500 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



tribal mark, think for a moment of the savage man's relation to 

 the world outside. He is a very Ishmaelite. So long as he re- 

 mains on his own tribal territory he is safe ; when on the land 

 of another tribe, his life is the legitimate prey of the first man he 

 meets. To men in such social relations the tribal mark is the only 

 safety at home ; without it he would be slain unrecognized by his 

 own tribesmen. There must have been a time when the old He- 

 brews knew all about this matter of tribe marks. By this custom 

 only can we fully understand the story of Cain (Gen. iv, 14, 15), 

 who fears to be sent from his own territory lest he be slain by the 

 first stranger he meets, but is protected by the tribal mark of 

 those among whom he is to wander being put upon him. " I shall 

 be fugitive and vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass 

 that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said 

 unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be 

 taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, 

 lest any one finding him should kill him." But in scarring, as in 

 so many other cases, the original idea is often lost, and the mark 

 becomes merely ornamental. This is particularly true among 



women. Among men 

 it more frequently re- 

 tains its tribal or re- 

 ligious significance. 



And last of the 

 groups is Hair-dress- 

 ing, which is wonder- 

 fully varied. Africa 

 is again the best field 

 for study. The Ba- 

 toka works the hair 

 into the form of a ring 

 and then builds it up 

 into a cone, piecing it 

 out with the hair of 

 beasts, and adorning 

 it with red ochre (Fig. 

 11). The Kaffir, when 

 he is no longer a boy, 

 goes to a friend to 

 have his hair dressed. 

 'The friend takes an assagai, sharpens it carefully; takes gum, 

 sinews, charcoal, and oil. He makes an oval ring of sinews half 

 an inch thick, and fits it firmly over the head. He then weaves 

 the hair into this, and fixes it with gum and charcoal. Oil and 

 grease are applied until all shines. The head is then shaved, 

 except the ring. This is variously useful holds feathers firmly, 



Fig. 11. Batoka Hair-dressing. 



