408 



DYES AND PIGMENTS 



[b. a. 



mand for theBe dyes arose when basketry, 

 quillwork, and other textile industries 

 had reached a considerable degree of 

 advancement, and there was need of 

 diversity of color in ornamentation, as 

 well as permanency of color, which pig- 

 ments alone could not supply. 



Dyes. — The California tribes and many 

 others who made baskets were usually 

 satisfied with natural colors. These are 

 the red and black of bark, the white of 

 grass stems, the pale yellow of peeled 

 rods or rushes, and the brown of root 

 bark. A few dyes were known, however, 

 notably a black or dark gray on splints 

 which had been buried in mud. The 

 Hupaobtained bright yellow from lichens, 

 another color from the roots of the Oregon 

 grape, and a brownish red from alder 

 bark. Most of the tribes of the S. W. 

 use only black for designs on baskets, 

 and, rarely, red dyes. The Hopi, how- 

 ever, have a larger number of native 

 dyes for basketry splints than any other 

 tribe, and the Apache, Walapai, and 

 Havasupai have a number of vegetal dyes 

 that are not useil in basketry. The 

 Abnaki and other tribes made fugitive 

 stains from pokeberries and fruits of the 

 blueberry and elder. Lichens, golden- 

 seal, bloodroot, and the bark of the but- 

 ternut and other trees were also used by 

 the northern and eastern tribes, and in 

 southern regions the prickly pear. The 

 Virginia Indians, according to Harlot, 

 used sumach, a kind of seed, a small root, 

 and the bark of a tree to dye their hair, 

 as well as to color their faces red and to 

 tiye mantles of deerskin and the rushes 

 for baskets and mats. The tribes of the 

 N. W. coast employed a number of har- 

 monious vegetal colors in their baskets. 

 Most of the native dyes of the Indians 

 were superseded by others introduced, 

 especially in late years by aniline colors. 



Quillwork, formerly widespread, was 

 generally superseded by beadwork, and 

 the native dyes employed in the art have 

 fallen almost into disuse. Some of the 

 N. W. coast tribes, the Eskimo, and the 

 northern Athapascans alone practise 

 quillworking in its purity, but its former 

 range was extensive. 



Native vegetal blanket dyes are found 

 in use only among the Chilkat of Alaska, 

 who still retain them in weaving their 

 ceremonial shawls. The Nez Perces and 

 the Navaho formerly used permanent 

 vegetal dyes of pleasing colors for wool. 

 With the latter these dyes have given way 

 so recently to aniline colors that the de- 

 tails of their manufacture have not be- 

 come lost. The use of dyes required a 

 knowledge of mordants; for this purpose 

 urine was commonly employed by the 

 Navaho, Hopi, and Zuni, besides an im- 

 pure native alum, and an iron salt mixed 



with organic acids to produce black. It 

 has been assumed that, since the weaver's 

 art seems to be accultural with the Navaho, 

 the mordant dyes may have been derived 

 from the Pueblos, who, in turn, may have 

 received them from the Spaniards. Mat- 

 thews, however, controverts the opinion 

 that the Navaho learned the art of weav- 

 ing from the Pueblos; and indeed there 

 is no reason why the Indians should not 

 have become acquainted with various 

 mordants through the practise of the 

 culinary art or other domestic arts in 

 which fire is employed. 



Pigments: — The inorganiccolors used by 

 the Indians were mostly derived from 

 iron-bearing minerals, such asochers and 

 other ores, and stained earths. These 

 furnished various tints, as brown, red, 

 green, blue, yellow, orange, and purple. 

 The search for good colors was assidu- 

 ously pursued; quarries were opened and 

 a commerce in their products was carried 

 on. White was derived from kaolin, 

 limestone, and gypsum; black from 

 graphite, powdered coal, charcoal, or 

 soot; green and blue from copper ores, 

 phosphate of iron, etc. Pigments were 

 u.sed for facial decoration, red being most 

 prized, for which reason the vermilion of 

 the trader was eagerly adopted, but the 

 intent of face painting was generally to- 

 temic or religious and not merely orna- 

 mental. Pigments were rubbed into soft 

 tanned skins, giving the effect of dye, and 

 were mixed with various media for paint- 

 ing the wood and leather of boxes, arrows, 

 spears, shields, tipis, robes, parfleche 

 cases, etc. Among the Southwestern 

 tribes in particular pigments were mixed 

 with sand for dry-jmintings (q. v.), 

 while pigments of iron earths or kaolin 

 were employed for decorating pottery. 

 In connection with the preparation and 

 use of pigments are grinding slabs and 

 muUers, mortars and pestles, brushes and 

 paint sticks, and a great variety of pouches 

 and pots for carrying or for preserving 

 them. The media for applying the pig- 

 ments varied with the objects to be deco- 

 rated and with tribal or personal usage. 

 In general, face paint was mixed with 

 grease or saliva, while the medium for 

 wood or skin was grease or glue. The 

 N. W. coast Indians put grease on their 

 faces before applying the paint. Among 

 some of the Pueblos, at least, an emulsion 

 of fat seeds was made with the pigment, 

 and this was applied by spurting from 

 the mouth. See Adornment, Art, Dry- 

 painting, Mines and Quarries, Ornament, 

 Painting. 



Consult Dorsey in Field Columb. Mus. 

 Publ., Anthrop. ser. ; Fewkes in 17th 

 Rep. B. A. E., 1898; Goddard, Life and 

 Culture of the Hupa, 1903; Holmes in 

 Am. Anthrop., v, no. 3, 1903; Hough 



