War paint of the Indians: history, meaning, photo

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

To paint the body, including the face of a person, as a herd and social "animal", began from ancient times. Each tribe had a different ritual make-up, but it was produced for the same purposes:

• Designation of tribal (family) affiliation;
• Defining and emphasizing one's status within the tribe;
• Announcement of special achievements and merit;
• Designation of the unique qualities and skills inherent in this individual.
• Determining the current occupation (combat operations, hunting and supplying the tribe, reconnaissance, peacetime, and so on).
• Getting magical or mystical protection to support your actions, both during the conduct of hostilities and when participating in special rites.

In addition to coloring their own body (and the photo of the coloring of the Indian can be seen in our article), the North American Indians drew the corresponding patterns on horseback. And for almost the same purposes asyourself.

Indian war paint

As you might guess from the name, not only graphics played a role in the coloring, but also the color that denoted different phenomena:

• Red - blood and energy. According to beliefs, he brought good luck and success in battle. In peacetime, he set off beauty and family happiness.
• Black - readiness for war, beating aggressiveness and strength. This color was mandatory when returning with a win.
• White meant sorrow or peace. These two concepts were very close among the Indians.
• The intellectual elite of the tribe painted themselves blue or green: wise and enlightened people, who also knew how to communicate with spirits and gods. Green color also carried data about the presence of harmony.

Entering the "warpath"

"Great day to die" - with such a motto, the North American Indians met the news of the beginning of the military campaign and began to apply war face paint. He confirmed the ferocious courage and unshakable courage of the warrior, his status and past merits. He was supposed to inspire horror in the enemy, including the defeated or captured, instill fear and despair in him, give magical and mystical protection to the wearer. The stripes on the cheeks confirmed that their owner had repeatedly killed enemies. When applying war paint, factors were taken into account that not only frightened the enemy, but also provided additional protection, including camouflage.

The image of a palm could mean good hand-to-hand combat skills or possession of a talisman that gives the owner ste alth and invisibility on the battlefield. Different, but the same type of war paint gavea sense of unity and kinship in battle, as it is now - a modern army uniform. He also emphasized the status of a fighter, like insignia and orders today.

The war paint of the Indians proved to be an effective means of raising their morale. He also helped to cope with the fear of death, since it was necessary to die, like a hero, with a thirst for blood that overwhelmed the heart. It was impossible to let him be filled with the fear of death and the desire to live, for this is a shame for a warrior.

Features of the war paint of horses

After the end of the ceremony of painting, if the Indian did not fight on foot, they switched to horses. Dark-colored horses were smeared with light paint, and light-colored animals were smeared with red paint. White circles were applied to the horse's eyes in order to improve their vision, and the places of injuries, like in their own, were marked in red.

Symbolism

Almost every Indian from the very beginning of his youth thoroughly knew the features of ordinary and war paint as members of his tribe, as well as related and allied tribes, as well as all known enemies. Despite the fact that the meaning and meaning of the same symbol or combination of colors among different tribes, at different times, could differ significantly, the Indians were perfectly oriented in this almost endless sea of \u200b\u200bvalues, which caused genuine surprise and envy of the whites who contacted him. Some frankly admired, but most "whites" only hated the Indians more for such qualities as loy alty to the word and unwritten code of conduct,honesty and frankness in the demonstration of their intentions by the Indians, which was confirmed by the war paint on their faces.

Interesting fact: currently there is a stable stereotype that North American Indians got the nickname "redskins" for their skin color, supposedly having a reddish tint. In fact, their skin is slightly yellowish and slightly shimmers with light brown (for different tribes, especially those living far from each other, this shade may vary). But the term "redskins" arose and took root due to the coloring of the faces of the Indians, in which red prevailed.

Note one more curious fact. Only warriors who distinguished themselves in battle were allowed to paint their wives' faces.

The role of "pale faces" in coloring

It is natural that the Indians, even before the advent of whites, with their ability to produce on an industrial scale and, accordingly, supply someone with paints of any shades, applied war paint. The Indians knew different types of clay, soot, animal fat, charcoal and graphite, as well as vegetable dyes. But with the advent of wandering traders in the tribes, as well as after the Indians began to visit the trading posts, paints became the only product that could compete with alcohol (fire water) and weapons.

