592 TRIBES OF THE UPPER MISSOURI [eth. ahn. « 



Tattooing 



Tattooing is much practiced by all these tribes, and a great variety 

 of figures are thus painted, sometimes in spots on the forehead, 

 stripes on the cheeks and chin, rings on the arms and wrists; often 

 the whole of the breast as low down as the navel, with both arms, is 

 covered with drawings in tattoo. It is a mark of rank in the men, 

 distinguishing the warrior when elaborately executed, and as the 

 operation is one requiring the pay of one or two horses, it proves 

 the person's parents to have been sufficiently rich to afford that mark 

 of distinction imprinted on their children, whether male or female. 

 It is usually done on females at the age of 12 to 14 years, is only 

 exhibited on them in the form of a round spot in the middle of the 

 forehead, stripes from the corners and middle of the mouth down to 

 the chin, occasionally transversely over the cheek, and rings around 

 the wrist and upper parts of the arms. On them it is merely de- 

 signed as ornament. Men are tattooed entire after having struck 

 their first enemy, but smaller marks of this kind are also only orna- 

 mental. The material employed and the modus operandi are as fol- 

 lows: Red willow and cedar wood are burned to charcoal, pulverized, 

 and mixed with a little water. This is the blue coloring matter. 

 From four to six porcupine quills' or needles are tied together with 

 sinew. These are enveloped in split feathers; wrapping with sinew, 

 until a stiff pencil about the size of a goose quill is had, with the 

 quills or needles projecting at the end. One of the priests or divining 

 men is then presented with a horse and requested to operate. At 

 the same time a feast of dried berries is prepared, and a consider- 

 able number of elderly men invited to drum and sing. When all 

 are assembled the feast is eaten with much solemnity and invocations 

 to the supernatural powers. 



The person to be tattooed is then placed on his back, being stripped 

 naked, and the operator being informed of the extent of the design 

 to be represented, proceeds to mark an outline with the ink, which, 

 if correct, is punctured with the instrument above alluded to, so as 

 to draw blood, filling up the punctures with the coloring matter as 

 he goes along, by dipping the needles therein and applying them. 

 The drumming and singing is kept up all the time of the operation 

 which, with occasional stops to smoke or eat, occupies from two to 

 two and a half days, when the whole of the breast and both arms are 

 to be tattooed; and the price for the operation is generally a horse 

 for each day's work. 



Badges of Office 



There are no badges of office that we are aware of. These marks 

 belong to kinships and appear only in their dress in the different 



