the songs and by Few
questions she discovered that women
of the tribe paid great attention to
the cultivation of beauty and the men
to developing strength.
Admiration songs were a feature
of Makah feasts and other enter
tainments Gratitude songs were
sung, too, by guests at a feast In
token of appreciation, and often the
theme Of the volunteer soloists was
physical loveliness.
In one instance, group or 5V
Indians gathered on a beach beside
the Pacific Ocean to have a salmon
and halibut feast. They sat IN an
open square with long boards In
front of them. They pounded on
these boards with sticks, keeping
rhythmic time, and as they pounded
they sang songs that were considered
Miss Densmore asked the meaning
Of one strange solo sung by middle
aged squaw and was told that the
words were: 81 am trying to look as
pretty as I can because my sweet
heart is in the crowd. He is the rea-
son for it," The woman pointed TO
her husband as she sang.
1t Was Grandma's Song.
In this tribe it is customary to have
songs as individual property.
fairly close analogy to this in our
own social system would be the Gus
tom of having pet jokes and anec-
dotes for use at social gatherings
The Indian woman who sang to her
husband had been doing so in public
for some years. She explained thai
the song was handed down to her by
her grandmother, who always SANG
it at parties.
The scientist was curious to learn
the methods used by these Indians in
their pursuit of beauty. Apparently
they have no beauty secrets. They
spoke freely of a system Of massage
which begins at the birth of an In
fant and is supposed to last through
out the individuals lifetime.
Three times every day a baby's
face and body are massaged by the
mother. She pays special attention
to the child's features. The baby.
nose. for instance. is gently modelled