Meaning of individual elements

Each element of the combat, and not only, the coloring of the Indians necessarily meant something specific. Sometimes - the same for different tribes, but more often justvery, very similar. In addition, being drawn separately, the pattern could mean one thing, and in combination with other elements of such "tattoos", something generalizing or clarifying, and in some cases - the exact opposite. Indian War Paint Meaning:

• A palm print on the face usually meant that the warrior was successful in hand-to-hand combat or a very good ste alth scout. For women of their own or allied tribe, this element served as a guideline for reliable protection.
• Vertical red lines on the cheeks and above in many tribes meant the number of killed enemies. In some tribes, black horizontal stripes on one of the cheeks also spoke about this. And vertical marks on the neck meant the number of battles.
• Some of the tribes painted their faces with black paint, in whole or in part, before the battle, and most after a victorious fight, before returning home.
• Very often the area of the face around the eyes was painted over, or they were outlined in circles. Usually this meant that the enemy could not hide and the warrior would attack him and defeat him with the help of spirits or magic.
• Traces of injuries were marked with red paint.
• Transverse lines on the wrist or hands meant a successful escape from captivity.
• Painting on the hips with parallel lines meant that the warrior fought on foot, and crossed - on horseback.

Features

The Indians, as a rule, were very eager to emphasize all their achievements in war paint, but did not attribute too much to themselves,and they moved from one status level to another only on the basis of victories, murders, the presence of scalps, recognition by fellow tribesmen, and so on. The war paint of the Indians, at the same time, was applied to a minimum by young men who had just come to the appropriate age, as well as by young warriors who had not yet received the opportunity to distinguish themselves in combat battles. Otherwise, the spirits of the ancestors might not recognize their own and not provide them with the necessary help, or even worse.

The Indians, of course, were very well versed in the social hierarchy and knew their leaders, including the military. But this did not mean that the leaders did not emphasize their high status with clothing, headdress and war paint. So, the image of the square indicated that its bearer was the leader of this military detachment.

Drawings in the form of heads of predatory animals

Separately, it must be said about tattoos or paint drawings in the form of heads of predatory animals, which were depicted on the head or body and which were very difficult to earn. In particular, they meant:

• coyote - cunning;
• wolf - ferocity;
• bear - power and strength;
• eagle - courage and vigilance.

Clothes and military weapons were subject to coloring. On the shields, if the warrior used it, there was a lot of space, and it was possible to apply not only the achievements already available, but those that he aspired to. And by tailoring, finishing and coloring moccasins, even a child could determine the tribal affiliation of its owner.

Military war face paint

In our practical time and fightingcoloring is given a purely practical mundane value. The military, including intelligence or special forces, need to reduce the visibility of the face and exposed areas of the body, including the eyelids, ears, neck and hands. "Makeup" should also solve the important task of protecting against:

• Mosquitoes, midges and other insects, whether they suck blood or not.
• Solar and other types of combat and (non-combat) burns.

A lot of time in preparation is given to the practice of applying camouflage makeup from improvised means. As a rule, it should be two-tone and consist of parallel straight or wavy stripes. Earth, dirt, ash or clay is the main element. In summer, grass, sap, or parts of plants can be used in summer, and chalk or something like it in winter. There should be several zones on the face (up to five). Make-up is applied by the warrior himself and should be quite individual.

Children's coloring

Indian war paint for children is now done very often, especially for boys. Therefore, having painted their faces and stuck a feather of any bird in their hair, they cheerfully chase each other, waving a toy tomahawk and shouting loudly, by rhythmically pressing an open palm to their mouths. This makeup is perfect for children's carnivals and parties. The safe face painting perfectly imitates the war paint of the Indians from the photo of the original drawings and washes off easily with soap and water.

Conclusion

So, we have considered the essence and features of the war paint of the Indians. As you can see, each color and pattern hasits meaning. At the moment, it will be difficult to see Indians painted in this way (except at carnivals), but a few hundred years ago this nuance was given great attention, and coloring had its own power.