76 



PICTOGRAPHS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIANS. 



sented in the accompanying Plate, III. No history of these heads can 



be obtained. The skin is almost perfect, and lias become much brighter 

 in tint than the original color. The tattooing is a blue black, ami in 

 certain lights becomes almost bright indigo. In many of the markings 

 there appear slight grooves, which add greatly to the general ornamenta- 

 tion, breaking the monotony of usually plain surfaces. Whether any 

 mechanical work was performed upon the heads after death is not posi 

 tively known, though from the general appearance of the work it would 

 be suggested that the sharp creases or grooves was done subsequent to 

 the death of the individual. The tattooing shows sub-cutaneous color- 

 ing, which indicates that at least part of the ornamentation was done 

 in life. 



Figure37 is an illustration from Te Ika a Maui, etc., op. cit., facing page 

 378. It shows the " grave of an Australian native, with his name, rank, 

 tribe, etc., cut in hieroglyphics on the trees," which "hieroglyphics" are 

 supposed to be connected with his tattoo marks. 



Fig. 37. — Australian grave ami carved trees. 



Mr. I. C. Russell, in his sketch of New Zealand, published in the 

 American Naturalist, Volume XIII, p. 72, February, 1879, remarks, that 

 the desire of the Maori for ornament is so great that they covered their 

 features with tattooing, transferring indelibly to their faces complicated 

 patterns of curved and spiral lines, similar to the designs with which 

 they decorated their canoes and their houses. 



In Mangaia, of the Hervey Group, the tattoo is said to be in imitation 

 of the stripes on the two kinds of fish, avini and paoro, the color of 

 which is blue. The legend of this is kept in the song of Ina'. See 

 Myths and songs from the South Pacific, Loudon, 1S7G, p. 94. 



