614 THE PAINTING OF HUMAN BONES AMONG THE INDIANS. 



from near La Paz, Lower California, every part of which shows 

 intentional red painting, probably in ocher. The skull is here repro- 

 duced as a type of specimens of this nature (pi. iii.) In a few 

 patches on different parts of the skeleton the paint is nearly rubbed 

 or washed oif. 



Professor Boas informs me that some red skeletons have been 

 excavated near Thompson Kiver in British Columbia, but it is not 

 certain whether these bones were accidentally stained or intentionally 

 painted. In the collection of the American Museum of Natural 

 History is a skull (No. 99-1G04) of a Clayoquot warrior fi-om the 

 west coast of Vancouver Island that is painted outwardly a very 

 dark brown. There are other skulls from the Northwest in the 

 collection of the American Museum that show red stains (particularly 

 No. 99-3047, Copalis, west coast of Washington; Smith), but in these 

 intentional painting is doubtful. 



In Mexico I have never found any color stain on the bones in the 

 territory of the Tarahumares; but a skeleton painted red with some 

 vegetable dye and with traces of yellow. descril)ed by me before," was 

 obtained l)y C. Lumholtz just south of this region. 



Several of the Tarasco crania fi-om Michoacan (No. 99-175, for 

 example) in the American Museum collection show red stains, but 

 these may be accidental. 



Finally, the American Museum collection includes several skulls 

 and some bones of ancient Zapotecs and ]Mixtecs, collected by Mr. 

 Saville in Oaxaca, and some of these show plain and indubitable 

 signs of intentional painting with some inorganic red ])igment, 

 apparently ocher. 



As to Central America and South America, one of the feAV refer- 

 ences to the custom which I have noted concerns the Caribs, who 

 according to Gumilla (Brinton's Myths of the New World, p. 225), 

 about a year after death cleaned the bones of their dead, bleached 

 them, painted them, and wrapped them in odorous balsams; they 

 were then placed in a wicker basket which was kept suspended from 

 the door of the dwelling. '' When the (piantity of these heirlooms 

 became burdensome they were removed to some inaccessible cavern 

 and stored away with reverential care." 



The second instance pertains to the P)ororos, one of the Amazon 

 tribes, who, according to Ehrenreich, unearth the body about two 

 weeks after death, clean the bones, paint them red, and additionally 

 decoi-ate the skull with red feathers. Von den Steinen, ^\ho wit- 

 nessed the procedure among the Brazilian Indians with P]hrenreich, 

 describes it thus: '' ' The observance lasts a whole day. The remains 



nAnier. AntliropoloKist, n. s., vol. :'.. Sopt.-Def.. 11M»1, p. 701 et seq. 

 fcCon-esp. HI. d. d. (Jesellscli. f. Antbr., Ktbuol.. llrs*'st-h., Dec, 1903, p. 170 

 (Aroh. f. Aiithroi... n. f. I. 4, 1904). 



